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    Whip & Wander » Recipes » salads & dressings

    Published: Mar 11, 2021 by Jenni · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts

    This page may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    three plates with radicchio salad topped with walnuts, blue cheese, and green olives on a wooden surface
    a dark green plate with dark red radicchio leaves, blue cheese, candies walnuts, and olives next to two more plates also containing salad and a dark green towel
    three plates in shades of green and pink topped with Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts and a tray with blue cheese crumbled on top and a dark green towel under the plates
    a pink salad plate covered in radicchio salad with walnuts, olives, and blue cheese
    a hand holding a dark green salad plate with radicchio salad, blue cheese, candies walnuts, and castelvetrano green olives
    two plates covered in Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts on a dark green towel on a wooden surface with a small wooden tray covered in gorgonzola cheese crumbles
    a dark greek towel witht wo dark green plates on top covered in Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts and a pink plate to the right covered in the same salad

    three plates containing Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts and a small wooden board with blue cheese resting on a wooden surface with a dark green towel

    Peppery, Sweet, Sharp, and Salty

    This Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts is one of my favorite ways to enjoy radicchio. The slightly bitter and peppery flavors of radicchio are balanced with sweet and buttery Castelvetrano olives, a light maple Dijon vinaigrette, and crunchy candied walnuts. The salad is rounded out with a generous measure of crumbled blue cheese that gives this dish a sharp and salty finish.

    closeup of ice cubes in a clear bowl of water

    closeup of radicchio leaves in water

    Soaking radicchio to mellow bitterness

    Radicchio leaves are fairly bitter when eaten raw, but mellow when cooked or soaked prior to consuming. While this is not strictly necessary, you can eat radicchio without soaking, I prefer to mellow the bitterness of raw radicchio by giving it a good cold soak for about 30-minutes when enjoying it in a salad. The best way to do this is as follows:

    1. Carefully slice the radicchio in half. Remove the core and discard. Chop or tear the remaining radicchio leaves into bite-sized pieces, as desired.
    2. Fill the inner-strainer of a large salad spinner (or colander) with a few handfuls of ice. Place the strainer back in the salad spinner bowl (or a bowl larger than your colander, if using) and fill with cold water directly over the ice. Allow to sit for a minute or two until chilled fully, then strain out the ice, leaving the ice-cold water behind in the bowl. It is important that all ice is removed before the radicchio gets added or you will be pulling ice cubes out for a very long time (I've done this. It's not fun).
    3. Add the prepped radicchio to the ice cold water, ensuring it is completely submerged with water. Allow to rest for about 30-minutes or more.
    4. Strain the water, spin in a salad spinner (if using), and then use a clean kitchen towel to fluff dry the remaining water as best as you can.

    a hand using a teal towel to pat dry a bowl full of radicchio leaves

    a closeup of radicchio leaves that have been fluffed dry

    What kind of green olives are best to use?

    The bright green Castelvetrano olive is my favorite choice for this radicchio salad recipe. They are nicely firm and add a sweet and buttery flavor to this dish that complements the sharp flavor of the blue cheese. I usually buy them pre-pitted, only because I want to make this dish as easy as possible, however, many would argue that the best way to enjoy them is to buy them with their pits intact to preserve flavor and remove the pits yourself. Both ways are delicious, it just depends on how much work you mind exerting before you can bite into them!

    If you can’t find Castevatrano olives a decent substitute is green Cerignola olives, which are also firm and buttery. If neither option is to be found, this recipe works well with green Manzanilla olives, which are readily found in most grocery stores, often stuffed with red pepper. This option is much brinier and slightly bitter compared to the Castelvetrano olive, but will still be delicious in this recipe if you’re having trouble finding the others.

    a wooden board covered with green castelvetrano olives on a wooden surface

    a wooden board with a wedge of gorgonzola blue cheese that has been crumbles with a wooden cheese knife that is resting on the board which is resting on a dark green towel on a wooden surface

    What kind of blue/bleu cheese is best to use?

    Whether you refer to it by its American spelling, blue, or French spelling, bleu, this sharp and salty cheese is one of my very favorites. The three varieties you will most often come across are the following, and all three are great options for this Radicchio salad:

    • Roquefort – A sheep’s milk cheese originating in southern France, this cheese is lightly tangy, acidic, crumbly, and slightly moist with white flesh and distinctive veins of deep blue. This is one of the world’s best-known bleu cheeses.
    • Gorgonzola – A cow’s milk cheese originating in Milan, Italy, this cheese is buttery, crumbly, and quite salty with white flesh and greenish-blue marbling. I find that Gorgonzola is a good option for those who may sometimes find the blue mold flavor of blue cheese overpowering as it tends to be somewhat milder in Gorgonzola, but is still sharp and nicely salty. This is the cheese that I used to photograph this recipe, but I'm just as likely to use the other varieties when I make this recipe.
    • Stilton – A cow’s milk cheese originating in England (produced in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire), this cheese is soft and crumbly, with nutty and salty notes and delicate blue veins expanding from its center.

    a large metal bowl containing radicchio leaves, vinaigrette, green olives, and candies walnuts resting on a dark teal towel on a wooden surface

    How should I serve this radicchio salad?

    • As a side for chicken, fish, pork, or steak -- This marinated Grilled Skirt Steak is a great idea!
    • As an appetizer before enjoying a hot slice of pizza - This Pizza Quattro Stagioni or this Sausage, Fennel and Calabrian Chili Pizza are both great options!
    • As an appetizer before a pasta dish such as Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce or Pasta with Olive Tapenade
    • As a side for this Mediterranian Turkey Burger

    two dark green plates resting on a dark green towel with a light pink plate to the right of them, all with radicchio salad on top

    three plates with radicchio salad and walnuts and blue cheese and a green towel on a wooden surface

    What tools do I need to make this recipe?

    • A cutting board
    • A chef's knife
    • A kitchen scale (or measuring cups for less precise measurements)
    • Measuring spoons
    • A large salad spinner - OR - A large mixing bowl + a colander
    • A large mixing bowl (can use the same one as above)
    • A small mixing bowl
    • A fork or small whisk
    • A skillet
    • A wooden spoon or spatula
    • A parchment-lined baking sheet

    Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.

    a light pink plate with Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts and two dark green plates next to the pink also containing salad and a small wooden board with crumbled blue cheese

    a light pink plate covered in Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts next to a wooden cheese board with gorgonzola blue cheese and a wooden cheese knife

    Looking for more dinner inspiration?

    Love this Radicchio Salad recipe? Here are some additional salads that you might enjoy!

    • Smoked Salmon and Citrus Salad with Cucumber and Avocado
    • Strawberry Peach Summer Salad with Basil Walnut Pesto
    • Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Blue Cheese, Cranberries, and Pecans
    • Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta
    • Wedge Salad with Horseradish Blue Cheese Dressing

    A note for special diets

    This Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts can be made friendly for gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian, and low-FODMAP diets.

    Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts on a dark green plate with a pink plate also containing salad nearby and a wooden board with blue cheese that has been crumbled on top

    a hand holding a dark green plate with Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts over the top of a wooden table

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    three plates containing Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts and a small wooden board with blue cheese resting on a wooden surface with a dark green towel

    Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts

    • Author: Whip & Wander
    • Prep Time: 40 minutes
    • Cook Time: 5 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x
    • Category: Salads & Dressings, Sides
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegetarian
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    Description

    This Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Candied Walnuts is a peppery salad balanced with a sweet maple Dijon vinaigrette.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the salad:

    • 2 heads radicchio (about 630 g - I generally use Chioggia but you can also use Treviso)
    • a few handfuls of ice + enough water to fill a large salad spinner or bowl
    • 10.6 oz jar (4.9 oz dry weight) Castelvetrano olives, pitted and drained
    • 6 oz blue cheese, crumbled (Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Stilton)

    For the candied walnuts:

    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp water
    • 150 g (about 1 ½ cups) walnuts, halves and pieces
    • a pinch of salt

    For the vinaigrette:

    • 8 tbsp (about ½ cup) olive oil
    • 2 tbsp + 2 tsp red wine vinegar
    • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    • 4 tsp maple syrup
    • 1 ½ - 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ½ tsp cracked black pepper

    Instructions

    To prep the radicchio:

    1. Carefully slice the radicchio in half. Remove the core and discard. Chop or tear the remaining radicchio leaves into bite-sized pieces, as desired.
    2. Fill the inner-strainer of a large salad spinner (or colander) with a few handfuls of ice. Place the strainer back in the salad spinner bowl (or a bowl larger than your colander, if using) and fill with cold water directly over the ice. Allow to sit for a minute or two until chilled fully, then strain out the ice, leaving the ice-cold water behind in the bowl. It is important that all ice is removed before the radicchio gets added or you will be pulling ice cubes out for a very long time (I've done this. It's not fun).
    3. Add the prepped radicchio to the ice-cold water, ensuring it is completely submerged with water. Allow to rest for about 30-minutes or more.
    4. Strain the water, spin in a salad spinner (if using), and then use a clean kitchen towel to fluff dry the remaining water as best as you can.

    For the candied walnuts:

    1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and reserve to the side.
    2. In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter, sugar, water, walnuts, and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 4 - 5 minutes, stirring regularly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the butter and sugar have melted and the nuts are starting to toast slightly. Nuts can burn very quickly, so it's important to transfer them to the baking sheet the moment they have finished cooking. Using the spatula or spoon, work quickly to separate the nuts before they cool and harden. Reserve to the side to cool.

    For the vinaigrette:

    1. In a small mixing bowl combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine then taste for salt and adjust if needed. Reserve to the side.

    To assemble:

    1. In a large mixing bowl toss the radicchio with the olives, candied walnuts, and vinaigrette. Plate the salad and sprinkle crumbled blue cheese on top, as desired.

    Notes

    Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 serving
    • Calories: 439
    • Sugar: 8 g
    • Sodium: 504 mg
    • Fat: 39 g
    • Saturated Fat: 9 g
    • Carbohydrates: 14 g
    • Fiber: 2 g
    • Protein: 9 g
    • Cholesterol: 30 mg

    Keywords: radicchio, blue cheese, green olives

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @whipandwander on Instagram and hashtag it #whipandwander

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