Winter is citrus season in Sonoma County. While we have a bounty of some citrus fruits — Meyer and Eureka lemons and certain varieties of oranges — we do not have a commercial grapefruit industry. There are trees here and there, and if you are walking through neighborhoods in Santa Rosa or Healdsburg, look up now and then and you might see golden globes swaying overhead.
For a reliable source of grapefruit, look to our farmers markets. Schletewitz Family Farms of Sanger, just east of Fresno, has a lesser-known variety, Oro Blanco, a cross between the white Marsh grapefruit and the pomelo. From November through May, you’ll find Oro Blancos piled high at the markets the farm attends, including those in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.
The Oro Blanco is sweet, with none of the bitterness found in most white grapefruits. Its acid is bright and delicious. The succulent juice enlivens a wide array of dishes, including the Oro Blanco sorbet at Screamin’ Mimi’s in Sebastopol. This grapefruit is so popular that chefs sometimes buy out an entire day’s supply. It appears on menus here and there as a special in both dishes and cocktails.
To enjoy this grapefruit at home, eat it neat — it doesn’t need sugar — or use in salads of avocado and frisée or pear and smoked fish. It is also extraordinary with another seasonal delicacy, Dungeness crab, and makes a delightful vinaigrette.
Oro Blanco Grapefruit, Crab, and Spaghettini Salad
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a first course
Kosher salt
Grapefruit Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
4 ounces dry spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
Meat from 1 cooked Dungeness crab, chilled
2 teaspoons grated Oro Blanco grapefruit zest
1 Oro Blanco grapefruit, peeled, segments removed from membranes
Freshly ground black pepper
8 leaves of Romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried, and cut into ½-inch-wide crosswise strips
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fill a medium pot halfway with water, add a tablespoon of kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
While waiting for the water to boil, make the vinaigrette and set it aside. When the water boils, add the pasta, stir, and cook according to package directions until just tender. Drain the pasta, rinse in cool water, and shake off any water that clings to the noodles. Tip into a bowl, add a spoonful or two of the vinaigrette, and toss gently. Set aside.
Meanwhile, put the crab meat into a small bowl, add the grapefruit zest, and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of the vinaigrette. Add the grapefruit segments and several turns of black pepper. Toss gently and set aside.
Put the lettuce into a large salad bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss gently. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the lettuce. Add the pasta and toss again, seasoning with more black pepper. Divide the salad between large individual bowls then spoon the crab and grapefruit mixture, including the juices, over the top. Spoon dressing over everything and enjoy right away.
Grapefruit Vinaigrette
Makes about ⅔ cup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, preferably Oro Blanco variety; see note below
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom or 3 crushed cardamom seeds
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Put the grapefruit juice and vinegar into a small bowl and add the cardamom, a generous pinch of salt, and several turns of black pepper. Stir to dissolve the salt and let rest for 30 minutes so that the flavors meld and blossom. Stir in the olive oil and use right away.
Note: If using a different variety of grapefruit, add a bit of sugar for balance.