Avocado Grapefruit Salad with thinly sliced fennel, shaved parmesan, poached eggs, and an easy citrus vinaigrette is the perfect bright and delicious salad!
This post is sponsored by BUBBL’R.
Avocado Grapefruit Salad with Fennel
The next time you’re feeling elegant or fancy or like you just really want to make something incredible and special – try this incredible Avocado Grapefruit Salad!
Before I lose you at the word fennel, let me defend this amazing ingredient for one second.
If you’re anything like Shane, as soon as you hear that something is going to taste like licorice, you’re not too excited. But, BUT, even though it may taste like black licorice, it’s also more mild, and delicate, and lovely, and sweet.
I will say one caveat is that it’s very important to slice the fennel VERY thinly – we’re talking so thin it’s a little transparent. When it’s sliced thinly (or, better yet, shaved on a mandolin slicer), the pungent black licorice flavor takes a back seat and really lets the gentle sweetness shine.
Also, don’t forget the citrus vinaigrette – it’s just a little sweet and is basically magic on this salad.
I’m thrilled to be partnering with BUBBL’R to bring you this awesome salad recipe. For the perfect flavor combo, try enjoying this Avocado Grapefruit Salad with a can of BUBBL’R cranberry grapefruit sparkl’r. The flavors pair perfectly! You can find out where to buy BUBBL’R here.
How to Poach Eggs
The cherry on top of this recipe is the poached eggs. If you’ve never poached an egg before, it’s actually surprisingly easy, but I have a few tips for you to help make sure it goes well.
First, use a deep pot. Preferably a wide one that’s tall enough to comfortably fit about 4” of water.
Second, add a couple of Tablespoons of vinegar to the water (I promise you won’t taste it in the eggs!).
Third, create a vortex in the water so the eggs get moving as soon as they hit the water.
Fourth, use lightly simmering water – this is not the time for heavy boils!
Finally, strain out the liquid-y egg white in a small sieve before poaching your egg. That really liquid part is what creates the majority of the strings – the older your eggs are, the more liquid there will be.
If poached eggs still aren’t your thing, then I’d recommend mixing it up and adding some seafood to this salad instead. Some great options are:
- Shrimp
- Lobster
- Crab
- Prawns
- Seared Salmon
- Seared Tuna
- Or even some chicken if you’re not into seafood.
Optional Ingredient Swaps
Arugula is my personal favorite green for this salad, but subtler greens do really well here, too. Things like butter lettuce, Bibb lettuce, baby spinach, and even pea shoots all complement the grapefruit really nicely. If you like a less mild flavor but don’t have arugula on hand, I’d recommend kale or frisee.
I love the citrus vinaigrette for this salad – I think the orange balances the grapefruit perfectly – but you could also use a different citrus.
Lemon vinaigrette would be bright and grapefruit vinaigrette would be perfect if you really love pink grapefruit.
You could also shake things up a bit more and go with a classic favorite – like homemade poppy seed dressing or a honey dressing. You could even keep this super simple and just add a dash of good quality balsamic vinegar.
Try adding in some herbs – coriander and mint both add a really dynamic and delicious flavor to this Italian inspired salad.
You could also swap the parmesan cheese for feta in this recipe. Both are perfect on salad and have a delicious salty flavor.
If you enjoy bright summer inspired salads, you may also love my Strawberry Spinach Salad.
What You’ll Need
You only need a few basic kitchen tools for this recipe.
The first is a good knife – this is so helpful when you’re slicing the fennel very thinly!
The second is a tightly lidded jar for mixing up the citrus vinaigrette.
Lastly, you’ll need a large pot to poach the eggs – the more room to poach them, the better!
Avocado Grapefruit Salad
Avocado Grapefruit Salad with thinly sliced fennel, shaved parmesan, poached eggs, and an easy citrus vinaigrette is the perfect bright and delicious salad!
Ingredients
Citrus Vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon brown seedy mustard
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Tablespoon minced shallot (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Salad:
- 1 large or 2 small oranges (peeled and cut into segments)
- 1 grapefruit (peeled and cut into segments)
- ½ bulb fennel (sliced thinly)
- 1 avocado (peeled, pit removed, and sliced)
- 4 handfuls arugula (142 grams, washed and dried)
- 4 poached eggs
- Shaved parmesan (optional, for topping)
Instructions
Citrus Vinaigrette:
- All all ingredients to a lidded jar. Close and shake to combine.
Salad:
- Poach four eggs in lightly simmering water for 2-3 minutes (or until the yolk reaches your desired doneness). Remove from water and set to the side.
- To a large platter, add the arugula. Top with fennel, grapefruit, avocado, and orange. Drizzle with citrus vinaigrette. Toss to coat the salad with the dressing.
- Plate the salad, adding one egg and a sprinkle of shaved parmesan to each plate.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1/4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 17.7gSaturated Fat: 3.4gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 186.5mgSodium: 232.8mgCarbohydrates: 24.6gNet Carbohydrates: 18.6gFiber: 6gSugar: 16.4gProtein: 9.3g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. This was calculated without the optional parmesan.
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @keytomylime #keytomylime
The next time you’re craving a healthy citrus salad, try making this Avocado Grapefruit Salad!