Arugula Salad with Grapefruit

Name: Arugula Salad with Grapefruit and Herbs - Simple Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Arugula 2 bunches; Cherry tomatoes 100 g; Grapefruit 1; Olive oil 2 tbsp; Balsamic vinegar 0.5 tsp; Herbs (parsley, dill, basil, tarragon, cilantro) to taste; Dried oregano 0.5 tsp; Salt a pinch; Black pepper to taste

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15 mins

In spring and summer, arugula (also called rocket or rucola) starts growing in the vegetable gardens – a tasty, peppery herb used mostly for salads. It is a relative of cabbage, and some of its varieties are successfully grown for food. Long ago we did not know this green plant here; it does not grow wild in our parts, and few people wanted to cultivate it.

It is grown especially widely in southern Europe, above all in Italy, where it goes into many salads and sauces and is used for pizza, pasta, as a side dish and even for sandwiches. The greens go well with other vegetables and seafood and are part of many ready-made salad mixes.

The interesting, slightly bitter taste of young arugula leaves comes from their high content of essential oils, mainly mustard oil. Besides that, the plant contains many fatty acids, some alkaloids and lots of vitamins. The greens are often used for health purposes: to improve digestion, to top up vitamins, as an antibacterial remedy. There are reports that the plant helps to stabilize blood pressure.

Sometimes you can come across pesto made not with green basil but with arugula. This plant is also often used in place of parsley when making gremolata, the sauce for braised veal ossobuco. In dishes that are heat-treated, arugula is added just before the end of cooking or, even better, when serving.

Try to buy young greens; they are sold with the little roots attached, which are easy to see. Often the greens are sold as shoots torn off the plant – such leaves are coarser, and you can feel it in the salad.

A very important ingredient that makes an arugula salad especially tasty and fragrant is grapefruit. Someone once said that no weight-loss diet will “work” without grapefruit. It is an amazing fruit, perfect for a morning fresh juice – add at least a quarter of one. You should also add fresh herbs and tomatoes to the salad. The dressing is a mix of the best olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients

2 servings

Arugula 2 bunches
Cherry tomatoes 100 g
Grapefruit 1
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Balsamic vinegar 0.5 tsp
Herbs (parsley, dill, basil, tarragon, cilantro) to taste
Dried oregano 0.5 tsp
Salt a pinch
Black pepper to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Herbs and tomatoes

If you can, I advise adding arugula leaves to any side dish at lunch. It is both tasty and healthy. It is best to buy all the greens at the market or pick them in the garden – that guarantees they are fresh. The salad will taste better if you use small cherry or “cocktail” tomatoes; they have a special tomato flavor.
Get an assortment of herbs – parsley, dill, oregano, tarragon, cilantro, basil and so on. Also buy a big juicy grapefruit – it is an all-season fruit.
If the herbs are a little limp, soak them in cold water beforehand so they regain their crispness. This matters for the salad.
Rinse the arugula with cold water and pat the bunches dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Sort through the arugula, discarding spoiled shoots and removing the roots and coarse parts of the leaves. Young arugula can be used whole. At most, tear a bunch in half lengthwise, since cutting with a knife releases juice.
Put the arugula in a large bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and toss.
Wash and dry all the aromatic herbs you have prepared for the salad. It is better to discard the coarse parts, and roughly chop the rest and add it to the bowl.
Cut small tomatoes into 2–4 pieces and add them to the bowl. If you use ordinary large tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into large cubes.
Add pepper to the salad and 0.5 tsp of dried oregano. Then gently toss the greens.

Grapefruit

Peel the grapefruit and separate it into segments.
Carefully remove the membrane from each segment – it gives most of the bitterness. The flesh can be left whole or each segment broken in half.
Add the grapefruit pieces to the salad and gently toss once more.
Divide the salad among salad bowls – without dressing.

Dressing and serving

In a cup, mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can use wine vinegar or lemon juice instead – to your taste. Whisk the mixture with a fork.
Pour the dressing over the arugula in the salad bowls and, without tossing, serve right away. During the meal you can toss the greens; that will be enough.
A fresh and tasty green salad with arugula leaves, aromatic herbs and grapefruit is a great appetizer and very easy to make. As additional ingredients you can use roasted sweet pepper, olives, diced brynza cheese, cucumbers.

Calories and macros

195 kcal

Serving ≈ 240 g

Protein3 g6% of kcal
Fat14 g66% of kcal
Carbs14 g28% of kcal

100 g82 kcalProtein 1.2 gFat 6 gCarbs 5.7 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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