Grilled Radicchio Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing, soft boiled eggs, citrus, and walnuts. This stunner of a salad is perfect for fall entertaining, or to liven up any weeknight dinner. Vegetarian, gluten free, and packed with nutrients. 
The Best Grilled Radicchio Salad Recipe:
If you have yet to experience the beauty of bitter chicories, this salad will make you a believer. The bitterness of the radicchio is mellowed by creamy miso dressing and jammy soft boiled eggs. Citrus segments also help soften the sophisticated green with sweetness and background berry notes. It’s an explosion of flavor that’s much greater than the sum of its parts.
This salad will keep for hours even after being dressed, which makes it perfectly suited for entertaining. Serve this stunning starter or side with roasted meat or grilled fish, and watch the crowd go wild for the underrated vegetable.
How to Soft Boil an Egg:
Soft boiled eggs are deliciously jammy in the center and full of rich flavor. They're also super versatile: enjoy them on a salad, sandwich, or just sprinkled with salt and pepper as a snack! Plus, they're easy to make and come together in under 10 minutes. Here's how it works:
- Start by gently lowering room temperature eggs into a pot of boiling water. It's best to use a slotted spoon for this so there's no chance of splashing or accidental cracking.
- Next, set your timer for six and a half minutes, AKA the perfect soft boiled egg time.
- While the eggs boil, prepare an ice bath for the eggs to plunge into. This helps prevent overcooking once they have hit that perfect 6.5 minute mark.
- Lastly, get cracking! Gently roll the egg on a hard surface to gently crack the shell and carefully peel it off.
At this point, you can refrigerate the eggs and save them for later, or slice into them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and devour!
What is Miso Made Of?
The star of this creamy, umami-rich dressing is white miso paste. In short, miso is a fermented soybean paste and secret weapon for adding worlds of savory depth to recipes. White miso paste, in particular, is light in color with a relatively short fermentation time, making it quite mellow compared to darker varieties. I especially love using miso in plant-based recipes to add that extra oomph. Using it in a non-heated application like salad dressing helps preserve its probiotic potential, too.
You can typically find miso paste in the refrigerated section by the tofu in most grocery stores. Also, if you have a local Asian market, they will have the best deals and largest variety of miso paste.
What is Radicchio Good For?
Besides being grilled, radicchio is delicious chopped up and mixed with other raw lettuces in a garden salad. It's also fabulous in a panzanella salad with big chunks of sourdough bread, a sharp cheese like pecorino, and balsamic dressing. Most folks prefer to mix it with other milder lettuce varieties to mellow its assertive flavor. However for this recipe, I want to truly embrace it!
It also pairs well with just about any protein: roasted chicken, steak, grilled fish, or even seared tofu "steaks". And don't think you need to fire up the outdoor grill for this recipe. It's equally delicious on an indoor grill pan, which is actually my preference. Especially since we are expecting our first SNOW tonight in Denver. Should be a really fun winter, right?
Lastly, if you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations!
Other Fall Salad Recipes to Try:
Harissa-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Sesame Sweet Potato and Radicchio Salad
Warm Lentil and Kale Salad with Carrot Dressing
Grilled Radicchio Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- **Creamy Miso Dressing**
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from 2 to 3 lemons
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
- 1 Tbsp. white miso paste
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
- ½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- **Grilled Radicchio Salad**
- 2 large heads of radicchio quartered through core end
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 3 soft boiled eggs halved or quartered
- 2 small blood oranges peeled and sliced into segments (sub 1 large naval orange)
- ⅓ cup toasted walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare Creamy Miso Dressing by combining lemon juice, oil, hemp seeds, miso, garlic, and sugar in a blender (I use a Nutribullet). Blend until creamy, gradually adding 1 to 2 Tbsp. water to thin out to desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and stir in chives and black pepper.
- Prepare an indoor grill pan for medium-high heat. Brush olive oil evenly on the cut sides of radicchio wedges and sprinkle with salt. Grill ~2 minutes on each side, until edges are crisp and slightly charred. Transfer to a serving platter.
- Scatter orange segments and egg pieces over and around grilled radicchio. Drizzle creamy miso dressing overtop, and garnish with chopped walnuts and additional fresh chives, if desired.
Rebecca
Loved the flavors and how hearty it is!