Radicchio Salad with Citrus

This bitter, peppery salad with its pop of bright, refreshing citrus will satisfy your craving for sunshine. Radicchio makes this colorful salad feel fresh, while quick homemade croutons and toasted walnuts settle your need for comfort food.

By
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron has over 10 years recipe development experience for his blog The Hungry Hutch. He has written for NYTimes, Washington Post, Simply Recipes, and others.
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Updated December 13, 2022
Aaron Hutcherson
Citrus Salad on a white plate with orange and grapefruit, radicchio, croutons and feta cheese crumbles are visible.

Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

During the winter and early spring months, I'm all about getting as much citrus as I can. It's probably because it's the perfect bright spot in the sea of potatoes, onions, and parsnips that I usually see this time of year.

This recipe makes the most of citrus by using the segments as a component of the salad and the juice as the base of a simple vinaigrette. Radicchio adds a nice bitterness and deep reddish-purple color, while a bit of arugula lends a peppery bite.

Homemade rustic croutons, toasted walnuts, and crumbled feta cheese join forces with the rest of the ingredients to create the perfect salad for a respite from the winter blues. But the good news is, this salad tastes great any time of year!

An overhead view of a wooden cutting board with a paring knife set next to a blood orange with the skin removed. The peels are on the right of the knife.

Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

How To Make Homemade Croutons

Yes, you could just buy pre-made croutons from the store, but making them at home is almost just as easy.

To make rustic homemade croutons, start with some good bread (I opted for sourdough). Here's what to do:

  1. Tear the bread into little chunks
  2. Toss them on a sheet pan with a drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkle the bread with a little salt.
  3. Bake them in the oven until nice and toasted. Voila!

Take the Time To Toast the Nuts!

It's so worth the effort to toast your nuts. The main reason is that doing so draws out some of their oils, giving them an even nuttier taste. And then there's the added benefit of imparting a richer color for prettier final results and making them crunchier for extra texture. Win-win-win.

Overhead view of four white bowls with winter salad inside. Arugula, radicchio, supremed citrus, croutons and crumbled feta are visible in each bowl.

Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

Suggestions and Substitutions

I used grapefruit, oranges, and lemons when making this recipe, but almost any type of citrus would work. If you only use sour fruit, I'd recommend adding a tablespoon or so of honey to the vinaigrette for a touch of sweetness to help balance out the bitterness of the radicchio.

In terms of the other ingredients, feel free to use goat cheese instead of feta, swap out the chopped walnuts for almonds, or use watercress or spinach instead of arugula. The great thing about salads is that they're mostly just blueprints that you can customize however you want.

Side view of a winter salad in a white, wide bowl. Supremed orange and grapefruit, radicchio, croutons and feta cheese crumbles are visible.

Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

Make It a Meal!

In developing and taking photos of this recipe, I've been eating a lot of salad. Though the homemade croutons do give it a little heft, this recipe likely won't fill you up. So, if you're looking to make it a meal, try adding a protein such as cannellini beans, roasted tofu, diced chicken breast, or a few shrimp.

More Great Salad Recipes

Radicchio Salad with Citrus

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

For this recipe, any variety of citrus will work—you just need about two cups total of whatever you have on hand. It’s best to supreme the citrus, which means to trim the peel off the citrus, then cut the individual segments of fruit from the inner membrane.

Ingredients

  • 3 slices (about 2 cups) sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

  • 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • 2 citrus fruits, like orange, lemon, and/or grapefruit

  • 4 cups chopped radicchio, or 1 small head cored and cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 2 cups arugula

  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method

  1. Preheat the oven:

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Make the croutons:

    Place the bread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and bake, tossing the bread on the baking sheet partway through, until golden and crunchy, about 15 minutes; let cool.

    Rustic homemade croutons scattered on a baking sheet to be used in a bitter green and citrus salad.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
  3. Toast the nuts:

    While the croutons are in the oven, toast the nuts in a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat on the stovetop until fragrant and toasted, about 8-10 minutes. Stay near the pan, and stir the nuts occasionally. They can go from toasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. Let cool.

    Overhead view of chopped walnuts on a worn baking sheet for a winter salad.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
  4. Peel and segment (a.k.a. supreme) the citrus:

    For each fruit, cut about an inch off the top and bottom just so some of the flesh is exposed. Set the fruit with the cut-side down on a cutting board.

    Start at the top, and slice down the side of the fruit with a sharp knife, cutting away the peel and the pith, exposing the flesh. Then carefully cut out the citrus segments over a bowl to collect the juice. You should have about 1 cup of citrus segments.

    A side view of a blood orange with the top sliced off and the pith and peel partially cut off of it. The top and side peel is to the right of the knife.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
    A small bowl of supremed grapefruit and oranges with the juices visible at the bottom of the bowl.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
  5. Squeeze the juice:

    Once all of the segments have been removed, squeeze the juice from what's left of the fruit into the same bowl. Drain the juice from the segments and keep separate.

  6. Make the citrus vinaigrette:

    In a mason jar or small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the reserved citrus juice with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Secure the lid if using a jar, and shake vigorously for a few seconds until emulsified. If using a bowl, whisk the ingredients together.

    A mason jar half full of vinaigrette for a winter salad. The mason jar is on a wooden cutting board and a glass bowl with a few citrus slices is to the left and a large glass bowl with arugula and radicchio is behind the mason jar.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
  7. Assemble the salad:

    Add the radicchio and arugula to a large bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss until evenly coated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to suit your preferences. Add the croutons, walnuts, citrus segments, and feta cheese, and toss until evenly combined.

    An overhead view of the inside of a large glass bowl. Elements of the bitter green and citrus salad are inside. Homemade croutons are in the middle of the bowl and sit on top of the arugula and radicchio. Feta is in the lower left and supremed oranges and grapefruit are above the croutons.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
  8. Serve:

    Transfer to a large serving bowl for family-style eating, or divide among individual bowls for serving.

    Citrus Salad on a white plate set on a marble background. Supremed orange and grapefruit, radicchio, croutons and feta cheese crumbles are visible.

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
184 Calories
15g Fat
12g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 184
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 229mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 27mg 137%
Calcium 66mg 5%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 277mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.