Pink Grapefruit & Avocado Salad

Preparation

1. Place onion in a small bowl of cold water to soak. Set aside.
2. Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest (see Tips) and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from lemon. Whisk the zest and juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Peel grapefruit with a sharp knife, removing all peel and white pith. Working over the large bowl, cut the segments from the surrounding membranes and let them drop into the bowl. Squeeze the peels and membranes over the bowl to extract all the juice before discarding them. Halve, peel and pit avocado. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices in half. Gently stir the avocado and pomegranate seeds into the grapefruit mixture.
4. Finely slice basil and drain the onion; gently stir into the grapefruit mixture. Arrange lettuce leaves on 4 salad plates, top with the grapefruit mixture and serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

• Fill a large bowl with water. Lightly score the fruit into quarters from crown to stem end, cutting through the skin but not into the interior. Hold it under water and break it apart. Use your hands to separate the seeds (arils) from the outer skin and white pith. The seeds will drop to the bottom of the bowl and the pith will float to the surface. Discard the pith. Drain the seeds in a colander.
• When we call for citrus zest (i.e., 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest) we are referring to the finely grated outer rind (not including the white pith) of the citrus fruit. Use a microplane grater or the smallest holes of a box grater to grate the zest. In some cases we call for long strips or threads of zest. To get long strips, peel the citrus with a vegetable peeler. To remove long threads, use a 5-hole citrus zester or remove long strips of zest with a vegetable peeler, then use a knife to cut into very thin strips.

Nutrition