This is a great salad for the springtime, when citrus season is in full swing, mangoes are still good and summer fruit is beginning to make an appearance at markets. It has a bit of a tropical feel, from its use of brilliant colors to its inclusion of macadamia nuts, which are grown in tropical areas.
We toast the macadamia nuts to bring out their subtle sweetness and crunchy texture, while balancing the acidity of the citrus. We also include lemongrass, mint and lavender (a perennial herb) to compliment the sweet and sour taste of the ingredients.
This dish can be served as an appetizer to get the taste buds going, or as accompaniment to a fish or meat. We recommend serving this salad with our sea scallop and mushroom dish.
Tip: watch our video to learn how to properly cut citrus into supremes for maximum flavor.
Citrus, peach and mango salad with lemongrass and toasted macadamia nuts
Ingredients
- 2 ruby red grapefruits
- 2 Cara Cara oranges (substitute with navel or valencia orange)
- 2 blood oranges
- 4 tangerines
- 4 ripe peaches
- 1 ripe mango
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1 tsp. honey
- ¼ cup lemongrass (smashed and then chopped into 2” pieces)
- 1 Tbsp. mint leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and crushed (option to chop instead of crush)
- 1 sprig lavender (optional)
- 1 tsp. Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Segment grapefruit, oranges, tangerines into a medium-sized bowl with all juices squeezed out into bowl. Reserve for later. (Tip: watch our video to learn how to properly cut citrus into supremes for maximum flavor.)
- Pour citrus juice into a 1-quart pot. Add honey, lemongrass, lavender, juice of 1 lemon and juice plus zest of one lime. Turn burner to medium level and bring juice to boil. Once it boils, turn off heat and let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, so flavors meld into citrus juice.
- Strain citrus juice through a fine mesh strainer and discard lemongrass, lavender and lime zest. Place juice in fridge to cool.
- Add whole macadamia nuts to a dry 10” sauté pan on medium heat and toast for 5 minutes. Move nuts around in pan so they turn golden brown and you can see their oils start to surface. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Crush nuts with a heavy bottomed pan or chop with a knife (you want cracked pieces, nothing too fine). Reserve for later use.
- Remove pit from peaches, slice and add to bowl with citrus segments. (Try to cut the peach slices to match the size of the citrus segments.)
- Peel and slice the mango and add it to the bowl with citrus segments. (Again, try to cut the mango slices to match the size of the citrus segments.)
- Add the cooled citrus juice and the mint to the bowl with the citrus segments. Mix gently until the juice and mint coat all ingredients in the bowl. Keep in fridge for up to 2 hours or serve immediately.
- To serve: add all ingredients to a wide bowl. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt on top of dish, then do the same with the crushed macadamia nuts. As you scoop out the fruit with a large serving spoon, the salt and nuts will naturally disperse to flavor the salad.
