Red Cabbage and Microgreen Salad with Citrus and Pomegranate Seeds

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

In the depths of winter when local lettuce is a distant memory, I go searching for other interesting greens. My current favorites are broccoli or arugula microgreens, and this is a super easy salad to showcase them.

Serves 4

½ pomegranate, seeded
3 navel oranges, segmented*
½ small or medium head red cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible by hand or using a mandoline
1 (1½-ounce) box broccoli microgreens (about 2 cups), rinsed and spun dry

Citrus Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (usually collected when cutting the oranges)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon finely minced shallot (optional)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil salt, to taste

Cut open the pomegranate over the bowl you will be serving the salad in. Remove the white pith and leave just the seeds in the bowl, checking to pick out any bad ones. Cut orange into segments between the pith according to the instructions below and add to the bowl; squeeze the remaining pulp over a bowl and save the juices for the dressing.

Add the thinly sliced red cabbage and the broccoli microgreens or other favorite microgreen and gently mix all the components together.

Make the dressing by whisking together the orange juice, lemon, vinegar, shallot if using, olive oil and salt.

Dress the salad just before serving.

* Sectioning oranges and grapefruits: With a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the fruit by first cutting off the top and bottom, then slicing off the sides along its contours. Trim off any remaining pith, which is bitter. Cut between the fruit segments and membranes to remove each section. Save the pulpy membrane—it’s full of juice and is sometimes used in dressings.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Microgreens.