Vibrant Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe

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Among the many types of vinaigrettes you can choose from to dress your dishes, citrus vinaigrette is a unique choice that's bold, sweet, delicate, tangy, and aromatic all at once. Salad dressing is something that's easy to grab off the supermarket shelf, but it's generally very easy to make at home, too, with only a few simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Besides their simplicity, homemade salad dressings offer a purer and fresher taste, and you have more control over the ingredients and their quantities.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for citrus vinaigrette with a bold taste and a beautiful, vibrant color. In addition to the base of extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar, this recipe calls for oranges, lemon juice, honey for a subtle sweetness, and shallots for an aromatic touch.

Freshly squeezed orange juice provides a fresher flavor than store-bought juice, and don't be tempted to skip the orange zest. It takes a few more minutes to grate it, but it adds a concentrated orange punch that elevates the dressing. Once the orange is zested and juiced, it couldn't be easier to toss the whole dressing together. Just add all of the ingredients to a jar, close it, and shake it until well combined. This vinaigrette keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, so make a batch and use it to liven up your salads, roasted vegetables, grain bowls, and more with a lovely burst of citrus whenever you please.

To kick off this citrus vinaigrette recipe, you will need a couple medium oranges. These will provide the orange juice and orange zest for the dressing, which is explained in the first two steps of the recipe. To round out the dressing, grab some extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, shallot, salt, and pepper as well.

Zest one of the oranges with a microplane grater or box grater until you have 1 tablespoon of zest.

Squeeze the oranges and measure out 6 tablespoons of juice.

Place the orange zest, orange juice, and all remaining ingredients into a jar.

Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Alternatively, you can whisk the dressing in a bowl.

Serve immediately over your choice of salad or store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week, shaking again before serving.

Citrus vinaigrette is excellent mixed into a green salad. It doesn't have to be a special kind of salad, but there are some ingredients you can incorporate that work well with the fresh and tangy taste of this dressing. Consider adding nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, or herbs like basil, thyme, mint, and parsley. Cheese, especially feta cheese, can be a good addition in moderation. If you add too much of a strongly-flavored cheese like feta, the flavor can take over, and the bright flavor of citrus vinaigrette is meant to shine. Fresh or roasted vegetables like sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, beets, and fennel pair well with citrus. Last but not least, adding fruit to salad made with citrus vinaigrette is an excellent choice. Choose your favorite fruit, as many will work. Some examples are apricot, pomegranate, strawberry, cranberry, figs, grapes and, of course, any kind of citrus fruit like oranges, mandarin oranges, and grapefruit.

However, don't think citrus vinaigrette is only for salads. There are plenty of other unexpected and delicious ways to use salad dressing. Try it as a marinade for vegetables, tofu, seafood, or meat. It's excellent drizzled over roasted chickpeas or roasted vegetables like potatoes, carrots, green beans, or broccoli. It can be used to dress salads made without greens, for example cannellini beans or lentils mixed with diced onion, tomato, and herbs, or as a condiment for grain bowls with a base of rice or quinoa.

If you haven't tried using orange zest in your recipes, you may be surprised how much punch a little grated zest can add, and there's no shortage of recipes that use citrus zest, which include dressings, cakes, roasted vegetables, spreads, and pesto. It's also beautiful sprinkled as a final garnish on dishes as diverse as panna cotta and prosciutto and arugula-wrapped breadsticks.

If you're confused about which part of the orange is the zest, you're not alone. Zest comes from the outer, orange-colored peel of the fruit. If your recipe calls for strips of orange zest, cut them off with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. If you need grated zest, you can either cut larger pieces of the peel off before grating them on a microplane grater or on the small holes of a box grater, or you can leave the orange whole and pick it up and grate it. Either way, stop grating before you reach the light-colored pith under the peel, which has a bitter taste. If you don't have a grater, you can cut off the outer peel and cut it into the smallest pieces possible with a knife.

Use organic oranges if you can to avoid any possible chemicals or coatings on the skin. If you use non-organic oranges, make a paste of baking soda mixed with a little water to wash the skins with first, and then rinse and dry well before grating.