Mandarin Salad Dressing | Mandarins.com.au

Mandarin juice makes a natural salad dressing base. It is sweeter than lemon juice, less assertive than vinegar, and pairs well with most winter vegetables and salad greens. A mandarin vinaigrette takes two minutes to make and transforms a bowl of bitter leaves into something worth eating alongside a midwinter roast.

These dressings suit winter salads: radicchio, witlof, fennel, shaved carrot, Brussels sprouts, roast pumpkin, raw cabbage, and bitter greens all work. They also work on grain bowls, roast vegetable plates, and noodle salads.

Quick guide

Five mandarin dressing styles worth making:

Mandarin vinaigrette: the base version, juice, oil, and a little acid; works on almost everything
Mandarin and ginger Asian dressing: with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy; suits noodle and grain salads
Mandarin and tahini dressing: creamy, nutty, good on roast vegetables and grain bowls
Citrus and soy dressing: a sharper, more savoury option for warm salads and grilled fish
Mandarin yoghurt dressing: light, tangy, good for coleslaw and lighter greens

Best mandarin variety for dressings

Afourer gives the most aromatic juice for dressings: seedless, intense, and fragrant. It produces a dressing with a clear citrus character that holds up against strong flavours like radicchio, blue cheese, and soy.

Imperial is the most available and gives a clean, bright dressing without excess sweetness. Honey Murcott is sweeter and suits dressings where you want to balance bitterness, such as for a radicchio or witlof salad.

Juice the mandarins fresh. Mandarin juice oxidises and loses flavour quickly, so make the dressing on the day.

Mandarin vinaigrette

The base: combine 60ml mandarin juice, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional, for emulsification), and a pinch of salt in a jar. Add 80ml of extra virgin olive oil and shake well. Taste and adjust.

Gourmet Traveller’s heirloom carrot and mandarin salad uses a coriander seed vinaigrette, made by placing coriander seeds, oil, vinegar, and mandarin juice in a screw-top jar and shaking to combine. The coriander seeds add a floral, spiced note that complements both the mandarin and the raw carrot.

This vinaigrette suits a winter salad of shaved carrot, fennel, radicchio, witlof, and fresh herbs. It also works on cooked vegetables: dressed over roasted beets or pumpkin while they are still warm.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, optional mustard.

Uses: green salads, roast vegetable plates, carrot salads, winter grain bowls.

Mandarin and ginger Asian dressing

Combine mandarin juice, a small amount of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, and a little sesame oil. Add a pinch of sugar if the dressing tastes flat. Shake or whisk to combine.

This dressing suits noodle salads, shredded cabbage, edamame, cucumber, and any salad involving sesame, coriander, or spring onion. It also works as a dipping sauce for steamed dumplings or as a dressing for poached chicken.

The ginger quantity matters: too much and it dominates. Start with half a teaspoon per 60ml of juice and adjust.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil.

Mandarin and tahini dressing

Whisk together mandarin juice, tahini, a small amount of lemon juice, garlic (crushed or grated), salt, and enough water to thin to a pourable consistency. The tahini thickens as it combines with the acid, so add water gradually.

This dressing suits roasted cauliflower, roast pumpkin, chickpea salads, and grain bowls with greens. Nornie Bero’s charred Brussels sprout recipe from Coles uses a mandarin dressing based on macadamia and pepperberry rather than tahini, but the principle is similar: a rich, textured dressing made from fat and mandarin acid.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, water.

Citrus and soy dressing

Combine mandarin juice, soy sauce, a little rice vinegar, and a small amount of mirin or honey. This dressing is thinner and more savoury than the tahini version, and works well on warm salads and proteins.

Use it over seared salmon or barramundi, grilled tofu, warm soba noodles, or a Japanese-style winter salad of daikon, edamame, and avocado. The soy adds umami depth that makes the mandarin read as a savour flavour rather than a sweet one.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin or honey.

Mandarin yoghurt dressing

Stir mandarin juice and zest through Greek yoghurt with a little olive oil, salt, and white pepper. Thin with a splash of water if needed. Taste and add honey if the yoghurt is quite tart.

This version is creamy without being heavy. It suits coleslaw, raw broccoli salad, and a mixed green salad with roast chicken. It also makes a good dipping sauce for crudites at a winter gathering.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice and zest, Greek yoghurt, olive oil, salt.

When to make mandarin dressings

Make them during mandarin season, from May through August, when fresh juice is available at full flavour. Afourer for the most aromatic result; Imperial for the most widely available fruit from May.