Grapefruit Goat Cheese Fennel Salad (Printable Version)
Fresh grapefruit, crisp fennel, and creamy goat cheese create a vibrant, refreshing salad perfect for any season.
# What You'll Need:
→ Produce
01 - 2 large pink grapefruits, peeled and segmented
02 - 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced (fronds reserved for garnish)
03 - 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
04 - 2 cups arugula or baby greens
→ Dairy
05 - 3.5 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
→ Nuts & Seeds
06 - 1/4 cup toasted pistachios or walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
→ Dressing
07 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
09 - 1 tsp honey
10 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Method:
01 - Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until fully emulsified. Set aside at room temperature.
02 - Arrange arugula or baby greens evenly across a large serving platter or salad bowl.
03 - Scatter the thinly sliced fennel and shallot over the bed of greens, distributing evenly for consistent flavor in each bite.
04 - Add grapefruit segments across the salad surface, spacing them uniformly for visual appeal and balanced distribution.
05 - Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese and toasted nuts over the salad, ensuring even coverage.
06 - Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad just before serving. Finish with reserved fennel fronds and freshly cracked black pepper.
# Chef's Tips:
01 -
- The way creamy goat cheese tames grapefruits natural bitterness feels like discovering a secret handshake between ingredients
- You can throw it together in fifteen minutes but it looks like something from a restaurant where they actually care about plating
02 -
- Squeeze your grapefruit segments over the bowl before adding them to catch all that precious juice
- The dressing needs to hit the salad right before serving because arugula gets sad and wilted quickly
03 -
- A mandoline makes the fennel slices paper thin and elegant but a sharp knife and some patience works perfectly fine
- Room temperature grapefruit releases more juice and has better flavor than cold from the fridge