Fancy Kumquat Salad with Candied Pecans and Provolone
A delicious roasted kumquat salad full of complex and balanced flavors, plus a super easy way to quickly candy pecans.
I’m calling this salad fancy because it feels that way. I mean roasted kumquats? That’s not an ingredient you hear everyday and it sounds a little intimidating. But they really aren’t! If I could have reasonably called this Fancy, Yet Approachable, Salad with Roasted Kumquats, Candied Pecans and Provolone I would have. If you missed my post about roasting kumquats, you can find it here, but I will also give directions below.
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About salads… Are you like me and you feel compelled to put tomatoes in every salad you make? Salad can be made without tomatoes! I am preaching to myself more than anyone else. Most of you are probably normal and understand that salads don’t have to have tomatoes but I struggle with this concept. This salad doesn’t need them though. All you need is a few simple ingredients, plus kumquats, and a small amount of effort for a huge flavor payoff.
Ingredients
Fancy Kumquat Salad with Candied Pecans and Provolone
- Mixed greens
- Kumquats
- Pecans
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Provolone cheese
That’s it for the salad. You can use your favorite dressing from a bottle or homemade. I’m including a recipe below for a red wine vinaigrette if you’d like to try that!
How to quick-candy pecans
I’m very excited I took a risk and threw some butter and brown sugar in a non-stick pan with pecans and cooked them until everything was nice and melty. It totally worked! Way easier and less messy than how I’ve done it in the past.
So it’s pretty much like I said: all you need to do is melt butter in a non-stick pan with an equal amount of brown sugar. Toss in the pecans, a pinch of salt and stir constantly for about 5-7 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Spread it out on parchment to set up and you’re good to go.
Roasting Kumquats
I love talking about roasting kumquats (full roasting instructions here)! I’d tried kumquats a few times in the past but didn’t know what to do with them. I was just so offended by their sourness in their raw form I never felt any interest in them. Then a year ago, a coworker of mine told me how she was looking forward to getting kumquats at the farmers market. When I asked what she did with them she told me she roasts them and I was intrigued. She told me she puts them on salads and chicken and I thought maybe this will finally be it! I might actually figure out why anyone would want to eat these. And I totally did.
Roasting kumquats transforms them into something entirely different. There are still tart but It’s more subdued and they become a tad sweet. Their texture turns chewy and sticky. They give a perfect pop of color to this salad as well as a little citrusy punch.
How does this kumquat salad taste?
The first word that comes to mind when attempting to describe this salad is: balanced. But that sounds boring and does nothing to tell you about how sticky, tart kumquats play off of crunchy, sweet pecans and whatever flavor provolone cheese has to create a flavor experience. As mentioned in a previous post, I really like combining opposing but complimentary flavors and this salad does that very well. There is sweetness from the candied pecans, tartness from the kumquats and savory flavors from the cheese.
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MORE KUMQUAT RECIPES TO TRY
Fancy Kumquat Salad with Candied Pecans and Provolone
A delicious salad full of complex and balanced flavors, plus a super easy way to quickly candy pecans.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup kumquats (measured whole, then sliced)
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup pecan pieces
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp brown sugar
Dressing
- 2/3 cup avocado oil
- 1/3 red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Slice the kumquats into 1/4 inch rounds removing the seeds as you go. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and toss with 1/2 tsp avocado oil, a sprinkle of salt and sugar. Spread in an even layer and bake for 25 minutes, stirring half way through.
- Melt butter in non-stick pan, add brown sugar and stir. Add the pecans and stir constantly for 5-7 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and it starts to smell amazing. Lay out on parchment or wax paper in an even layer and set aside.
- Slice cheese and add it along with mixed greens to a large serving bowl.
- Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss with the kumquats and nuts.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Additions: This is great with grilled chicken! Either baked with a simple seasoning will do or even shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken would work.
