Have you ever had a kumquat before? It’s a small little thing, and the way you eat a kumquat is somewhat counter-intuitive to any other citrus that you may be familiar with.
First off, the skin is the sweetest part of the fruit – and thank goodness too – can you imagine peeling that tiny kumquat with a knife!? The entire kumquat is edible, though I flick out the seeds. The thin skin is sweet with a slight bitter edge and there’s very little flesh involved on the inside.
This salad with sliced kumquat, fresh mushrooms and walnuts with a citrus vinaigrette was inspired by a stop at Los Angeles International Airport! Watch the video to find out what restaurant is a must-stop at LAX.
Kale Kumquat Salad Recipe Video
Kale Kumquat Salad Recipe
Citrus dressing makes enough for recipe plus leftover for another day!
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1/2 orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (or red wine, white wine vinegar)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
FOR THE SALAD:
- 1/2 pound kale, chopped, tough stems discarded
- 1/2 pound arugula
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup kumquats, thinly sliced and seeds removed
- 3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing by combining the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid (like a mason jar) and shake well to combine.
- Place the kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Using massaging motion, rub the kale leaves together to break up and soften the kale.
- To serve, toss kale with some of the dressing (I used about 1/4 cup of the dressing), nuts, mushrooms and kumquats.
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we don’t have kumquat, is there a other option to use as a fruit in it ?
Hi Karin! Absolutely. I also use diced peach or strawberries. Even blueberries are awesome in this salad. Basically, any fruit!
Healthy recipe!
This salad looks so light and refreshing! Beautiful pics too 🙂
Remember that terrible movie, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past? Well of that terrible movie, a great quote: “FRUIT is the new CROUTONS!!” and it’s so true.
I never realised I like kumquats until I did this salad, thanks Jaden!
I’ve just recently gotten into cooking and baking with kumquats, so I can’t wait to make this recipe, Jaden! Hope you had a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year!
Thanks for the kumquat tutorial have only had canned! Will definitely try this–can you help with persimmons??
I love salads and this one is as beautiful as I’m sure it tastes. You would think that salads are easy to make but I truly feel there is an art to making salads.
I love kumquats, never had them in a salad though! I’ll definitely give that one a try.. And that citrus vinaigrette, yummm…