Make-It-Your-Own Citrus Salad with Castelvetrano Olives, Honey & Goat Cheese
This salad hits in all the right ways—it’s bright, sweet, and salty with a bit of crunch and creaminess.
This dish was first inspired by some beautiful blood oranges I received in my Farm to People box and my love for castelvetrano olives. It’s one of my go-to dishes when I have friends over for brunch or dinner, or when the occasional craving for oranges strikes.
As with most of my recipes, I encourage you to make it your own. The first time I made it, I skipped the greens all together, used shallots in place of scallions, mint in place of basil, and left out the radishes (love ‘em, but didn’t have any on hand). I’ve included a few options that I think would work beautifully in the “recipe” below and I’d love to hear about any variations you come up with.
My one note: don’t sub the castelvetrano olives for another type of olive. Personally, I think it’s the mild, buttery flavor of castelvetranos that really work in this recipe. Other olive varieties may be overpowering (too harsh and salty) and one of my favorite things about this salad is appreciating how all of the subtle flavors marry together in each bite. No shade to other olives, but they have their time and place and in this salad is not one of them.
Recipe makes salad for 2 people (if serving as an appetizer) or 1 person if serving as a meal.
Ingredients
Handful or two of Greens - I used baby crispy green leaf here, but radicchio is another great option. You want something a bit hearty that will hold up well. You can also skip the greens all together!
Citrus - 2 to 3 oranges (depending upon size), sliced to your preferred thickness. I love a combination of oranges (blood orange, naval, etc) and even some grapefruit is nice
+ 1 small orange for juice (about a tablespoon)6 or so Castelvetrano Olives, sliced/chopped (hot tip: if you get olives with pits, smash them with a knife to easily remove the pit)
1 scallion or small shallot, thinly sliced
About 1 tablespoon of goat cheese, crumbled (don’t use pre-crumbled goat cheese. You’ll miss the creaminess)
Small handful of fresh herbs (I love basil or mint)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted (pistachios would also work great)
Honey (for drizzling)
EVOO (for drizzling)
Salt + Pepper (I love a finishing salt in this is my favorite - you can find it a few places online, including Amazon. Just search Le Guerandais Coarse Sea Salt)
Any additions you’d like to make, such as sliced watermelon radishes
How to make it
Toast your pepitas/nuts - I like to keep things simple (I’m not turning on the oven if I don’t have to) and toss them into a pan on the stove and keep an eye on them over low-medium heat, tossing occasionally. Use your senses here—you’ll start to smell them toasting. You want them just browned, but not burnt. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
If using greens, toss them in a bowl with the sliced scallion/shallot and any other veg you’re adding, like the radishes. Toss with about a tablespoon of juice from orange, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Using tongs, place the salad on a large plate. If there’s too much juice from the orange, let it fall to the bottom of the bowl when you pull the salad out.
Top salad with orange slices, castelvetrano olives, goat cheese, and pepitas/nuts. Sprinkle very lightly with more sea salt, drizzle lightly with olive oil and honey, and dig in.
