Frisée, Radicchio, and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing
Updated Jan 11, 2026
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This frisee, radicchio and escarole salad with citrus dressing is a crisp, bright side that stands up to rich main courses. A festival of bitter lettuces—frisée, radicchio, and escarole—gets tossed with a vibrant lemon-orange vinaigrette and optional feta for balance. It’s one of those salads that makes even a heavy meal feel fresh and renewed.
If you think salads are just lettuce on autopilot, wait until you try this frisee, radicchio and escarole salad with citrus dressing — it’s like a wake-up call in a bowl. Bright, slightly bitter greens like frisée and radicchio get a lively citrus dressing made with lemon and orange juice, a touch of honey, and good olive oil, so every bite feels fresh and balanced. Toss in slivered red onion and a sprinkle of feta if you like, and suddenly you’ve got a side salad that not only holds its own but actually makes your rich main dishes taste even better.
Why You’ll Love Frisee, Radicchio, and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Balances out your meal.
- If you love bitter lettuces, this is the salad for you.
- A fresh flavor for the colder months.
Frisee, Radicchio and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing: When you are serving up a rich main course a bitter greens salad is the most amazing counterpoint.
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Frisee, Radicchio, and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil – The base for the dressing.
- Fresh lemon juice – For a touch of acidity.
- Fresh orange juice – For a citrusy pop.
- Honey – For a bit of sweetness.
- Dijon mustard – Preferably grainy for texture.
- Radicchio – Offers that beautiful purple and white calico coloring. If you can find Treviso radicchio, that’s a treat!
- Escarole – light green, tender, and not too intense. The bigger, more mature escarole I save for cooking, where it mellows, and oh, I love it so.
- Frisée lettuce – Frisée has such a light and wispy texture.
- Red onion – if you are a mandoline person, now is the time.
- Crumbled feta cheese – It’s fabulous in this salad, though by no means necessary.
For the Love of Bitter Lettuces
I love escarole with a weird, fiery passion. And I love radicchio and endive and frisée and other bitter lettuces. I know they are not everyone’s cup of tea bowl of lettuce. But I think when you are serving up a rich main course like brisket or slow-cooked teriyaki beef tips or lamb stew, an acerbic salad filled with strongly flavored greens like this recipe is the most amazing counterpoint.
It kind of keeps bringing your mouth back to a striking point and keeps your tongue on its toes so that every bit of the deeply savory dinner is appreciated anew. This is a slightly deep thought. I am a slightly (slightly) deep food thinker.
If you were to want to temper this salad, you could use half of the lettuces listed, and then add a few cups of slivered romaine lettuce to soften it up.
How to Make Frisee, Radicchio and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Prepare the lettuces: Quarter the radicchio, cut out the core, and slice it very thinly. Slice the escarole crosswise into very thin ribbons. Slice or tear the frisée into small pieces. Place all the lettuces in a bowl.
- Cut the onions: Slice the onions very thin and add them to the lettuce.
- Dress and toss.
Another possible addition: Homemade Croutons!
What to Serve with Frisee, Radicchio, and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing
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Frisee, Radicchio and Escarole Salad with Citrus Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preferably grainy)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 medium head radicchio
- 1 small head escarole
- 1 large or 2 smalls heads frisée lettuce
- 1 red onion (halved and very thinly sliced)
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Quarter the radicchio, cut out the core, and slice it very thinly. Slice the escarole crosswise into very thin ribbons. Slice or tear the frisée into small pieces. Place them in the bowl with the dressing and add the red onion. Toss to combine. Add the feta if desired, and toss again.
So Good!! I had bought all those salad greens yesterday as I was craving a good salad.
Today I was looking for a dressing to compliment it and found your site.
I used your recipe and added sliced mandarin oranges to the salad because we needed to use them.
That dressing enhanced the salad; I will happily use and share your recipe to others.
I am now looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you.
Absolutely delicious! I made it without cheese for a seder and it was perfect!
Wow I love to read and definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks a lot for that.