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I’ve had citrus on the brain a lot lately, maybe because I recently harvested my first fully ripe Persian limes. After two summers of ardent care (following about a decade of neglect), my lime tree has produced fruit that stuck around long enough to drop from the weight of its own juices. I’m still not 100% clear on what variety it is — it was grafted to a “Flying Dragon” citrus rootstock, which makes me think it was intended to be somewhat cold hardy (“Flying Dragon” is pretty easy to identify by its lightning bolt branches covered in wicked thorns) but I keep it indoors for the winter just in case. The fruit is slightly nubby, like a milder version of whatever skin affliction makrut limes display.

Since there are only two of these tiny, perfect babies, I’ve been precious with them, but the market specimens, also marvellous and jewellike, are all fair game. Pick whatever strikes your fancy. Zest them, slice them up and use them in everything from agrodulce to zabaglione (they’re also nice with cake or seafood). Or if they’re a kumquat or mandarinquat, you can just eat them as is, skin and all.

The rest of the salad is totally negotiable, too — use your preferred leafy stuff if radicchio isn’t your jam. If you don’t like fennel’s assertiveness, then use its cousin celery instead — shave the stem on the bias, and be sure to tear the leaves and toss them in, too. Similarly, you can use fresh chervil to rizz up the grassy-licorice notes of the fennel or celery, or go with yet another botanical relative, parsley. (Besides being a highly aromatic lot, plants of the Apiaceae bear a flowering structure called an umbel, which, as its shape implies, means “umbrella.”) Serves 4-8

Ingredients

Salad

1 small head radicchio, any kind

1 small head bibb or butter lettuce

1 small fennel bulb

1 red grapefruit, cut into suprêmes (segments with pith and membranes removed)

2 mandarinquats or 4 kumquats, thinly sliced crosswise

4 ounces ricotta salata, cotija or other firm, salty, crumbly cheese

¼ cup chopped pistachios (optional)

Reserved fennel fronds

A few sprigs fresh chervil or parsley

Dressing

2 tablespoons minced shallot

¼ cup walnut, hazelnut or other flavorful oil

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

A few pinches of salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Core and wash the radicchio and lettuce, pulling apart the leaves and tearing them into bite-sized pieces. Run them through a salad spinner and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Trim the stem from the fennel bulb, reserving the tender fronds for the dressing, and remove the tough core from the bottom. Shave or very thinly slice the bulb, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and swish it around with your fingers to dislodge any hiding dirt. Run it through the salad spinner and toss with the prepared radicchio and lettuce.
3. Make the dressing: Place the minced shallot in a small bowl of ice water and let it soak for a minute. Meanwhile, whisk together (or shake in a jar with a tight-fitting lid) the remaining salad dressing ingredients until it’s emulsified (it’ll be thick and opaque), 30 seconds or so. Strain the shallots through a fine sieve and add them to the dressing.
4. Drizzle about half the dressing over the radicchio, lettuce and shaved fennel and delicately toss, adding a little more as needed to evenly coat the salad. Add the citrus segments and slices to the salad and give it another gentle toss. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/09/recipe-superabundant-winter-citrus-fennel-salad/