Grapefruit & Avocado Salad {Flavia's Fundamentals}
I have never eaten a Grapefruit and Avocado salad before. I've come across dozens of recipes and I always tell myself I have to make that! and then never do. Grapefruit and avocados are two of my favorite ingredients and I almost always have them sitting in pretty bowls on the kitchen countertop. But the grapefruit usually get eaten for breakfast, and the avocados usually get made into Guacamole. So the other day, I decided it was high time to make this incredibly delicious and easy salad for my lunch. I also thought the recipe and process would make a great first "Flavia's Fundamentals" post because there are three techniques used in making this salad that are important for any home cook to know: segmenting citrus fruit, cutting open and slicing an avocado, and making a vinaigrette.
Let's get started, shall we? We'll start with the grapefruit:
Slice both ends off the grapefruit.
Stand the grapefruit on one of the ends and using a small, sharp paring knife, cut away the rind and pith in long sections, following the curve of the grapefruit.
Trim away any excess pith that doesn't come off with the peel, and keep peeling the grapefruit in this way until it looks like this:
Hold the grapefruit securely in your non-dominant hand. To cut out the segments, run the paring knife between the flesh and the thin, white membrane on both sides of the segment. Cut all the way to the middle of the fruit.
The segment will slide out effortlessly.
Hold back the membrane as you move to the next segment. Repeat this process until you have removed all the segments from the grapefruit. Note: It's best to do this over a bowl to catch the juice from the fruit since you will be using the juice to make the vinaigrette. See all the juice on the cutting board there? It could have been in my vinaigrette!
Lovely, juicy, pretty pink grapefruit segments!
Next, squeeze the juice out of the segment-less grapefruit into a small bowl and set aside.
Cutting open & slicing an avocado
Take a ripe Haas avocado and lie it on its side. Hold the avocado steady with your non-dominant hand (and keep it out of the way!). Take a sharp knife and slowly run it around the circumference of the avocado as evenly as possible until it is cut in half. Be sure that your knife cuts completely through the avocado right to the pit. It helps to use the pit as a guide as you turn the avocado while slicing it open.
Gently twist both halves in opposite directions to open the avocado.
To remove the pit, carefully "whack" your knife into the pit so the knife blade slices slightly into the pit.
Hold the avocado in your non-dominant hand and gently twist the knife until the pit loosens and pops out of the avocado half. Note: To remove the pit from the knife just tap the handle of your knife against the edge of a trash can or the edge of the counter near the sink and it should pop off.
Leaving the peel on, cut each avocado half into slices.
Run your thumb gently down the flesh and skin of the avocado to peel each slice.
Making the Grapefruit Vinaigrette
Ingredients: Freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper
Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking until the mixture is completely combined (emulsified).
When the vinaigrette is emulsified, it will look like this. The oil and grapefruit juice have incorporated completely from the whisking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle the Grapefruit Vinaigrette over the grapefruit and avocado slices. Sprinkle additional cracked pepper on top if desired. Serve immediately.
This is a wonderful salad to make in a large batch because the presentation is so pretty. Wait until the last minute to cut the avocado slices so that they do not oxidize and turn brown. The grapefruit slices can be segmented an hour or two in advance and refrigerated separate of the juice (take them out 15-20 minutes before assembling so they come to room temperature). The vinaigrette can also be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. Take it out of the refigerator 15-20 minutes before using it so it can come to room temperature, and be sure to whisk it again to re-incorporate the oil and grapefruit juice (they will eventually separate).
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Congrats on your new series! This is really well done with such clear step by step instructions and photos. Oh, yeah... the salad looks delicious!!!
It's the acid from the grapefruit juice that will prevent the avocado slices from oxidizing and turning brown. Keeping the pit will not help--I've tried--it doesn't work!
This looks lovely. They say keeping the pit near the avocado avoids oxidizing but I wonder if the juice from the grapefruit would help to avoid the avocado from browning (sort of like lemon juice for artichokes)?
I really like this fundamentals series. Terrific step by step pictures!
I love the step by step photos! I'm not a big fan of avocado (too slimy) but your salad looks so pretty. Beautiful colors!