Pear and Rocket Salad with Hazelnuts

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

5 from 1 vote

Pear and Rocket Salad with Hazelnuts

Whether you like your salads simple or loaded with flavour, you'll want to try this delicious Pear and Rocket Salad! So easy you can whip it up in no time!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: arugula salad, pear salad, rocket salad

Difficulty: Easy

Diet: dairy free, Gluten free, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian,, Whole30

Servings: as a side

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Anastasia Papapetros

Equipment

Salad Spinner
Mandolin / V-Slicer

Ingredients

For the salad...

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)

For the Verjuice dressing…

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

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.
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
Place the pear and rocket in a large mixing bowl, pour over the dressing, add most of the roasted hazelnuts, and 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.

Video

Notes

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.

Top Tips

1. 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.
2. Choose firm pears - they hold up better in the salad; if you are using soft pears, then toss the salad carefully so that they do not disintegrate.
3. 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.
4. Serve Immediately - to keep the pears from browning, and the rocket leaves crisp, serve the salad just before you serve it.

Nutrition