Description
A refreshing Mediterranean Orange Salad featuring sweet Navel oranges, crunchy pomegranate seeds, and fresh mint, dressed with a zesty honey-lime vinaigrette enhanced by optional orange blossom water. Perfect as a light appetizer or side dish to brighten any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 25 fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 6 Navel oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch sweet paprika
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pomegranate, seeded (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups seeds)
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange blossom water (optional)
Instructions
- Soften the onion: Place the thinly sliced red onions in a bowl of ice water and let them sit for 10 minutes. Then remove the onions and dry thoroughly to reduce sharpness and add crispness.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, honey, and optional orange blossom water until well combined. Set aside for flavors to meld.
- Prepare the serving platter: Arrange half of the chopped mint leaves evenly across your platter. Layer the peeled orange slices and softened onions on top. Sprinkle everything lightly with kosher salt, sweet paprika, and ground cinnamon to enhance the flavors.
- Add pomegranate seeds: Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the layered salad, adding a burst of color and sweet-tart flavor.
- Dress and serve: Drizzle the honey-lime dressing over the salad, adjusting the amount to taste. Finally, garnish with the remaining fresh mint leaves and let the salad rest for 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend before serving.
Notes
- This salad is best served fresh but can be chilled for up to 2 hours before serving to meld the flavors.
- You can substitute the pomegranate seeds with fresh red currants or dried cranberries if unavailable.
- Orange blossom water is optional but adds an authentic floral aroma; you can omit it if you prefer.
- Use sweet Navel oranges for the best flavor, but blood oranges or Cara Cara oranges work nicely for color variation.
- For a vegan version, substitute honey with agave syrup or maple syrup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 149.4 kcal
- Sugar: 21.8 g
- Sodium: 11.5 mg
- Fat: 3.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
