Special shout out to Sprouts Farmers Market for sponsoring this post and helping keep this site/me moving/shaking/twisting.
It seems like every year the citrus selection gets bigger and newer and we get the chance to mix and match the classics with the new options and Sprouts has a great selection of all the old and the new to figure out and find my new favorite favorite citrus.
I was tasked to create a salad using a bunch of citrus, including my new found favorite, the Sumo Citrus Mandarin. Sweet like candy, easy to peel, with so much flavor.
For the salad I knew I wanted to start with the classic stand by of scattered slices of citrus but then dress it up with buttery macadamia nuts and mint to help cut through some of the acidity. To tie it all together I made a syrup with meyer lemon and lime sweetened with honey that I went to salt and accidentally added what I thought was too much but then tasting it realized that it’s actually perfect because it almost brings out the sweetness of the citrus a little bit more, like when you sprinkle salt on melons.
The whole thing comes together fairly quickly, and the citrus can be prepared ahead of time, then when you’re ready to serve you just dress it with the syrup and all the macadamia nuts and fresh mint. It’s an easy way to impress guests at a dinner party but also quick enough to throw together for a weeknight dinner for yourself (impress yourself).
Salted Honey Citrus Salad
1 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp honey
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 Tbsps Meyer Lemon Juice
2 Tbsps lime juice
2-3 blood oranges
2-3 cara cara oranges
1 Sumo Citrus Mandarin
2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts
fresh mint leaves
In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water, honey, and salt until the honey and salt have dissolved. Stir in the lemon and lime juice and set aside.
Prepare the citrus by cutting off the ends of the blood and cara cara oranges then carefully slicing off the peel starting from top and working your way to the bottom. Once you’ve done this, place the citrus on it’s side and slice in ¼ inch slices.
Place half the cara cara slices on the platter followed by half the blood orange slices and repeat with the remaining slices to make sure there’s an even distribution of the clitrus.
Peel the Sumo Citrus Mandarin with your hands and separate into segments then place them evenly over the platter, tucking them in where needed.
Right before serving, top with the syrup, macadamia nuts, and fresh mint leaves.
