09 Mar blood orange salad

Last weekend I was in Galway, a city that houses some of my favourite places to eat; Ard Bia (www.ardbia.com), BiteClub (www.biteclub.ie) and Kai (www.kaicaferestaurant.com). Blood oranges were on the brunch menu at Kai last weekend, paired with fluffy pancakes and pecan butter.

This perfect breakfast plate reminded me how much I love eating with the seasons. I associate the crispness of early spring with the sweetness of juicy blood oranges. Rather than having access to them year round, it’s a delight to keep them as special treat.

Blood Orange Salad

Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 mins

Ingredients 

2 blood oranges (or oranges)

Half a head of fennel

1 ball of mozzarella

Handful of freshly chopped mint

A small handful of pecan nuts, very finely chopped

For the dressing

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey

Half a lime

Salt

Pepper

 Method

1. Peel the blood oranges and slice into rounds.

2 Finely slice the fennel, using a mandolin if you have one to hand. Otherwise, a good sharp knife will do. Arrange the oranges and fennel on two salad plates.

3 Use your hands to tear up the mozzarella and scatter around your salad plates.

4 Sprinkle the freshly chopped mint and finely chopped pecan nuts over the salads.

5 Mix together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey and the juice of half a lime to make the dressing. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper to the dressing, before drizzling over the blood orange and fennel salad.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on March 5th 2015