Citrus Salad w Marconas + Labneh
I love a citrus salad—but what even makes a salad a salad? This is really just seasoned citrus with some flair. But hey, according to the dictionary, salad is:
Any of various usually cold dishes, such as:
a) raw greens (such as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing
b) small pieces of food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (such as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin.
So I guess this qualifies.
This is a very versatile, free-form kind of dish. The baseline is some high-quality citrus (in this case, honeybells which are a cross between a grapefruit + tangerine), and you can build from there. Something slightly fatty is always nice—like a nut, or in this case, both labneh and Marcona almonds. Then you want something to cut the sweetness: a sharp onion, and something briny, like an olive, to bring a little umami punch. Tie it all together with a bit of good olive oil and layered salt, and you've got yourself a fresh, punchy, sweet salad.
This is an anytime kind of dish. I’d eat it for breakfast just as easily as I would as a starter for a long dinner ahead.
Ingredients
2 honeybells aka minneola tangelos (or citrus of your choice)
Handful of Castelvetrano olives, torn
1 cheek of red onion, thinly sliced and drizzled with lemon juice
1–2 tbsp Marcona almonds, crushed
2 tbsp labneh
Pinch of espelette chili (or chili flakes)
Olive oil
Maldon salt
Instructions
This is as simple as a recipe gets. To prep your citrus, you can peel it, or use a knife to remove the peel and pith for a cleaner presentation. Cut off the top and bottom, then work your knife along the natural curve of the fruit to remove the skin. Slice horizontally into thin rounds.
To assemble:
Dollop labneh onto the bottom of a chilled plate and smooth it out. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of Maldon. Scatter over some Marconas, olives, and red onion, then layer your citrus slices on top. Repeat the layering (everything but the labneh) two or three times until you’ve used all your ingredients.
Be sure to season as you go—a little olive oil and salt between layers goes a long way.
Finish with a final drizzle of oil, a pinch of chili flake or espelette, and serve cold. A chilled plate is a nice touch.