Easy Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

Avocado and grapefruit salad is the kind of bright, knife-skill-driven plate that makes a Sunday brunch feel like a hotel buffet. Just four ingredients, but the contrast of creamy avocado, juicy pink grapefruit, peppery red onion, and a sweet poppy seed drizzle is the entire point. No cooking, no fuss.

The trick to this salad is the supreming technique. Cut the peel and pith off the grapefruit completely, then slip a paring knife between the membranes to free clean wedges of fruit. Properly supremed grapefruit looks jewel-like on the plate and eats without any bitter pith catching between the teeth.

Slice the red onion paper-thin (a mandoline is ideal), then soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes. The cold soak pulls out the harsh sulfur compounds and leaves you with crisp, mild rings that complement instead of overpowering the fruit.

Use a perfectly ripe Hass avocado. The flesh should yield to gentle thumb pressure but not feel mushy. Underripe and the slices won’t fan; overripe and they smear into the grapefruit juice.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the avocado into wedges only at the last minute. Even with the citrus dressing, exposed avocado oxidizes within 20 minutes and turns brown.
• Pink or ruby red grapefruit is sweeter and prettier than yellow Marsh grapefruit. The contrast against pale green avocado is much more striking.
• Catch the grapefruit juice released during supreming and add a tablespoon back to the dressing for extra brightness.
• Plate just before serving. The salad should look composed and architectural, not pre-tossed.

Variations

• Add a few segments of orange for a multi-citrus version with deeper sweetness.
• Sprinkle with crumbled feta or shaved aged ricotta for a savory salty contrast.
• Top with toasted pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds for crunch.