Butter Lettuce Citrus Salad with Avocado Shallot Dressing
Butter Lettuce Citrus Salad with Avocado Shallot Dressing is a refreshing, light salad of butter lettuce, orange segments, avocado, and pomegranate, tossed in a creamy avocado-shallot dressing.
At last, my posts are catching up to my healthier eating. 🙂  I don’t make new year’s resolutions, but almost automatically, my cravings shun sweets for healthier food after eating multiple desserts every day for an extended period of time.  Too many sweets really start to get to me after a while, which means I up the ante on the vegetables and exercise, and I immediately start to feel good again, inside and out.  This salad was so good, it was like a treat, too. 😉
The inspiration for this salad came from I meal my husband and I had at legendary restaurant Chez Panisse in the cafe upstairs.  It was our first visit, and it was a wonderful experience.  While the downstairs restaurant is very formal with a prix fixed menu, the cafe upstairs has a traditional menu, and is rustic and more relaxed.  Our first course was the Little Gems Salad with Avocado Dressing, and it was out of this world.  It wasn’t just a salad…it was soft, butter lettuce with a dressing that had so much flavor that I just wanted to drink it out of a glass.  I didn’t…but I wanted to. 😉
I re-created this salad as best I could, and served it for a family gathering.  It got rave reviews, and I was very happy with the results.  The dressing has a lot of flavor, most of which comes from the mild, onion bite from the shallots.  I was tasting it as I made it, and I decided to pulse some shallots in with the rest of the ingredients in the food processor, with more finely chopped shallots stirred in.  You just can’t substitute anything else for the shallots — trust me on this one. 🙂  The dressing won’t turn brown on you as there’s plenty of acidity from fresh lemon and orange juice, so it keeps in an air tight container in the fridge.  Mine only lasted a few days because it was so good, but I’m guessing it may last a week for you.  If you’re like my household, it won’t last that long for you either. 😉
- 1 small avocado, pitted
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot), divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 head butter lettuce, tough outer leaves removed, washed and drained
- 1 large orange or two medium oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced width-wise
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- Place the small avocado, 1 tablespoon shallot, lemon and orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. With the food processor on, add the olive oil in slow, steady stream until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste, and pulse. Place the dressing in a bowl and stir in the remaining one tablespoon of minced shallots. Set aside.
- Tear the butter lettuce and place in a large serving bowl. Add the orange segments and slices of avocado, and toss gently. Add enough dressing to coat, tossing gently (I only needed about ⅓ of the dressing). Top each salad plate with pomegranate arils and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Dressing should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The dressing will solidify in the refrigerator, so let stand it at room temperature for about 10 minutes and whisk before using.
Recipe by Flavor the Moments.
This salad looks so bright and cheery as we are facing a sub zero degree day tomorrow and school cancelled all around!! I am SO ready for healthy in my life too right now after all the holiday feasting I have done!!!
We are the opposite ends of the spectrum, Renee! While it’s kind of cold, we’ve had sunny days and no rain since November here in CA. We need some direly, and oddly, it feels more like spring! You may need this salad with a hot chocolate chaser. 🙂
That dressing sounds like the best thing ever indeed! I’ve been having lots of salads lately to balance out all the cookies I’ve been eating, and this one looks like the perfect one to add to my menu. Citrus sound so light and refreshing! xx
Thank you, Consuelo! This salad is just that — refreshing and light! I could eat it all day.
Marcie, I love your dressing with orange juice. The salad look so pretty and very delicate…I love it.
Have a great week ahead my dear 😀
Thank you, Juliana! I hope you get to try it.
I feel the same way, I had way too many sweets over the holidays so lots of veggies and salads sound perfect 🙂 This salad sounds awesome and super refreshing with the avocado and citrus dressing. Love the pop of color from the pomegranates too 🙂
I saw all of those delicious treats you posted so I know you must be in the salad mood, too. Lol. Thank you, Kelly, and have great evening!
You would love this dressing then, Christin — I know because I’m a big avocado lover too!
I absolutely love Chez Panisse! Chris and I have been both the cafe upstairs and the downstairs. I think I prefer the cafe more. Love this salad. I, too, am trying to eat healthier after the holidays. Love the avocados here. Delish! Have a great week Marcie. 🙂
Thanks, Anne! My instructor said she prefers the cafe more, too. I would like to try downstairs at least once some day, but what a great experience we had upstairs! Have a great Monday.:)
That dressing sounds amazing! I’ve got some needing to be used up and I can’t think of a better way to use them. I really like that most of the fat source is healthy. Creamy dressing, fresh greens – sounds incredible, Marcie!
Thank you, Mary Frances! The dressing made this salad so special. 🙂
This salad is so fresh and exactly what my system needs now after all that sugar overload!! The dressing is so creamy and I’ve never had avocado with orange before!! Will try this for sure 🙂
Thank you, Zainab! Avocado and orange is heavenly together. I hope you get to try it!
This salad looks so light and delicious..I could definitely use more salads these days!
Thanks, Meghan! It is very light and refreshing!
The avocado dressing does sound amazing. I’m always craving a fresh salad and can’t wait to try this one. Have a wonderful week, Marcie!
Thanks, Ashley!
I love love love butter lettuce and with the avocado shallot dressing – I am salivating! It sounds SO refreshing and delicious. Definitely pinning this one. I am certainly needing salads after the holidays!
Thanks, Kristi! This salad is one great way to eat healthy without feeling deprived! I hope you get to try it. 🙂
Wow this dressing!! I mean, the salad itself looks delicious too but I sooo want to try out that dressing! Between the avocado and the citrus – holy yum! My body is craving healthy food right now too – this salad sounds perfect!
Thank you, Ashley! The dressing really made the salad, and I so need to make another batch! I can’t get enough veggies right now, and the dressing makes me enjoy them so much more. Have a great day! 🙂
This “avocado shallot dressing” is completely fascinating! I am a huge avocado fan and love this pairing.
Thank you, Shashi! If you love avocados, then this dressing is for you. I hope you can give it a try!
Marcie, this salad looks so refreshing and gorgeous! I love how you created it with the shallots in the dressing… LOVE shallots! The cashiers at our little market always ask me what they are so they may put the little code in… I think most people don’t really know what they are missing out on! Pinning (=
Thank you, Gloria, and you’re right — a lot of people haven’t been exposed to shallots and they really are missing out! They add so much flavor without being overpowering. Im glad to hear you’re crazy about them too!
Gorgeous salad, Marcie! So fresh and vibrant. I’ve been craving salads and avow like mad lately and cannot wait to make your recipe! Thanks for sharing, girl. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Thank you, Stacy! I hope you enjoy it, and have a fantastic day! 🙂
LOL! Just read your reply via email, Marcie, and saw my typo. Of course, I meant to type ‘avos’ for avocados! 😉
In this day and age where everyone is abbreviating everything they type when texting, etc., I thought you meant to abbreviate avocados like that! Lol
Wow, I love the sound of that salad dressing Marcie…what a delicious combination of flavors!!
Thanks, Lisa! This was a salad I was excited about eating!
This looks simple yet delicious. I’ve been really loving pomegranate lately.
This salad is just that — simple yet delicious! Pomegranate adds a nice pop of color and flavor, and you just can’t beat it. 🙂