Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad

This stunning Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad was inspired by the Parmesan, Arugula, & Pear Salad in my cookbook, Supper with Love on page 38. It feels a little bit fancy….slightly elegant, if you will. And this is THE salad that you need to add to your salad rotations because the flavor combinations work incredibly well together. Now, I have to admit that in my younger years, I was a bit apprehensive in using leafy veggies that have a reputation for being slightly bitter or peppery. But in recent years, I’ve been leaning more on things like arugula and in this case, radicchio. And if you are anything like I use to be, trust me…this salad will be a delicious surprise for you.

I can easily see this being served at brunch and pairing it with some soft scrambled eggs and English muffins, an omelet, a frittata, a Dutch baby, or even quiche.  And for lunch or dinner, I would pair it with your favorite baked or grilled protein. Or top it with a few boiled eggs that have been quartered and serve it with some freshly baked artisan bread to make it a meal. 

For the grapefruit, I enjoy using ruby red or rio red grapefruit, because they tend to be on the sweeter side. Blood oranges, when in season, are another great alternative. See below for some other suggestions. 

For the blue cheese, I prefer to use the kind that is still whole. Not the kind that has been pre-crumbled. It tastes so much better and you’ll thank me later. If blue cheese is not your thing, I provide some other alternatives below.  

For the vinaigrette, I like to use any remaining juice from the peels and insides of the grapefruit. Not forgetting any juice that is on the cutting board. There’s no reason for all of that juice to go to waste. But in the event that you don’t have enough juice, or you rather forgo all that together, you can use a different type of acid. Lemon juice works wonderfully, or you could simply use vinegar such as white balsamic, champagne, apple cider vinegar.

Similar to my cookbook, you can freestyle this salad and make it your own in so many different ways. Here’s a few suggestions:

• Substitute the radicchio with arugula, endive, baby kale, frisée, or spinach
• Substitute the ruby red grapefruit with pomelo grapefruit, blood oranges, oranges, pears, peaches, or nectarines
• Substitute the blue cheese with gorgonzola, feta cheese, goat cheese, Asiago, Gruyere, parmesan, or Pecorino Romano
• Substitute the walnuts with pecans or pistachios

And to make this recipe vegan or dairy-free, simply omit the blue cheese or use a vegan blue cheese or feta cheese.

Now, this baby is quite easy to pull all together. So, I’ve made a short reel over on Instagram if you’d care to see it assembled, click here. 🙂 

 

If you like this Ruby Red Grapefruit and Radicchio Salad, then give my Summer Peach Salad a try!