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citrus salad featured

Bright Winter Citrus Salad with Vanilla-Honey Syrup

A vibrant and refreshing citrus salad featuring cara cara oranges, blood oranges, and pink grapefruit enhanced with a delicate vanilla-honey syrup.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Fruit Salads
Cuisine: American
Calories: 114
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Syrup
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise seeds removed
For the Salad
  • 2 cara cara or navel oranges
  • 2 blood oranges
  • 2 kiwi
  • 1 pink grapefruit
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil or mint, cut into ribbons (optional)
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Equipment

  • Vegetable peeler
  • Small saucepan
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Sharp knife

Method
 

Make the syrup
  1. Peel lemon zest in strips, juice the lemon.
  2. Combine honey, water, vanilla seeds and pod, lemon peel, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a saucepan.
  3. Simmer 5-8 minutes until slightly thickened.
Prepare citrus
  1. Cut off tops and bottoms of citrus fruits.
  2. Remove skin and pith by cutting from top to bottom following the fruit's curve.
  3. Slice oranges and kiwi into rounds.
  4. Supreme the grapefruit into segments.
Assemble
  1. Strain the syrup to remove lemon peel and vanilla pod.
  2. Place fruit in a bowl, add syrup and herbs if using.
  3. Gently toss to coat.
Serve
  1. Either in the bowl garnished with pomegranate seeds, or arranged decoratively on a platter with garnishes.

Notes

  • For a more elegant presentation, arrange the sliced fruits in an overlapping pattern on a serving platter.
  • Store prepared fruit and syrup separately for up to 2 days if making ahead.
  • Try adding other seasonal fruits like berries or tropical fruits for variety.
  • For a savory twist, add a small amount of crumbled feta or goat cheese.
  • The vanilla-honey syrup can be made up to a week in advance.