Our Fresh Citrus Salad Dressing is loaded with winter’s bountiful supply of sunny citrus. It is wonderfully zingy and perfect for green or fennel salads or as a marinade for chicken or pork.
This citrus vinaigrette has a wonderful balance of tanginess from the lemons and limes and sweetness from the oranges and mandarins we have used it in our Shaved Fennel Mandarin Salad and our Goat Cheese Arugula Salad.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Citrus – we have used the juice and the zest from oranges, mandarin, lemons and limes, but you may use any combination of citrus you like; just make sure to balance the tangy with sweet. You could try blood oranges for a smidge of bitterness, mandarins or clementines for juicy sweetness or even grapefruit for its puckery flavour.
- ⚠️ Steer clear from anything bottled, though, as they don’t have the same flavour as freshly squeezed and may contain additives.
- Olive oil – we love the full-bodied olive oil blends but if you are looking for a lighter dressing, opt for a virgin or extra virgin blend or even avocado oil.
- Salt and pepper to balance and enhance the flavour of the ingredients
The secret 🤫 to this citrus salad dressing is that we have used the zest and juice from all the citrus.
Combined, they create an explosion 💥 of sweet, zingy flavour and make it a magical experience.
How to Make It
- Take a container that has a tight-fitting lid – glass jars are perfect for this.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into the container, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, cover it and shake until emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
What Can I Use It On?
A wonderful vinaigrette for any green salad, particularly with fruit such as pear, orange, strawberries or even dried cranberries.
Add some crunchy nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans and some cheese such as feta, blue cheese or smoked cheddar, and you have a tasty but easy salad on your table in minutes.
Also, wonderful with…
- Green salads, especially with rocket/arugula, as it tones down their pepperiness.
- Sensational on fennel salads.
- Use our Citrus Dressing as an alternative dressing to this Kale & Broccoli Salad to jazz it up.
- Drizzle it on steamed veggies such as green beans, asparagus and broccoli.
- Add to some roasted veggies such as beets or sweet potatoes. Use it as an alternative dressing in our Pumpkin Salad with Spinach.
- Try it with grain salads such as quinoa and farro, or try it our Barley Salad with Summer Squash instead.
- Use it as an alternative to mayo in coleslaws.
- With winter greens along with dried fruit and roasted nuts.
- Spoon it over some perfectly grilled chicken, seafood or fish.
- Use it as a marinade for pork and chicken.
People Also Ask…
How Long Can I Store It?
- Store your citrus dressing in the fridge in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for approximately 4-5 days.
- The lid must fit securely; otherwise, your dressing will spoil easily; mason jars are perfect.
- All you have to do is bring it to room temperature and shake it up when you are ready to use it again.
How Much Citrus Dressing Does It Make?
This recipe makes approximately one cup of dressing enough for two salads that serve four; the nutritional information has been calculated per serving.
Why Has My Citrus Salad Dressing Separated?
- This is due to emulsification when two ingredients that don’t mix well (oil and citrus juice) are combined.
- To fix this, all you need to do is whisk or if you using a glass jar, shake it vigorously, and your dressing will come together again.
What Diets is Citrus Vinaigrette Suitable For?
- It is great for vegan, vegetarian, whole30, paleo, gluten-dairy, nut free eaters.
- Oranges are generally not allowed on keto and low-carb diets, so it wouldn’t suit those.
Recipe Card
Equipment
- A container with a tight fitting lid such as a glass jar.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ½ tablespoon lemon zest approximately the zest from 1 lemon
- ½ tablespoon lime zest approximately the zest from 1 lime
- ½ tablespoon orange zest approximately the zest from ½ an orange
- ½ tablespoon mandarin zest approximately the zest from 1 mandarin
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tbsps lime juice
- ½ tablespoon orange juice
- ½ tablespoon mandarin juice
Instructions
- Take a container that has a tight-fitting lid – glass jars are perfect for this.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into the container, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, cover it and shake until emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Notes
- This recipe makes a approximately one cup of dressing enough for two salads that serve four, the nutritional information has been calculated per serving.
