Red Leaf, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad with Olive-Mint Vinaigrette
Serves 6 Preparation Time: 15 minutes Vinaigrette can be made up to 2 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated (mix well before using)
When I was in college, one of my haunts was a hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant in Mexico City with food to die for. They served a lemony-minty green salad, and I always tossed in some of the kalamata olives on the table and squeezed fresh limes over it when I ordered it. This recipe is my homage to those flavors. The dressing, flecked with savory olives, makes a perfect companion to the creaminess of the avocado. Add grapefruit, and you have a winner.
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- ½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, dried, and thickly sliced
- 1 large ripe Hass avocado, halved, pitted, meat scooped out, and cut into chunks
- 1 pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into suprêmes (see Mexican Cook’s Trick)
- Combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the oils in a thin, steady stream, mixing with a whisk or a fork until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Stir in the olives and mint.
- Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Arrange the avocado and grapefruit pieces on top, pour more dressing on top, and serve.
MEXICAN COOK’S TRICK: Though it may seem daunting, cutting citrus fruit into segments—called suprêmes, or supremas in Spanish—is easy. And since citrus pith and membranes are bitter, you’re better off without them. Cut off the top and bottom of the fruit so it has a stable base, and with a sharp knife, cut away the skin in wide strips, following the shape of the fruit. Try to remove all the pith as you cut, but take as little of the flesh as possible. Then, holding the fruit over a bowl, cut down along the sides of each membrane, releasing the segments into the bowl. Don’t discard the juice: Either drink it or pour it into the vinaigrette.