Blood Orange Vinaigrette
From The Kitchen · a prep-ahead staple
This is the dressing that makes the blood orange salad sing — but it is lovely on any winter greens, over roasted beets, or spooned onto grilled fish. When blood oranges are in season, I keep a jar in the door of the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp fresh blood orange juice (or Sumo, Cara Cara, or any sweet orange)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt & pepper
Method
- Whisk the blood orange juice, lemon juice, Dijon, honey and shallot together in a small bowl.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing comes together and thickens slightly.
- Season with salt and pepper, and taste — add a little more honey if the oranges are very tart.
Storage: Keeps 4–5 days in the refrigerator; whisk or shake before using.
No blood oranges? They're a winter fruit (December–April). Out of season — or if you simply prefer them — a Sumo, Cara Cara, or navel orange is delicious here too: a little sweeter, a little less tart.
Gina's tip
Let the minced shallot sit in the citrus for five minutes before you add the oil — it softens the bite and melts into the dressing.
A good vinaigrette is roughly three parts oil to one part acid, loosened to taste. Once you have that ratio, you can build any dressing from whatever is in season.
I hope this recipe finds a place in your kitchen as it has in mine. Enjoy!
— Gina