This Mandarin orange and oil-cured black olive salad takes inspiration from Spanish cuisine. The salad rests on a bed of red onion shaved to 1/8” covered by peeled wedges from the Mandies.
Many grocers sell bags of miniature oranges in their produce sections. I sometimes bring home a bag of oranges that taste bland, so make sure the oranges you buy are sweet for this recipe.
The orange wedges and onion marinate in a lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and kosher salt dressing while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Toast a tablespoon or two of almond, pistachio, and sunflower seeds in a skillet and chop fine after cooling to dust the salad (you don’t have to toast if you already have roasted nuts or seeds). Garnish with fresh mint or cilantro.
Mandarin and Oil-Cured Olive Salad
Ingredients:
- 1/4 medium red onion shaved with a mandolin to 1/8”
- 4 Mandarin oranges, peeled and divided into wedges with pith removed.
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 T Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t cracked black pepper
- 8 oil-cured black olives
- 1 t slivered almonds
- 1 t pistachios
- 1 t sunflower seeds
- 2 T fresh mint or cilantro, chopped
Directions:
- Place a thin layer of shaved onion on two serving plates or bowls with a flat center. Add orange wedges on the outer edge over the onion and then fill toward the center.
- Whisk lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and pour equal amounts over the orange wedges and onion on both plates. Set aside.
- Toast the nuts and seeds in a skillet until golden brown for a few minutes. Remove from skillet and allow to cool for 5 minutes before finely chopping them.
- Squeeze the pits out of the black olives and discard. Set aside olive pieces.
- Dust nuts and seeds over the oranges. Distribute olive pieces between orange wedges. Sprinkle fresh mint or cilantro and serve.
Place at the Table 