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This bright, fresh Arugula Orange Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing is loaded with delicious seasonal produce - perfect to chase away the winter blues!
Have you noticed that the produce bins at your local market are filled with sweet, juicy oranges of all varieties right now? I'm crazy for that fresh, intoxicating aroma that greets me each time I slice into, or begin peeling one of these lovely citrus fruits. To me, they're the culinary highlights of this cold, often dreary, time of year. This Arugula Orange Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing is a perfect way to highlight this delicious seasonal produce!
Next time you're at the market, check out all the different types of oranges. If navel oranges are the only ones that typically make their way into your shopping cart, you're missing out on some unbelievably delicious options. I used navel, Cara Cara and blood oranges for this salad, but other varieties such as clementines, tangerines, tangelos and/or mandarins would make delicious alternatives too. The beautiful hue of color that is unique to each variety makes for a gorgeous presentation!
My salad today includes baby arugula, but baby spinach or field greens could also be used. Don't be frustrated if the selection of a specific green at your grocery store is poor. Just substitute whatever looks the freshest and prettiest and you'll be much happier with the finished product.
Pick up a red onion and a pomegranate while you're shopping. The red onion will be thinly sliced and doused in a super simple pickling solution while you're preparing the rest of the salad. The little white and purple slices will be magically transformed to a magnificent magenta hue while you work away. My daughter-in-law Lindsay calls these "quickles" a super quick pickled red onion. They're absolutely delicious, and can be used in salads and on sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, pizzas... I almost always have a jar of these beauties in the refrigerator to add a bit of pizzazz to everyday meals.
If you been hanging out at The Café for a while, you might be tired of me saying this, but don't be intimidated by pomegranates! And, don't break the bank buying the ridiculously expensive cartons of the prepared seeds! De-seeding a pomegranate is so easy, you won't believe it. I figured you might be skeptical, so I actually did a Step-by-Step Tutorial on How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds no fuss, no mess, no water! And you can do it in less that a minute. Check it out!
I shared the Lemon Ginger Poppy Seed Dressing in a separate post because it's super versatile! Use it on lots of other types of salads, or how about as a drizzling sauce for chicken, shrimp, salmon, etc? It's one of those super easy, throw-it-all-in-a-jar-and-shake dressings that everyone seems to love.
The recipe includes a crunchy, sweet and salty almond topping that will take less than 5 minutes to to throw together. Warning - you might want to make extra, as the nuts are dangerously addictive and actually make a healthy little snack. Just store extras in an airtight container.
So that's the scoop on this yummy Arugula Orange Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing. Go ahead, make your shopping list - and be sure to serve it before the citrus season slips away. I think it may become a fresh, delicious highlight of your winter meals too! Bon Appétit!
For your Pinning pleasure!
Lots of people ask what kind of cookware, small appliances, cutlery, etc. I use in the kitchen. Here’s what I used to make this recipe.
- For the Quick Pickled Red Onions
- ¾ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- water
- For the Honey Glazed Almonds:
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- kosher salt
- For the salad:
- 8 ounces baby arugula*
- 3 medium oranges** peeled, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices
- ½ cup pomegranate arils or seeds
- Quick Pickled Red Onions
- Lemon Ginger Poppy Seed Dressing
- Honey Glazed Almonds
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For the onions, combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a pint size jar. Stir well to dissolve sugar and salt. Add sliced onions and add enough water to cover the onions. Cover tightly and gently shake the jar. Set aside for at least 15 minutes while preparing nuts and the rest of the salad. (Can be made a day or two in advance, if desired.)
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For the almonds, lay a piece of foil on a work surface. Spray lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with a bit of oil, then rub oil around with a paper towel to lightly grease the surface. Melt butter in a medium size, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add honey and stir to combine. Add the nuts and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until almonds are golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with salt and stir gently. Spread almonds out onto prepared foil. Some will stick together in little clumps. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container after cooling, if not using right away.
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For the salad, place arugula (or other greens) in a large salad bowl. Top with orange slices, pickled red onions (as many as you like, you probably won’t use all of them), and pomegranate arils. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle almonds over the top.
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Servings: 4
* Feel free to substitute other greens in this salad. Spinach, field greens, baby kale and red leaf lettuce are also delicious..
**Regular oranges are delicious in this salad or a combination. I like to use a mix of blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges and navel oranges for a really pretty look.
Janette says
Love this salad! I made this salad for a potluck wedding reception for my girlfriend. It was a huge hit! She came over after an hour and said people were asking her for this recipe. When we left, the entire salad had been eaten, and I probably could have 3x the recipe. I will definitely make this again often. The dressing was amazing and fresh! I loved the brightness from the oranges and zing that the picked red onions brought to the salad. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Janette, for sharing this fun story! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!
Jennie says
I have not made this yet but 5 stars is for your cooking expertise and the “artistry” of your presentations and photography.
Due to “keeping distance “ in these trying days, I am helping my daughters by delivering family meals. My husband and I pack up the meals and take them to the door. Our daughter are thrilled. We are truly blessed in retirement to be able to do this. I am really using your website often to help me with recipes. So thank you immensely. My question pertaining to this arugula orange salad is , can I make and assemble in advance ( excluding dressing the salad)? I didn’t know if moisture from the fruits would wilt the greens.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jennie, what a lovely thing you and your husband are doing. You're certainly making the best out of a difficult situation! I know your daughters will never forget this and will have sweet memories of you in this pandemic.
Regarding your question. I think I would just put the fruit and onions in separate little zippered bags in the bowl and give them instructions to add the fruit and dressing right before serving.
Thank you for your 5-star review too 💕💕
Ann says
This salad is really really good. I served it with ham quiche for dinner. Love the pickled onions. To save time, I substituted romaine hearts which I had in the fridge and substituted canned glazed almonds (next time I'm going to make these) and I had pomegranate salad dressing so I used this. Next time I'm going to make the whole salad as written. Thanks for sharing.
Adina says
What beautiful colors! And I have to try those almonds, I have something similar on muesli sometimes but I have never put them on salad.
Robyn Gleason says
Perfectly delicious, Chris! I am craving citrus right now and this will satisfy all my cravings. Your photography made me want to jump through the screen - simply gorgeous! Sharing 🙂
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
This is one gorgeous salad for my winter blues - a little brightness is just what I need to perk me up!
Susan says
Such a beautiful salad, Chris! I love everything about it and those honey glazed almonds sound so good too!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I love everything about this salad Chris! It's screaming spring to me!!
Debra Eliotseats says
I have a big box of arugula that is screaming for this dressing and some friendly citrus. Will have to make this this week!
Sandra Garth says
Outside of baked goods I don't eat much citrus. This beautiful salad lets me know what I've been missing!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Beautiful salad! I am finding citrus the one bright spot my long Winter, so I'm all over it 🙂 Can't wait to try this.
Liz says
Why do I grab a can of mandarin oranges when making a salad?? Your fresh orange slices are so much more appealing---especially in the midst of citrus season! Another MUST try salad recipe.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
That looks outrageously delicious! I must make some honey glazed almonds for my salads too.
Chris Scheuer says
It's just so darn fresh tasting Angie! The almonds add that flavorful crunch too!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
Wow Chris - this is a gorgeous salad and the flavor must be amazing! I do love all the citrus we've found lately - and have made a pig of myself with Clementines 🙂 I knew when I saw that Lemon Ginger dressing their would be a fabulous salad close behind!
Maria Jones says
This was scrumptious. I didn’t have any pomegranates so I substituted blackberries. I will definitely make this again and again. What a wonderful way to brighten up a winter’s day. Thank you Chris.