Arugula Pear Salad with Hazelnuts & Verjuice

This arugula pear salad is wonderfully refreshing and tasty. A great dish on its own or the perfect side to your favourite meat dish.

A classic combination of rocket (arugula) and pear is enhanced by the addition of the sweet verjuice, the pungent thyme and the crunchy roasted hazelnuts.

What is verjuice and what can I use instead?

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

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.

How to Roast Hazelnuts

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and arrange your nuts on top so they spread out evenly and are not touching.
3. 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.
4. Remove them from the oven, then wrap your nuts in a clean kitchen towel and let them steam for one minute.
5. Rub them in the towel until most of the skins peel off and allow them to cool completely.

How to Make It

1. Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
2. Wash your baby rocket remove any damaged or wilted leaves, shake to remove excess water then either dry using a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Wash and core your pears then slice thinly with a sharp knife or with your mandoline or v-slicers. Transfer to your mixing bowl. 
4. Pour your dressing over the pear and rocket, add half the roasted hazelnuts, season with salt and pepper. Toss gently until the salad is well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
5. Take the reserved pear half, slice thinly and arrange it in a fan pattern on the salad platter you are using.
6. Arrange the salad on a salad platter with the fanned pear. Garnish with the hazelnuts and thyme leaves and serve immediately.

TOP TIP
To prevent your pears from browning
place them in salted water using one teaspoon of salt for every two cups of water for 10 minutes.
Then strain and rinse them just before making up your salad.
You will be amazed at what a huge difference this will make.

What to serve with Arugula Pear Salad

This beautiful salad can be served with any grilled, barbecued or roasted meats, pork, chicken or seafood. Try it with:

• Roast Pork Loin with Crackling
• Herb Crusted Roast Chicken
• Goat Cheese Tart

Or you could add some cheese like a Danish blue or a creamy goat's cheese for a meal on its own.

How about trying some more of our savoury salads with fruit?

• Arugula Apricot Salad
• Peach & Mozzarella Salad
• Red Cabbage, Fennel & Rasberry Salad
• Brie & Cherry Salad
• Apple Slaw

Recipe Card

Arugula Pear Salad with Hazelnuts and Verjuice

This arugula pear salad is wonderfully refreshing and tasty. A great dish on its own or the perfect side to your favourite meat dish.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

* Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: Easy

Servings: 4 as a side

Calories: 288kcal

Equipment

• Salad Spinner
• Mandolin / V-Slicer

Ingredients

For the salad...

• 500 grams William Bartlett pears (3 medium - reserve half a pear for the garnish)
• 150 grams baby rocket
• ½ cup hazelnuts, roasted and crushed slightly (reserve half for the garnish)

For the Verjuice dressing…

• ¼ cup verjuice ¹
• 3 tbsps lemon juice
• 3 tbsps olive oil (extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves (chopped)
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the garnish…

• 3 sprigs Thyme
• Reserved half pear and hazelnuts

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

• Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
• Wash your baby rocket remove any damaged or wilted leaves, shake to remove excess water then either dry using a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Wash and core your pears then slice thinly with a sharp knife or with your mandoline or v-slicers. Transfer to your mixing bowl. ²
• Pour your dressing over the pear and rocket, add half the roasted hazelnuts, season with salt and pepper. 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.

Notes

1. If you can’t find verjuice you may substitute with white wine vinegar adding a little melted honey depending on how sweet or tart you like your dressing.
2. To prevent your pears from browning place them in salted water using one teaspoon of salt for every two cups of water for 10 minutes. You will be amazed at what a huge difference this will make. Then strain and rinse them just before making up your salad.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1044IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 2mg

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