Fennel Citrus Salad

Servings: 4
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Fennel Bulbs, cut into 1/8” thick slices, save tops if any
1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 Navel Orange, peeled and sliced ¼” thick
2 Cara Cara Orange (if available), peeled and sliced ¼” thick
2 Blood Orange, (if available), peeled and sliced ¼” thick
1 Ruby Grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
¼ Citron or Buddah’s Hand (if available), thinly sliced on a mandolin
10 Kumquats (if available)
2 Satsuma Mandarins, peeled and separated into segments
1 bunch Mint leaves, torn in large pieces

Dressing:
1 Lemon or Meyer Lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
15 Oil Cured Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 Shallots, finely diced
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (Maldon Sea Salt if possible) and Pepper to taste
½ cup Ricotta Salata (can be substituted with Feta cheese), grated on microplane to be added on top of salad.

Directions:
1. Put lemon juice, zest, shallots and vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Add some salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil. Add chopped olives last. Set aside.

2. Scatter all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Season with some pepper. Don’t add salt yet. It will start drawing out moisture.

3. Gently mix all with your hands. You can use spoons but hands are more gentle with the ingredients.

4. Pour over dressing and continue to gently mix the salad. Season with salt and add more pepper if needed.

5. Place the salad (still using your hands, but you can use tongs if you want to) on a serving platter or shallow bowl. Sprinkle over ricotta salata cheese.

Variations:
This is one of my favorite salads and it is very versatile. Here are some other serving suggestions;
• Add some thinly slice Serrano chili to the salad if you want it a bit spicy.
• Add fresh shrimp or scallops, but omit the cheese.
• Serve as a side dish with grilled chicken, pork or lamb
• Serve as a side dish with grilled fish, but omit the cheese
• Cut the salad smaller and it can be used as a crunchy salad in a taco
• Top salad with high quality tuna (canned or seared) for a spin on a Nicoise salad