Citrus Salad with Hibiscus Syrup & Lime Salt
Source: Rahanna Bisseret Martinez, Flavor + Us
Recipe Type: Appetizers and Sides, Entrees | Seasons: Winter
This recipe appears in Flavor+Us: Cooking for Everyone by Rahanna Bisseret Martinez (4 Color Books, 2023) and was demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom on January 6, 2024.
Fruit vendors are such a staple in my food memories. Year-round in Oakland, California, it’s common to find small vendor carts filled with fruits such as mango, cucumber, and papaya and toppings like Tajín, chamoy, and lime juice. I’ve loved sharing a quart of fresh mango and cucumber with my sisters after a long walk. Once the fruit was gone, a tart and tangy mixture of lime, mango juice, Tajín, and chamoy would sit at the bottom until my sister Fidela would drink the entire thing. This recipe is reminiscent of the best parts growing up in Oakland, plus the leftover fruit liquid and one of my all-time favorite flavors, hibiscus.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup dried hibiscus
¼ cup natural cane sugar
1 medium navel orange
1 blood orange
1 grapefruit
Zest of 1 small lime
2 tsp flaky sea salt
PREPARATION
In a small saucepan, combine the hibiscus, ¼ cup of water, and the sugar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and allow the syrup to cook down until it has slightly thickened and is lightly bubbling, about 7 minutes.
Carefully strain the syrup into a heatproof cup or owl and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.
While the syrup is cooling down, start on the fruit. Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges and grapefruit, then use the knife to slowly peel down from around the fruit. For this step, use the top of the fruit as a visual guide to cut the peel away from the flesh.
Once the oranges and grapefruit are removed from their peels, place them on their sides and cut them into ½ inch thick medallions.
Arrange the fruit on a big plate and set to the side.
Mix the lime zest with the flaky sea salt in a small bowl.
With a fork, drizzle half of the cooled hibiscus syrup over the fruit. Then sprinkle half the lime salt over the fruit. Serve with the rest of the hibiscus and lime salt on the side in case you want more.
