Simple Mandarin Orange Salad with Turmeric Dressing
Are you wondering what to make with your mandarin oranges? They may be sweet, but these delicious citrus fruits are also perfect in a salad. This easy recipe for mandarin orange salad combines the sweetness of mandarin with peppery greens and lightly spiced turmeric dressing. And it looks beautiful with the vibrant orange colour.
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Jump to RecipeMandarin oranges
For this recipe I used Honey Murcott mandarin oranges, simply because I have a huge crop of them to use up. Honey Murcott mandarins are very sweet (hence the honey in the name) and have a beautiful deep colour. but they do have some seeds. Seeds will need to be removed when slicing. so you may prefer to use a seedless variety.
Don’t have any mandarin oranges? You can also make this recipe with other sweet orange varieties. Oranges are generally larger than mandarins, so you will need to adjust the quantity of fruit (5 mandarins to about 3 larger oranges).
Mandarin orange salad ingredients
To make this vibrant mandarin orange salad, you’ll only need a few ingredients, including around 5 mandarins.
As you will be peeling the mandarins, you need only rinse them first. If you are using store bought mandarins, you you won’t need to remove citrus wax before using.
I’ve used garlic chives and mint to compliment the sweet and peppery flavours of this salad. However, you can substitute other herbs such as plain chives or even just parsley, depending on what you have on hand.
Turmeric and cumin add a lightly spice flavour and a lovely bright yellow colour to the dressing.
For the salad you’ll need:
- 120g (5 cups) rocket (arugula) and baby spinach leaves
- 5 medium mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 1 Tablespoon fresh garlic chives (chopped)
- Sprigs of mint leaves to garnish
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup mandarin orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- freshly ground pepper to taste
If you don’t use garlic chives in the salad, feel free to add a little crushed garlic to the dressing.
Method
Assemble the salad
Rinse the rocket (arugula) and spinach and pat dry. Place the salad greens into a large bowl.
Peel the mandarin oranges to remove the skin and cut into slices with a sharp knife. Catch the mandarin juice in a bowl and keep for the salad dressing.
Arrange the mandarin orange slices over the salad leaves. Sprinkle over the dried currants and chopped garlic chives.
Turmeric and mandarin orange dressing
To make the dressing, add the olive oil, mandarin orange juice, cumin, turmeric and pepper to a glass jar with a well fitting lid. Tighten the lid well and shake the jar until the dressing ingredients are well mixed.
Note: If you don’t have enough juice retained from slicing the mandarins, you may need to juice another half a mandarin. I usually manage to catch enough juice from from just peeling and slicing the fruit.
Pour salad dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.
This recipe serves 4.
Make it a meal
This mandarin orange salad pairs perfectly with some pan fried Halloumi slices to make a delicious meal by itself. You could also add some grilled chicken slices.
Or just enjoy it as a refreshing side salad.
Making ahead and storage
This mandarin orange salad is best made just before serving. Otherwise the greens will wilt and may go soggy. If you need to prepare the salad ahead of time on the day, you can. Prepare the salad but keep the mandarin slices in a separate bowl and make the dressing separately. Place all the salad components covered in the fridge. Just before serving, finish assembling the salad by adding the mandarin slices and dressing.
Dressing can be stored in a tightly lidded jar in the fridge for 5 days, which is great if you have left over dressing or want to make it separately.
More citrus inspired recipes
For another zesty salad featuring citrus slices, try our easy prawn and red grapefruit salad with almonds. If you have lots of mandarin oranges to use up, try making your own dried orange slices. These are lovely for garnishing sweet and savoury dishes or adding to drinks. You could also use mandarin oranges to make our delicious orange vinaigrette salad dressing. You’ll find lots of delicious citrus recipes on our recipes page.
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Simple Mandarin Orange Salad with Turmeric Dressing
Equipment
- 1 large salad bowl
- 1 chopping board
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 small glass jar with well fitting lid
- measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
- 120 g (5 cups) rocket (arugula) and baby spinach leaves
- 5 medium mandarin oranges
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup mandarin orange juice (retained from slicing)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rocket (arugula) and spinach and pat dry. Place the salad greens into a large bowl.
- Peel the mandarin oranges to remove the skin and cut into slices with a sharp knife. Catch the mandarin juice in a bowl and keep for the salad dressing.
- Arrange the mandarin orange slices over the salad leaves. Sprinkle over the dried currants and chopped garlic chives.
- To make the dressing, add the olive oil, mandarin orange juice, cumin, turmeric and pepper to a glass jar with a well fitting lid. Tighten the lid well and shake the jar until the dressing ingredients are well mixed.
- Pour salad dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.
