Moroccan-Style Date and Orange Salad with Toasted Almonds
Juicy orange segments and soft Medjool dates soak in a cinnamon-lemon dressing scented with orange blossom water, then get finished with crunchy toasted almonds and fresh parsley. Sweet, bright and perfect after a rich meal or alongside grilled meats.
- Prep
- 22 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Wait
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr 2 min
- Makes
- About 4 cups (4 servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Use soft, plump Medjool dates; if yours are dry or stiff, soak the pitted dates in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- Chill the oranges first if you like a cold salad. Cold fruit is also firmer and easier to segment.
- The salad needs 30 minutes to marinate, so plan the timing before serving.
- Wash and dry the parsley well so the leaves chop cleanly and don't turn watery.
Toast the almonds
- Put the whole almonds in a dry 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium heat.
- Stir or shake the pan every 30 seconds for 4 to 5 minutes, until the almonds smell nutty and look lightly golden under the skins.
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Ready when: Fragrant, with light golden color and a few darker spots on the cut or flat sides.
Tip: Almonds burn quickly once they smell toasty. Tip them out of the hot pan immediately.
Cool and chop
- Tip the almonds onto a plate in a single layer and let them cool for 5 minutes so they turn crisp.
- Chop them roughly into pieces about ¼ inch (6 mm) in size.
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Ready when: Cool to the touch and crunchy when bitten.
Segment the oranges
- Slice the top and bottom off each orange so it sits flat.
- Cut away the peel and white pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit.
- Hold each orange over a medium bowl and cut between the membranes to release the segments into the bowl.
- Squeeze the leftover membranes over the bowl to capture the juice.
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Ready when: Segments are free of pith and membrane, with about ¼ cup (60 ml) juice pooled in the bowl.
Tip: Any white pith left on will taste bitter, so trim it off completely.
Slice the dates
- Cut each date open lengthwise and remove the pit.
- Slice each date lengthwise into 3 strips.
- If the strips stick together, rub your fingertips lightly with a drop of the olive oil or wet the knife between cuts.
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Ready when: All pits removed and strips separated.
Tip: Check each date for pit fragments before slicing.
Whisk the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, the salt and the orange blossom water, if using, until the cinnamon is evenly dispersed and the dressing looks slightly cloudy.
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Ready when: No dry cinnamon clumps floating on top.
Tip: Orange blossom water is potent; stick to 1 teaspoon or the salad tastes perfumed like soap.
Combine and marinate
- Add the date strips to the orange segments and juice.
- Pour the dressing over the top and fold gently with a spatula 5 or 6 times so the oranges don't break up.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Dates look plump and glossy and the juices have turned slightly syrupy.
Tip: Don't marinate longer than 2 hours or the oranges turn soft.
Finish and serve
- Taste the salad and add a tiny pinch more salt or a squeeze of lemon if needed.
- Fold in the parsley and about two-thirds of the chopped almonds.
- Spoon into a shallow serving dish, scatter on the remaining almonds and dust with the remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Serve cold with the juices spooned over.
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Ready when: Bright green parsley flecks and crunchy almonds on top, with juices pooled around the fruit.
Tip: Add the almonds and parsley just before serving so they stay crunchy and green.
Good to know
Tips
- Choose heavy, firm navel oranges with thin skin; they have more juice and less pith.
- Do the segmenting over the mixing bowl so you keep every drop of juice, which becomes part of the dressing.
- If the dates are very sweet, add an extra squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon) to balance.
- Serve in a shallow dish rather than a deep bowl so the almonds on top stay crisp.
Make ahead
"Segment the oranges, slice the dates and toast the almonds up to a day ahead. Store the fruit together in the fridge in a covered container and the cooled almonds airtight at room temperature. Dress the fruit at least 30 minutes before serving, and add the parsley and almonds at the last minute."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 1 hour while serving. Fridge: store the dressed fruit without the almonds and parsley in an airtight container for up to 2 days; add fresh almonds and parsley before serving. Freezer: not recommended because the oranges turn mushy when thawed. Serve cold or let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes."
Substitutions
- whole raw almonds → Pistachios or walnuts. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes; pistachios stay green, so only toast them lightly.
- large navel oranges → Blood oranges or mandarins. Use 6 to 8 mandarins, peeled and separated; blood oranges give a deeper color and slightly tart taste.
- fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves → Fresh mint leaves. Use the same amount, torn rather than chopped, for a cooler, more traditional North African flavor.
- orange blossom water → Rose water. Use ½ teaspoon only, as it is stronger; or leave it out for a simpler citrus flavor.
