Mexican-Inspired Christmas Salad with Citrus and Avocado

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This Mexican Christmas salad variation combines grapefruit, oranges, avocado and romaine with toasted pine nuts and cheese. A lemon dressing with jalapeño and rosemary gives it a tangy, lightly spicy flavor. You can serve the lettuce fresh or briefly char it with a kitchen torch.

It’s a colorful holiday salad for an appetizer or a light lunch. The optional torch finish browns the cheese and some of the lettuce edges just before serving; the fruit and avocado stay fresh.

Why You’ll Love It

• You can serve the salad without using a torch.
• The citrus and avocado make a fresh alternative to a cooked holiday side.
• Much of the preparation can be done before the final assembly.

Mexican Christmas Salad Ingredients

The complete ingredients list and quantities are in the recipe card below.

• Romaine hearts: Wash and dry them well. Whole hearts make individual portions, or you can cut the lettuce into smaller pieces for the fresh salad.
• Oranges and grapefruit: Cut away the peel and white pith before slicing. Pink grapefruit gives the salad its rosy color.
• Avocado and red onion: Slice the avocado close to serving so it doesn’t brown. Cut the onion thinly so large pieces don’t overwhelm the fruit.
• Pine nuts: Use toasted nuts and let them cool before adding them.
• Cheese: Choose crumbled goat cheese or Parmesan flakes. If you’re serving vegetarians, check that the cheese is made with vegetarian rennet.
• Dressing: Lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, finely chopped rosemary and seeded jalapeño make the dressing. Start with less jalapeño if you prefer a milder salad, then season to taste.
• Extra olive oil: A light brushing over the lettuce is enough for the optional torch finish.

How to Make Mexican Christmas Salad

The full instructions with weights and measurements are in the recipe card below.

• Mix the dressing: Whisk the mustard and lemon juice together, gradually adding the olive oil. Stir in the rosemary, jalapeño and seasoning.
• Prepare the fruit: Peel the citrus, remove the white pith and slice it. Slice the avocado and onion.
• Char if you like: Set the lettuce on a bare, heatproof metal tray, lightly brush with oil and add the cheese. Briefly brown patches with a kitchen torch, following the torch’s instructions.
• Assemble and serve: Arrange the lettuce, fruit, avocado, onion and nuts on plates. If you skipped charring, add the cheese now. Spoon over the dressing immediately before serving.

The Optional Charred Romaine Finish

The torch step is optional, and the photos show the fresh salad. For a charred finish, keep the flame moving and stop when a few edges and patches of cheese have browned. You don’t need to cook the lettuce all the way through.

Work on a heatproof, nonflammable surface with paper, cloths and other flammable items cleared away. Add the dressing only after the torch has been switched off. Follow the fuel and operating instructions supplied with your particular torch.

Handy Equipment

• A chef’s knife helps cut the peel and pith from the citrus and slice the onion.
• Use a cutting board for the fruit and vegetables.
• Measuring cups and spoons help portion the dressing and pine nuts.
• Mix the dressing in a small glass bowl with a fork or whisk.
• A culinary torch is optional for browning the romaine and cheese.
• A bare metal baking sheet gives you a heatproof surface for the optional charring. Keep paper liners off the tray when using a flame.

Serving a Citrus Salad at Christmas

Serve small portions before dinner, or make the salad a lunch with bread on the side. My Christmas preparation guide can help with planning the rest of the holiday food.

Dress only what you’re serving immediately. The remaining fruit and vegetables keep their texture better while they’re separate.

Photo by Tracy Benjamin at Flickr.

How to Store and Prepare the Salad Ahead

• Prepare ahead: Wash and dry the lettuce and slice the citrus earlier the same day. Keep them in separate covered containers in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing separately and slice the avocado close to serving.
• Refrigerate: Cover any assembled leftovers and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below. Eat the next day for best texture. USDA guidance advises refrigerating perishable leftovers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
• Reheat: Serve leftovers cold; reheating will soften the lettuce and avocado.
• Freeze and thaw: Freezing isn’t a good option for the assembled salad because the lettuce, citrus and avocado won’t retain the same texture. Prepare only the amount you plan to eat.

Mexican Christmas Salad FAQs

Victoria Haneveer

Mexican-Inspired Christmas Salad

Grapefruit, oranges, avocado and romaine are served with pine nuts, cheese and a lemon-jalapeño dressing. Keep the salad fresh or add the optional torch finish to the lettuce and cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Total Time 16 minutes mins

Servings: 4 generous portions

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 7 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 jalapeño (Seeded and minced; adjust to taste.)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (Leaves only.)
• salt and black pepper (To taste.)

For the salad

• 2 pink grapefruits
• 4 navel oranges
• 3 avocados (Peeled, pitted and sliced.)
• 1 small red onion (Thinly sliced.)
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (About 35g, cooled.)
• 4 romaine lettuce hearts (Washed and dried.)
• 3 oz crumbled goat cheese or Parmesan flakes (About 85g.)

Optional Extras

• extra-virgin olive oil (For lightly brushing the lettuce if charring.)

Equipment

• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Small mixing bowl
• Fork or whisk
• Culinary torch (optional)
• Bare heatproof metal baking sheet (for charring)

Method

 

1. Whisk the Dijon mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the 7 tablespoons olive oil. Stir in the rosemary and jalapeño, then season with salt and black pepper.
2. Cut the peel and white pith from the oranges and grapefruits. Slice the oranges into rounds. Halve the grapefruit lengthwise, then slice crosswise.
3. If charring, place the dried romaine hearts on a bare heatproof metal tray, lightly brush with extra-virgin olive oil and scatter the cheese over them. Use a culinary torch briefly to brown patches of the lettuce and cheese, following the torch manufacturer’s directions. Keep the flame away from paper, cloths and other flammable materials. Skip this step for the fresh salad.
4. Put a romaine heart on each of four plates, or cut the uncharred lettuce into smaller pieces and divide it among the plates. Add the cheese now if you didn’t use the torch.
5. Divide the orange, grapefruit, avocado, pine nuts and red onion among the plates.
6. Spoon the dressing over the salads and serve immediately.

Notes

The torch finish is optional. Assemble and dress the salad close to serving so the lettuce keeps its texture.

A Fresh Holiday Salad with Citrus

Orange, pink grapefruit and avocado make this a colorful salad with fresh fruit. The jalapeño dressing and pine nuts give it enough savory flavor for the holiday dinner table.

Other Recipes to Try

• Mexican street corn can be served on the cob as elote or off the cob as esquites.
• You can try another warm lettuce dish with this grilled lettuce with goat cheese.
• Sesame prawn toast is a crisp seafood appetizer for a party.
• Cooked prawns and a tangy sauce are served chilled in my classic prawn cocktail.
• Roasted fruit and crumbled cheese also work together in these pears with blue cheese.

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