Thai Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad Recipe

Thai Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad is a refreshing, light salad.

Thai Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad

Yesterday, I showed you how to peel and cut citrus fruit segments, and today, I’m featuring a Thai inspired Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad using grapefruit and orange segments. So, please refer back to yesterday’s post if you would like to see how to cut fruit segments – it’s really very easy.

This week, a group of bloggers is featuring Citrus Fruits as a Power Food. This weekly food blogging group features a different Power Food each week based on the book Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine. Power Foods are foods that are outstanding in the amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and more, that help fight disease and promote good health.

Why are Citrus Fruits a Power Food? Citrus fruits contain folate, potassium, vitamin C, carotenoids and flavonoids, which have been identified as having protective cardiovascular effects.  The high level of vitamin C in citrus fruits is also vital to the function of a strong immune system (one orange provides 116% of the daily requirement for vitamin C). In addition, citrus fruits are a good source of fiber. Also, compounds in citrus fruits called limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Pink and red grapefruits, and Cara Cara oranges are unique as they contain lycopene, which is associated with a reduced risk of some cancers and heart disease.  Pink and red grapefruit also have 35x more vitamin A than white grapefruit.

For maximum benefit, leave the white stringy parts of the the citrus fruit on when eating – they contain pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol. Also, use the peels of citrus fruit (organic is preferable) to flavor dishes as the peel contains compounds that may lower cholesterol as effectively as statin drugs.

The salad recipe I’m featuring today uses three citrus fruits – grapefruit, orange and lime. I usually eat citrus fruit as is or in a salad. I rarely bake with citrus fruit, although I did make an Orange Pear and Persimmon Cake last year that was outstanding (see recipe link below). For today’s Power Foods post, I made a Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad that features the classic sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors of Thai cuisine. I loved the complex flavors in this refreshing citrus salad.

Check out what these other bloggers have cooked up for this week’s Power Foods post: (If you’re interested in joining our group, contact Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits.)

Alyce – More Time at the Table
Ansh – Spice Roots,
Chaya – My Sweet and Savory
Martha – Simple-Nourished-Living
Mireya – My Healthy Eating Habits
Sarah – Everything in the Kitchen Sink
Minnie – The Lady 8 Home

Thai Grapefruit and Orange Citrus Salad

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Although not an authentic Thai dish, this citrus salad embodies the sweet, salty, sour and spicy elements of Thai cuisine.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pink grapefruits, segmented and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 oranges, segmented and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1-2 Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon organic sugar
• ½ cup cilantro

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together grapefruit and orange segment pieces.
2. Add lime zest, lime juice, garlic, shallot, chili peppers, fish sauce and sugar, and toss together. Refrigerate for half an hour, and up to 8 hours.
3. Before serving, add cilantro and toss gently.

Notes

Adapted from Easy Thai Cooking by Robert Danhi.

3.5.3208

Festive Clementine Avocado Salad
Grapefruit Avocado Salad with Orange Champagne Dressing
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad with Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
Fresh Berry Green Salad with Pomegranate Meyer Lemon Salad Dressing
Indian Watermelon Lime Salad
Orange Pear and Persimmon Cake