Ruby Red Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Alice Waters, the founder and owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, created this beautiful and refreshing salad. It is best in the winter and early spring, when grapefruit is at its prime. The tart grapefruit combines with creamy avocado to make a delightful first course. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium ruby red grapefruits

1 teaspoon finely grated grapefruit zest

2 medium Hass avocados, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 fennel bulb, cored and diced

1 handful of chives, finely sliced

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Peel the grapefruit down to the flesh, removing all the rind and pith. Cut the sections free, slicing carefully along the partitioning membranes, and set them aside. 

Squeeze the juice from the membranes. Measure 1 tablespoon of the grapefruit juice into a small bowl.

Stir the white wine vinegar into the grapefruit juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the oil.

Slice the avocado in half and peel. Cut the peeled halves into ¼-inch slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Arrange the grapefruit sections and avocado slices alternately on a plate.

Spoon the vinaigrette over the grapefruit and avocado slices. 

Garnish with grapefruit zest, chives, and diced fennel.

Notes:

Alice Waters’s recipe calls for minced shallot in lieu of chives. She also adds chervil leaves for garnish. Her recipe does not include fennel. I like the flavor and crunch that fennel brings to the salad.