Festive Blood Orange Salad, plus Fennel and Crispy Prosciutto

A bright and vibrant festive blood orange salad made with fennel, radicchio, salty prosciutto, pistachios and a simple mustard and olive oil dressing. This salad is loaded with flavour and texture and is so easy to put together. The beautiful colours make it suited to holiday entertaining.

Quick recipe overview

• Flavour – this salad is big on flavour with a mix of sweet juicy oranges, bitter radicchio, salty prosciutto, pecorino and a zingy dressing.
• Texture – there's so much texture here with soft oranges, crispy leaves, crunchy pistachios and crispy prosciutto.
• Suited to – this salad is suited to any day of the week, but is so beautiful it's suited to serving to guests at parties or gatherings.
• Serve with – other nibbles such as marinated oliveshomemade taralli or parmigiano crackers.

During the holidays, we crave big salads that don't compromise on flavour. Something that feels good to eat but is unbelievably good, and this winter citrus salad ticks all of those boxes.

Using the classic combination from a Sicilian orange and fennel salad we decided to use vibrant blood oranges and make it more substantial with a balance of big flavours: sweet, bitter and umami with a zingy dressing.

The key here is to use seasonal produce that is at its best right now, and you can use as much or as little according to your own taste; it's easy.

Ingredient notes

• Blood oranges – We actually used blush oranges for this salad, which are similar to blood oranges and have a slight bitterness that we love. We've also made this salad with sweet Cara Cara oranges, and they work well too, so use what is available to you.
• Chicory – We've used both red and white chicory for this, and both work well. We love red chicory or radicchio for the beautiful colour it adds to the salad (adds the wow factor when serving to guests).
• Mustard – We used whole-grain mustard, but Dijon will also work.
• Honey (not pictured) – use any runny honey you have.
• Mint – you can also use basil if you can't find fresh mint. Fresh herbs are important for flavour, though, don't use dried.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

Step 1 – We like to fry the prosciutto first until lightly golden. It crisps up once it's cooled, so let it drain on kitchen paper while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Step 2 – Wash and trim the chicory (endive) and fennel, then cut the fennel into thin slices. Peel the oranges and cut them into slices. Arrange them all on a serving platter (photos 1 and 2).

Step 3 – Add the crispy prosciutto, then sprinkle over the pomegranate, shavings of Pecorino and pistachios.

Step 4 – Mix the dressing ingredients together, then drizzle over the salad. top with mint leaves and serve (photos 3 and 4).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• If you find endive/chicory too bitter – you can replace this with something else that you enjoy, such as arugula (rocket) or even spinach for a mild alternative.
• For the best texture – slice the fennel as thinly as possible. We like to finely slice ours with a knife into small strips.

Can we prepare this in advance?

Everything can be prepped in advance, apart from the fennel, as it oxidises quickly once cut. We recommend cutting the fennel right before serving, or add it to a bowl of water with some ice cubes or lemon juice.

Can we make it vegetarian?

Yes, omit the prosciutto and replace the cheese with a vegetarian-friendly option.

More good salads to try

Salads

A Winter Salad – Spinach, Apple, Gorgonzola & Candied Walnuts

Salads

Warm Farro Salad with Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola

Salads

Eggplant Farro Salad with Chicory and Prosciutto

Sides

Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings (4 as a main dish)

• 2-3 blood oranges (regular oranges if you can't find them)
• 1 medium fennel bulb
• 2-3 small red chicory (endive) or radicchio
• Pomegranate (for topping)
• 1 small handful unsalted pistachios (roughly chopped)
• 3.5 oz (100g) Prosciutto
• Pecorino Romano (for shaving on top)
• 5-6 fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
• ½ tablespoon olive oil (for frying)

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat a large pan on medium heat and add around 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the prosciutto and fry until lightly golden on each side. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain (it crisps up more as it cools).

2. Next cut the ends of each orange and cut away the peel. Slice into rounds then set aside. Cut the top and bottom from the fennel and cut into thin strips.

3. Wash, dry and trim the chicory leaves and arrange on a serving plate. Add the orange slices, fennel and scatter over the pomegranate.

4. Next, add the crispy prosciutto, shavings of Pecorino Romano and scatter over the chopped pistachios.

5. Quickly, whisk together the dressing until emulsified, then drizzle it over the salad and top with the chopped mint leaves then serve.