Grapefruit Avocado Salad

The first and only time I have been to Europe was for our honeymoon to Paris. We arrived at our hotel, and I was exhausted from the long plane ride. We slept the afternoon away and then it was time to figure out where to go for dinner. Thankfully, the lady at the front desk of our hotel recommended a personal favorite that happened to be right down the street.

This particular restaurant was tucked away from the main roads, as all great restaurants are! We started off with some glasses of wine and decided to split a salad to start – it was a crab, grapefruit, and avocado salad. We didn’t know what to expect but we were both flying high from our wedding day and being in such an incredible place that we were open to anything.

When the salad came out to our table, I was excited to try it. I wasn’t prepared for the combination. Everything was so fresh! The flavors complimented each other perfectly! I had to check myself so that I didn’t finish the whole salad right from under Claire.

Recently I decided it was time to try to recreate this salad. We have often talked about it and poured through various menus in restaurants since that first night in Paris. But you have to go with what you know and remember. Here is my recipe for a Grapefruit Avocado Salad. I wasn’t able to find fresh crab at this time of year, so I substituted with some small scallops instead! Bon Appétit!

Grapefruit Avocado Salad
Serves 2
For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

1 grapefruit, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, diced
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and diced
3-4 scallions, white and light green parts roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
8-10 small scallops, patted dry and side-muscles removed
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Combine the grapefruit, avocado, cucumber, and scallions on a small plate. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on one side.
5. Flip the scallops and sear on the opposite side for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and place on top of the prepared salad. Serve immediately!

– M