citrus salad with sweet pistachio dukkah

a few weeks ago, one of my guests from a previous yoga retreat asked me to cook for a baby shower she was hosting. she wanted to have a fruit salad on the brunch menu, so rather than mixing up a bunch of off season berries, i wanted to feature the season's citrus. kumquats, cara cara, navel and blood oranges - vibrant flavors bringing me such joy throughout seattle's grey winters! sliced thinly and laid out overlapping in alternating colors on a wide platter was absolutely stunning. i topped the salad with fresh mint, pomegranate seeds and lemon zest and set out a bowl of sweet pistachio dukkah for guests to sprinkle over the citrus! it was the perfect palate cleanser or light finish to a special meal! 

the sweet spice dukkah was a delicious pairing with the bright zesty citrus. but make a big batch, because you might want to sprinkle this on everything sweet - sprinkle on toast slathered with coconut oil or ghee, over yogurt or oatmeal, or experiment with making it into an apple crumble or something with ice cream! 

citrus "carpacchio" salad with mint & pistachio dukkah ~ serves 2-4

1-2 blood orange, thinly sliced

2 cara cara orange, thinly sliced

1 navel orange, thinly sliced

4 kumquats, quartered 

zest of 1/2 lemon or lime

a few springs of fresh mint, finely chopped

sweet pistachio dukkah (recipe below), sprinkle to taste

if multiplying this recipe, aim for 1 or 1.5 small/medium citrus fruits per person. the salad could be simplified with by chopping the citrus however you feel most confident. but slicing them thinly like i did above allows for a beautiful presentation! if you want to go for it, just be sure your chef knife is extra sharp! otherwise, you'll have to apply too much force to slice the citrus and you'll end up with orange juice instead of thin carpacchio slices! slice off a bit of the top and bottom so the citrus sits flat, curve your knife down the edges and then turn the orange on it's side to gently slice thin rounds. try to just use the weight of the knife and as little effort as possible, cutting as thinly as you can safely control. you can juice the tops and bottoms and any shaved pieces that have a bit too much flesh on them. 

layer thinly sliced citrus fruits in alternating colors, slightly overlapping. top with kumquats, chopped mint, zest, and dukkah to taste. great alone, or with a scoop of greek yogurt, creme faiche or coconut ice cream! or if you're serving as a buffet, keep the dukkah on the side for guests to add as they like. 

sweet pistachio dukkah 

1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/2 cup pistachios in shells 

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar (optional) 

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

note: you could certainly use shelled pistachios if you can find them. i find the ones in shells have the best color - but if you're making a large batch, than it would certainly be faster to buy shelled nuts. 

toast sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and gently browned. crack pistachios and use a large knife to roughly chop nuts. combine with remaining ingredients.