A Winter Citrus Salad, Served Plainly

Method

1. Trim the citrus. With a sharp paring knife, slice off the top and bottom of each fruit. Stand it on a cutting board and cut away the peel and white pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit. You want bare flesh, no white.
2. Slice into rounds. Turn each fruit on its side and slice into thin rounds, about ¼-inch thick. The blood orange and grapefruit will produce some juice — collect any juice that pools on the board.
3. Arrange. Lay the slices on a wide platter or shallow bowl in a loose, overlapping mosaic, alternating colors. Pour any collected juice over the top.
4. Dress. Drizzle generously with the olive oil. Scatter the flaky salt and a few twists of pepper. Add pink peppercorns and torn mint if using.
5. Serve immediately. The salad is best within an hour of dressing. Eat it with bread to mop up the juices.

The whole recipe is: buy excellent fruit, and do not overthink it.

Notes & substitutions

• Citrus to use Whatever is good. Cara cara, navel, blood orange, grapefruit, Meyer lemon, kumquat. Three to four varieties is the sweet spot.
• Salt Flaky salt only. Table salt or kosher salt will not work the same way — texture is the point.
• Olive oil This is the time to break out the expensive bottle.
• Variations Sliced fennel, paper-thin red onion, a handful of olives, crumbled ricotta salata, or pomegranate seeds all add interest. Pick one, not all.