The salad is a simple creation but peeling and sectioning the tangerines might seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Although some might think that tangerines don’t yield enough fruit to make this method worth the effort, I disagree! It really didn’t take much time at all and I enjoyed this salad even more than the orange salads I usually make! Here are some step-by-step photos to show you the process:
1. Cut off the top and bottom of the tangerine.
2. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the peel in sections, being sure to remove all of the white pith as you go.
3. Continue until the tangerine has been peeled completely.
4. Holding the tangerine in one hand and a paring knife in the other, carefully remove each section by cutting just inside the white membrane on either side.
5. Don’t throw away any of the peels or empty membranes, you’ll be salvaging the leftover juice from these later!
5. You should end up with perfectly smooth, bite-size, membrane-free tangerine pieces. I peeled and sectioned 4 or 5 tangerines to get this amount (enough for my lunch!):
Next comes the jicama! If you aren’t familiar with this slightly sweet, crunchy root, Wikipedia offers a good explanation. It might not be the prettiest thing to look at, but jicama is wonderful in salads!
I usually shred it, but this time I decided to try it cubed.
I wanted to have equal parts tangerine and jicama but I just eyeballed the amount instead of actually measuring.
Next, I chopped up a handful of cilantro leaves to sprinkle over the top.
Now for the dressing. Hopefully you listened to me and saved that pile of tangerine peels and membranes! You want to squeeze every last bit of juice from that mess! You can even pour off the juice that has collected on the cutting board and whatever has collected in the bowl or plate of tangerine sections. You should be able to salvage about a tablespoon of juice per peeled tangerine. Exact amounts aren’t important, just collect as much juice as you can and put it in a bowl. This is about a quarter cup of juice:
Next, pour in an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil:
Then add one a clove or two of fresh chopped garlic (I used one clove for 1/4 C. juice and 1/4 C. olive oil):
Finally, whisk it all together! If you don’t have a cute little whisk like this one, don’t worry! A fork will do just fine.
To finish your salad, sprinkle the plate of tangerines and jicama with fresh ground black pepper, sea salt and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper (if you like it spicy, add lots of crushed red pepper, it’s great that way). Pour a few spoonfuls of dressing over the salad and reserve the rest for another use.
Now it’s time to eat!
This is a wonderful salad I got from Nicole at http://www.pinchmysalt.com This was simple and tasty.
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