Holy smokes, this radicchio salad was radi-culous (see what I did there?) But seriously - pickled grapes? Bangin’. I need to find more recipes I can put those bad boys on. The intensely bitter radicchio mellowed out significantly with the olive oil dressing. The original recipe can be found here and called for orange juice; I had grapefruit so I used that instead. I also didn’t buy anise pods, and just sprinkled on a combination of spices to mimic Chinese Five Spice powder. I also couldn’t find black grapes so I used red. I’m a believer buying the main ingredients for a dish but also using what you have. I’m so glad I took a risk on what sounded like a weird recipe. Adding this to my salad repertoire for life!
Ingredients
Marinade:
- ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar (or unseasoned and add 2 Tbsp sugar)
- 2 star anise pods (or a few dashes of ginger powder, crushed Sichaun peppercorns, fennel seeds, allspice, cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or grapefruit), divided
Salad:
- 1 cup seedless black (or red) grapes, halved if large
- 8 cups sliced radicchio
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup unsalted, roasted almonds (or can toast in pan with olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat), chopped
- 2 ounces any goat cheese, crumbled (about ⅓ cup)
What To Do
- Combine all ingredients for marinade and ¼ cup water in a medium bowl or glass jar; stir (or cover and shake) until sugar and salt dissolve. Add grapes and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.
- Toss radicchio in a large bowl with oil, 3 Tbsp. strained pickling liquid, and remaining 1 Tbsp. orange juice; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter and scatter drained pickled grapes, almonds, and goat cheese over top.
- Do Ahead: Grapes can be pickled 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.