Can I make this citrus salad ahead?

For the freshest possible salad, I recommend preparing the citrus and fennel slices in advance and storing in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Right before serving, add the avocado slices, mint, almonds, lemon, and olive oil. This way we avoid brown avocado and mushy ingredients!

How do I store this salad?

If prepping in advance, store the citrus salad in an airtight container in the fridge except for the avocado, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, and sliced almonds. When ready to serve, freshly slice and add in the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, and sliced almonds for the freshest crunch. Garnish with fresh pieces of mint! If storing leftovers, simply place in an airtight storage container for up to 4-5 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing this salad.

Citrus Mint Salad with Fennel + Avocado

Description

This citrus mint salad is paired with delicate shaved fennel, avocado slices, fresh mint, and crunchy sliced almonds for an incredibly refreshing salad! It's a brunch favorite, but can also be enjoyed for breakfast, snack, or any time of day.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 grapefruits
2 Cara Cara oranges
3 blood oranges
1 bulb of fennel
1 avocado, halved & pitted
Handful of fresh mint leaves, cut into ribbons or chopped
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Juice from 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil

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Instructions

Peel and slice citrus. Cut the ends off of each piece of citrus fruit (the side with the navel and its opposite side). Placing the flat side down on the cutting board, slice between the pith and the fruit flesh to remove all pith and skin. Lie the fruit on its side (the citrus segments will be horizontal) and slice crosswise into the fruit, creating slices about 1 centimeter thick.
Shave fennel & slice avocado. Cut the end off of the fennel bulb and shave into thin slices using a mandoline or very sharp knife. Take each avocado half and cut slices lengthwise into the fruit. Scoop these out with a spoon to use in the salad.
Assemble salad in layers. Start to place layers of citrus slices, fennel, and avocado slices into a large flat bowl or serving plate, incorporating sprinkles of mint leaves as you go. Once all the ingredients are layered into the salad, sprinkle on slice almonds and add lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with more mint, and serve it up to your lovely guests.

Notes

Mint. You can roughly chop the mint, but I LOVE using a kitchen shears to cut leafy herbs like mint and basil into ribbons. You can just hold it right over your dish and snip, snip, snip. Leave some whole mint leaves for garnish, if desired!
Make-ahead instructions. When making ahead, I recommend preparing everything about 1-2 days in advance except for the avocado, mint, almonds, lemon juice, and olive oil. Cut and slice citrus, shave fennel, and place in the fridge in an airtight container. When you're ready to serve, add in your avocado, almonds, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh mint! This ensures that all ingredients are kept as fresh as possible and nothing gets mushy or brown.
Citrus. Please explore all the citrus! Grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, and blood oranges are all delightful, but get your hands on some mandarins, clementines, and navel oranges at the peak of the season. You won't regret it!

Prep Time: 10
Category: Salad
Method: Slice & combine
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: About 1.5 cups
Calories: 216
Sugar: 11.7 g
Sodium: 14.6 mg
Fat: 11.1 g
Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
Carbohydrates: 29.6 g
Fiber: 8 g
Protein: 4.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg