Nitrate & Nitrite Free Fig & Avocado Citrus Salad
Fresh figs, creamy avocado, and juicy orange supremes make this salad feel genuinely special — the kind of thing you'd order at a nice restaurant and then immediately wish you could make at home. The good news is that every single ingredient here is completely whole and unprocessed, which means no hidden preservatives or curing agents to worry about. That matters more than people realize, since nitrates and nitrites sneak into a surprising number of packaged dressings, cured toppings, and even some bottled vinaigrettes. Here, the dressing is built from scratch with apple cider vinegar, fresh orange juice, raw honey, and a warm hit of turmeric and ginger — bright, tangy, and genuinely good for you. The peppery arugula holds up beautifully against the sweet figs and buttery avocado, and the torn mint lifts the whole bowl with a clean, herby finish. It comes together quickly and looks stunning on the table, which makes it just as fitting for a weeknight dinner as it is for entertaining.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 5 oz baby arugula (about 5 lightly packed cups)
- 8 fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 2 navel oranges, supremed (peel and pith removed, segments cut free from membranes)
- 1 small shallot, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, fresh orange juice, honey, turmeric, and ginger until the honey dissolves. Drizzle in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream while whisking continuously until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened. Season with the sea salt and set aside.
- 2
Supreme the oranges: slice off the top and bottom of each orange, then stand it upright and cut away the peel and white pith following the curve of the fruit. Hold the orange over a bowl and cut each segment free from the membranes, letting the segments fall into the bowl. Squeeze the spent membranes over the bowl to catch any juice, then discard the membranes.
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