Get your dose of vitamin C in minutes with this scrumptious Spinach Mandarin Orange Salad. This winter salad is reminiscent of sipping ouzo in the sun and will help you bear the winter chill.
This salad features star anise which has a delicate “ouzo” flavour combined with the sweet mandarins, bitter blood oranges and creamy avocado it was just magical.
An ideal salad for people with specific dietary requirements, as it is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan and paleo-friendly. A vivid colourful salad perfect for brightening up any winters day.
What is Star Anise?
Star Anise is a seed pod from an evergreen bush that is native to Southwest China, it has a liquorice-like flavour that compliments mandarins and oranges beautifully.
If you are unable to find these cute little star-shaped pods in the spice section of your supermarket, you can try substituting their flavour with a splash of ouzo, some Chinese 5 Spice powder or with some fennel seeds.
How to make this Spinach Mandarin Orange Salad…
1Wash your leaves and herbs.
Wash your spinach and dill sprigs, remove any wilted or damaged leaves shake and then either pat dry with a towel or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Finely chop your dill and transfer both to a large mixing bowl.
WASH YOUR ARUGULA (ROCKET) WASH & DRY YOUR ROCKET
2Peel and cut your citrus and avocado.
Wash and peel your blood oranges and mandarins, being careful to remove as much of the white pith as possible. Dice your oranges and cut your mandarin slices in half lengthwise. Wash and peel your avocado, cut into chunks and squeeze some lemon juice on top to prevent browning. Add to your bowl.
PEEL MANDARINS & ORANGES CUT MANDARIN IN HALF LENGHTHWISE DICE YOUR BLOOD ORANGES PEEL & CUT AVOCADO INTO CHUNKS
3Putting it all together.
Add all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
Season your salad with some sea salt and black pepper, pour your vinaigrette over the top, toss well until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste. Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the pistachios on top to garnish and serve.
ADD INGREDIENTS TO A BOWL TOSS WELL TO COMBINE
What can I serve with this salad?
- Another good all-round salad that you could pair with anything from grilled meats, casseroles and roasts.
- We served ours with some mustard pork chops for a quick weeknight dinner
- But I have also served it with stuffed roasted porchetta for a dinner party.
Try some more of our Mandarin Salad recipes…
Ingredients
For the salad…
- 4 medium mandarins (500 grams)
- 2 small navel orange (300 grams)
- 80 grams baby spinach (approximately 4 cups)
- ⅓ cup pistachio kernels
- 3 sprigs dill or fennel
For the vinaigrette…
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tbsps mandarin juice (juice from 1 medium mandarin)
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp star anise (ground)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your spinach and dill, pat dry with a towel or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Finely chop your dill and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Wash and peel all your blood oranges and mandarins, dice the oranges and cut the mandarins in half lengthwise.
- Peel and cut your avocado into chunks and squeeze on some lemon juice to prevent browning add to your bowl.
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
- Season your salad, pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the pistachios on top to garnish then serve immediately.
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