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Apple Radicchio Salad

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salads•italian•vegetarian, gluten-free
25 minutes•4 servings•

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 head radicchio – cored and thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp shallot – finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
  • 2 apples apples – cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – shaved
Apple Radicchio Salad

Instructions

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, 3–5 minutes; cool, chop, and transfer to a large salad bowl.

2. Place the radicchio in very cold water for 10 minutes to crisp and temper bitterness, then drain well and spin or pat completely dry; add to the bowl.

3. Whisk the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, kosher salt, and black pepper in a measuring cup. Slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while whisking until emulsified, then stir in the shallot.

4. Core and thinly slice the apples and add them to the bowl.

5. Shave the Parmigiano Reggiano and add it to the bowl.

6. Pour most of the dressing over the salad and toss until the leaves are glossy and evenly coated, adding more dressing as needed. Serve immediately while crisp.

Apple Radicchio Salad marries the gentle sweetness and crunch of fresh apples with the pleasantly bitter, tender leaves of radicchio. Toasted walnuts add warmth and a deep nuttiness, while shaved Parmigiano Reggiano brings savory depth. A bright lemon vinaigrette ties it together, balancing sweet, bitter, salty, and acidic notes for a crisp, refreshing salad with real contrast and snap.

Radicchio is an Italian chicory, long prized in northern regions like Veneto for its winter hardiness and nuanced bitterness. Pairing it with fruit—especially apples or pears—is a longstanding way to balance its flavor, often seen in trattoria salads alongside nuts and aged cheeses. As radicchio varieties like Treviso and Chioggia spread beyond Italy, this kind of sweet-bitter composition became a modern staple on menus worldwide, bridging traditional Italian sensibilities with contemporary salad craft.