Pear and Rocket Salad with Hazelnuts

Name: Pear and Rocket Salad with Hazelnuts
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 medium William Bartlett pears ((approximately 500 grams/ 17.64 ounces reserve half a pear for the garnish)); 5 cups baby rocket ((approximately 150 grams/ 5.3 ounces)); ½ cup hazelnuts, roasted and crushed slightly ((reserve a tablesppon or two for the garnish)); ¼ cup verjuice 1; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; ½ tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped; Sea salt and cracked black pepper; 3 sprigs Thyme; Reserved half pear and hazelnuts

Whether you like your salads simple or loaded with flavour, you'll want to try this delicious Pear and Rocket Salad! This recipe combines two classic salad ingredients - rocket and pear with hazelnuts and verjuice. It's quick and easy to make so you can whip it up in no time.

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A close-up of a Pear and rocket salad on a black plate.

This salad is the perfect combination of sweet and savoury flavours. The rocket is full of peppery flavour, while the pear adds a juicy sweetness.

The roasted hazelnuts add a nutty crunch that adds a lovely contrast to the salad. And the verjuice vinaigrette adds a sweet tartness that brings out all the flavours of the salad.

Best of all, this salad is super easy to make. All you need to do is toss the rocket, pear, and hazelnuts together.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

What I love about this salad is that it has only a handful of ingredients that are the perfect combination of flavours.

Rocket/Arugula - forms the base of the salad; its pepperiness works well with the sweet pears. You can use any leafy greens, such as baby spinach; a mixed-leaf blend or even massaged kale works well.
Pears - we used some red corella pears for a colour contrast; use a firm variety of pear such as Beurre Bosc, Packham or William bartlett pears.
Roasted Hazelnuts - feel free to swap for any of your favourites, some ideas in the variations.
The Dressing - we have made a simple verjuice vinaigrette with fresh thyme; I love the slight grapey taste it brings to this salad.If you don't have any thyme, you leave it out or swap for one of the herbs in the variations.
For a quick alternative, drizzle the salad with some balsamic glaze or use a simple balsamic vinegar dressing instead.

Variations

Cheese - add some shaved parmesan cheese, feta cheese or a blue cheese for some creaminess.
Fruit - swap the pears for some thinly sliced apples, your favourite citrus, peaches or nectarines.
Hazelnuts - leave them out for a nut-free version, or some alternatives are toasted walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts or macadamias.
Herbs - we have used some fresh thyme, but you can swap it for some mint, rosemary, or tarragon.

Labelled ingredients needed to make a pear and rocket salad.

💡 Top Tips

Use Fresh Rocket - unlike other leafy greens, rocket doesn't last long in the fridge and will start to wilt and become soggy after a couple of days, so buy it just before using. After washing it, make sure to get rid of excess water with a salad spinner or paper towels to prevent water from diluting the salad dressing or making the leaves soggy.
Choose firm pears - they hold up better in the salad; if you use soft pears, toss the salad carefully so they do not disintegrate.
Prevent pears from browning - by placing them in salted water, but don't use soft pears because they will go mushy and dissolve. Use 1 teaspoon of salt for 2 cups of water and let stand for 10 minutes; strain and rinse them before using.
Serve Immediately - to keep the pears from browning, and the rocket leaves crisp, dress the salad just before you serve it.

How to Make It

Step 1 - Roasting Your Own Hazelnuts

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Line a baking tray with baking paper and arrange your nuts on top, so they spread out evenly and are not touching.

Place the tray with the nuts in the middle of your oven and roast for 10-15 minutes until the skins have blistered. Stirring occasionally so that they brown evenly; your nuts should be golden brown and fragrant.

Roasted hazelnuts on a lined baking tray.

Remove them from the oven, then wrap your nuts in a clean kitchen towel and let them steam for one minute.

Rub them in the towel until most of the skins peel off and allow them to cool completely.

Hands rubbing hazelnuts in a towel to remove their skins.

Roasted hazelnuts with skins in a towel.

Step 2 - Shake-up the Dressing

Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar then season.

Verjuice vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar with thyme on the side.

Shake well until emulsified, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Shaken verjuice vinaigrette in a glass jar with thyme on the side.

Step 3 - Prepare Salad Ingredients

Wash your baby rocket leaves and remove any damaged or wilted.

Washing rocket or arugula in a colander under running cold water in the sink.

Shake to remove excess water, then either dry using a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel.

Rocket, arugula leaves in a salad spinner.

Wash and core your pears.

Removing pear cores with a corer on a wooden board.

Cut the pear into thin slices either with a sharp knife or with your mandoline or v-slicers.

Thinly slicing pears with a mandoline slicer on a wooden board.

Step 4 - Assemble Your Pear and Rocket Salad

Add rocket and pear slices to a large bowl add most of the roasted hazelnuts.

Pear and rocket salad in a bowl with verjuice dressing on the side.

Pour over the dressing then season with salt and pepper.

Hands pouring dressing over pear and rocket salad.

Toss gently until the salad is well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.

Take the reserved pear half, slice thinly and arrange it in a fan pattern on the salad platter you are using.

Arrange the salad on a salad platter with the fanned pear. Garnish with the hazelnuts and thyme leaves and serve immediately.

Pear and rocket salad on a black plate sitting on a black and white towel.

Serving Suggestions 🍽

This simple salad pairs well with any grilled, barbecued or roasted meats, pork, chicken or seafood. It is very versatile and can be served on any occasion.

For family dinners, try it with some honey-glazed pork chops, a whole baked fish or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

For a dinner party, try it with a roast pork loin with crackling, a prime rib roast or a whole baked fish.

For a girly lunch, try it with a goat cheese tart or mustard chicken breasts.

Pear and rocket salad on a set table with roast chicken and potatoes. — **WE SERVED OURS WITH A HERB ROASTED ROAST CHICKEN AND CRISPY POTATOES.**

Tips and Questions

How to choose your pears and rocket.

Check the neck of the pears by applying a bit of pressure with your thumb. If it yields, it's ripe. Pick ones that are firm with the stem still in place. If the belly is squishy, it's probably too ripe.

Look for rocket that is a bright, vibrant green - it should look healthy and fresh. Be aware of signs that it is going bad, like yellow leaves, wilting, or being overly moist. Rocket spoils quickly, so don't rinse until you're ready to use it.

What is Verjuice, and What Can I Use Instead?

Verjuice is made from the juice of unfermented grapes. It is used as a gentle acidulant wherever you might find lemon juice or vinegar too tart.

You should be able to find it in the vinegar section of most supermarkets, such as coles or woollies.

As a replacement, I suggest rice vinegar or 2 tablespoons of either lemon juice or dry white wine vinegar with ¼ teaspoon of honey for the sweetness needed in this recipe.

Can this salad be made ahead?

This is really a make me and eat me NOW salad, but if you want to take it away, bring all the elements in separate containers and toss them together when you arrive.

How long will this salad last?

Once the salad has been dressed, it really should be eaten straight away; otherwise, it will get soggy.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge to be eaten the following day.

Is rocket the same as arugula?

Yes, they are one and the same thing and is also known as roquette and rucola.

In North America, it is called arugula, which comes from an Italian dialect's variation of ruchetta, the plant's name in Italy.

English commonwealth countries call it rocket which some say comes from the Italian word Ruchetta or rucola and others say that it comes from the French roquette.

Dietary Information

This delicious pear and rocket salad it is suitable for most diets - dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and whole30.

Each serving contains 212 calories with a net carb count of 15 grams.
^{(We used a nutritional database to make our calculations, so these should be considered an estimate only).}

Pear and Rocket Salad with Hazelnuts

Ingredients and Substitutions

Variations

💡 Top Tips