This fresh Fig and Blood Orange Salad with manchego, spinach and walnuts is perfect as a late winter to spring light lunch or salad course along with some protein. Dressed with a simple blood orange and honey vinaigrette, it’s sweet and savoury delight.
I’m in my blood orange era and I’m loving life.
For a few short weeks in the year, blood oranges and figs are harvested and available at the same time. A bright salad full of fresh seasonal flavours, this Fig and Blood Orange Salad has a baby spinach base, tiny cubes of manchego for creaminess, walnuts for crunch, and roughly chopped mint to unite the sweet and savoury flavours. But the ruby coloured blood orange wheels and softer, rosy-hued fresh figs are absolutely the starts of the show.
Why you’ll Love this Fig and Blood Orange Salad Recipe
- Full of textures. No wet, soggy salads here! Every ingredient in this salad has its own taste and texture so every bite is different and exciting to eat.
- Fresh and seasonal. Take advantage of the short fig and blood orange seasons by combining them into one elegant meal!
- Easy to make. The hardest part of making this salad is peeling the blood oranges.
- Make it a meal. If you want to make this Fig and Blood Orange Salad into a more substantial meal, a serving of salmon, prawns, chicken, grilled portobello mushrooms or cauliflower steaks would all work well.
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What are Blood Oranges?
Blood oranges are a type of orange! They’re a natural mutation and get their distinctive crimson colour from naturally occurring pigments called anthocyanins – the same pigments which give us purple cauliflower!
Aside from their distinctive colour, blood oranges have a pronounced raspberry taste to them. And if you’re lucky to eat them at the right time, they’re the perfect mix of sweet and tart.
And a perfect pairing with both the delicate honey flavoured figs and creamy nutty manchego.
What is Manchego?
Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain. It has a distinctive, brownish-striped inedible rind and is said to be Spain’s most popular cheese!
Young manchego has a creamy sweet and nutty taste, whereas the more aged variety has a richer flavour with a touch of pepperiness, and is more crumbly than creamy. There is also a semi-cured variety that is only aged three weeks, and rarely found outside of Spain as it’s considered a fresh cheese.
If you can’t get manchego, substitutes that would pair well with this Fig and Blood Orange salad are: asiago, gruyere, goat’s cheese, brie (with the rind removed and sliced very finely).
How to Make this Fig and Blood Orange Salad Recipe
You can serve this Fig and Blood Orange Salad just as it is, it makes a great lunch or light meal for two. Or serve it with salmon, prawns, chicken, grilled portobello mushrooms or cauliflower steaks.
Here’s the quick rundown on how to make the recipe:
- Make the dressing. To make this blood orange dressing, put all the ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake, shake, shake until emulsified.
- Peel and cut blood oranges into wheels. Slice off the ends of the oranges so they stand flat and sturdy. Then cut away the peel and white pith beneath it by following the curve and shape of the fruit. Turn the orange on its side and cut into thick rounds crosswise.
- A little knifework. Cube the manchego, chiffonade the mint and rough chop the walnuts.
- Assemble the salad. Start by adding the baby spinach to a bowl and drizzle over a few tablespoons of dressing. Layer the blood orange wheels, fig quarters, mint, manchego and walnuts. Toss and drizzle over more dressing to your liking.
Find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card below.
Love salads? Try these recipes too:
- Mandarin and Chickpea Salad with Halloumi
- Pomelo and Salmon Vermicelli Noodle Salad
- Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad
- Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing
- Blood Orange, Beet and Burrata Salad with Hot Honey
- Plum and Salmon Salad
Have you made this Fig and Blood Orange Salad yet? Did you have manchego or did you use a different cheese? Be sure to leave a message and let me know. Or take a pic and tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!
Fig and Blood Orange Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 100 ml blood orange juice, approximately 1-2 blood oranges
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad
- 2 blood oranges
- 20 g manchego
- 2 sprigs of mint, leaves picked
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 80 g baby spinach
- 4 figs
Instructions
- Start by making the dressing. Juice 1-2 blood oranges until you have 100ml. Add the blood orange juice and all remaining ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake, shake, shake until emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Set aside.100 ml blood orange juice, 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, Salt and pepper to taste
- Peel the remaining two blood oranges by cutting off a thin slice from the top and bottom. Once the blood orange is flat and stable, slice off the rest of the skin by guiding your knife along the line of the fruit, cutting away both the peel and the white pith underneath. Then, simply turn the peeled blood orange on its side and cut into slices and set aside for serving.2 blood oranges
- Wipe the chopping board clean and prep the rest of the ingredients. Cut the manchego into small cubes, chiffonade the mint and roughly chop the walnuts.20 g manchego, 2 sprigs of mint, 2 tablespoons walnuts
- When you’re ready to serve the salad, add the baby spinach to a bowl and drizzle over a few tablespoons of dressing. Layer on the blood orange wheels. Tear the figs into quarters and add them to the salad. Scatter over the manchego, mint and walnuts. Toss and drizzle over more dressing to your liking. Serve and enjoy.80 g baby spinach, 4 figs
