How to Make a Grapefruit Endive Salad with Mango Dressing

Big Poppa says this salad might be a little too gourmet for you — then tells you to try it anyway. It’s a citrus-forward change-up from the chef salad and Caesar rotation: romaine, paper-thin onion, grapefruit slices, bitter endive, creamy avocado, and crumbled feta, finished with a dressing built from extra virgin olive oil, mango, champagne citrus vinegar, and Desert Gold. The bitterness is intentional. The dressing brings the sweetness. And the whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes with an immersion blender. Big Poppa calls it his Monday salad.

Intended Bitterness: Why Grapefruit and Endive Work

Endive and grapefruit both bring bitterness, and in this salad that’s the point. Big Poppa builds the salad around bitter and citrus, then balances it: the dressing brings sweetness, the avocado stays neutral and adds creamy texture, and the feta adds salt. Each ingredient has a job, which is why a salad this unusual actually works.

What does avocado do in this salad?

It’s a neutral, creamy texture play. Endive and grapefruit are sharp and bitter, and the avocado softens the bite. Big Poppa uses plenty — he even says to use the rest of the avocado — because it gives the salad body without competing with the citrus.

Knife Skills: Paper-Thin Onion on a Mandoline

The onion goes in paper thin. Big Poppa slices it on a mandoline — it’s a sweet, Maui-style onion — and he can slice and talk at the same time. The mandoline gives you consistent, translucent slices that soften the onion’s bite and layer through the salad instead of overpowering it.

How do you slice onions paper thin?

Use a mandoline. It gives you consistent, translucent slices that a knife can’t easily match. Big Poppa uses a sweet, Maui-style onion so the thin slices add sweetness and crunch without harshness.

Desert Gold in a Salad Dressing

The dressing starts with half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, a little lemon, a splash of champagne citrus vinegar, and a sweet mango vinaigrette. Then comes Desert Gold. It isn’t just because Big Poppa makes it — it brings sesame, citrus, garlic, and more. Sometimes your rubs are great in salad dressings and sauces. An immersion blender pulls it all together into one smooth dressing.

Can you use a BBQ rub in salad dressing?

Yes, if it’s the right rub. Desert Gold has sesame, citrus, garlic, salt, and pepper — California Mediterranean flavors that already belong in a vinaigrette. Blend it into the oil and vinegar and you get seasoning and depth in one step.

Full Recipe: Big Poppa’s Monday Salad

Quantities for the salad ingredients weren’t specified in the video — build the salad to the size you need. Dressing amounts below are what Big Poppa stated; the rest is taste-and-adjust.

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce
• Sweet onion (Maui-style), sliced paper thin on a mandoline
• Grapefruit, sliced
• Endive
• Avocado
• Feta cheese, freshly crumbled
• Dressing: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon (about 1/2 tsp — CONFIRM juice or zest)
• Champagne citrus vinegar (a splash, to taste)
• Mango vinaigrette (to taste — he adds more as he tastes)
• Big Poppa Smokers Desert Gold Seasoning (to taste)

1. Slice the onion. Slice the onion paper thin on a mandoline.
2. Build the salad. Layer romaine, onion, grapefruit slices, endive, and avocado. Finish with freshly crumbled feta.
3. Start the dressing. Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, the lemon, and a splash of champagne citrus vinegar to a container.
4. Add mango. Add the mango vinaigrette for sweetness to balance the bitterness from the endive and grapefruit.
5. Add Desert Gold. Pour in Desert Gold for sesame, citrus, and garlic.
6. Blend and taste. Blend with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust — add more mango if it needs sweetness.
7. Chill. Refrigerate the salad and the dressing separately.
8. Dress and serve. Dress the salad right before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions: Grapefruit Endive Salad

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