Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Orange & Hazelnuts

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Some salads are content to play a supporting role. This one steals the show. Imagine juicy, sun-ripened citrus, peppery greens that taste like a fresh summer breeze, and a round of goat cheese seared until it's crisp and golden on the outside while perfectly creamy inside. It's the kind of dish that makes you pause after the first bite and immediately start planning your next picnic. Bright, sweet, nutty, and irresistibly creamy, this salad captures everything there is to love about summer on a single plate.


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The Lineup

Nothing fussy here — just a handful of ingredients that were clearly designed to hang out together. The whole magic trick is contrast: peppery greens against sweet orange, crunchy toasted hazelnuts against silky-warm cheese, and a bright citrus dressing tying the whole thing into one very sunny bow.



The Sun-Kissed Blueprint

Step 1: Toast, Rub, Repeat

Roasting the hazelnuts is the tiny step that changes everything. A few minutes in a hot oven and their skins turn deep brown and papery — a quick rub in a clean tea towel and they slip right off, leaving behind toasty, fragrant nuts that make the whole kitchen smell like golden hour.


Step 2: Blitz Up the Sunshine

Into the food processor go the toasted hazelnuts, orange juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil nice and slowly at first — this coaxes the dressing into a silky, faintly nutty emulsion instead of a greasy puddle. Patience now means a dressing that clings to every leaf later.


🍊 Pro Tip: Save yourself a segmenting headache — slice the top and bottom off each orange, stand it upright, and cut away the peel and pith in strips before slicing out the segments. It keeps every bite membrane-free and juicy.

Step 3: The Cheese Gets a Crust

This is where things get a little theatrical. Press each slice of firm goat cheese into a hot, lightly oiled pan and hold your nerve — in just a minute or two it develops a deep golden crust while staying soft and warm underneath. Flip it onto the salad crust-side-up for maximum drama.


Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Orange & Hazelnuts

A Golden, Crisp-Edged Cheese Nestled in Peppery Greens and Citrus

Overhead view of warm goat cheese salad with watercress, orange segments, and toasted hazelnuts on a speckled stoneware plate Save to Pinterest
Prep20 mins
Cook10 mins
Servings4

Ingredients

  • 20g hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 125ml olive oil, plus extra for cooking
  • 250g watercress, well rinsed and dried
  • 50g baby English spinach leaves, well rinsed and dried
  • 24 orange segments
  • 300g firm goat cheese, sliced into 4 equal portions
  • A small handful of unchopped hazelnuts, for garnish

To Season

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preparing the Dressing

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast them for 5–6 minutes, or until their skins have darkened. Transfer the warm nuts to a clean tea towel, wrap them up, and rub them together to loosen and remove the skins.
  2. Place the peeled hazelnuts in a food processor with the orange juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil, adding it a few drops at a time at first. Once about half of the oil has been incorporated, continue pouring in the rest in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is smooth and well combined.

Assembling & Serving

  1. Trim the stems from the watercress and add the leaves to a large bowl with the spinach, orange segments, and 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Gently toss everything together, then season with black pepper to taste. Divide the salad evenly among four serving plates.
  2. Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat it with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, carefully place each slice of goat cheese into the pan, pressing it down gently. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until a golden crust forms on one side.
  3. Carefully lift the goat cheese from the pan and place it on top of each salad with the crispy side facing up. Finish by drizzling the remaining dressing over the salads and serve immediately.

The Finishing Touches

Pour a glass of crisp, chilled Sauvignon Blanc or a light rosé alongside this one — something with enough zip to match the citrus without fighting the warm, creamy cheese. A slice of crusty bread on the side never hurts either, for scraping up every last bit of dressing.

Pro Tips

  • The Greens Swap: No watercress on hand? Rocket (arugula) or a mix of baby lettuces will happily step in — you just want something with a little peppery bite to stand up to the sweet citrus.
  • Firm Cheese Only: Skip anything too soft or ripened for this one — a firm goat cheese is what lets you get that gorgeous seared crust without the whole slice collapsing into the pan.