Name: Neratzosalata
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 oranges or bitter oranges, depending on availability; 1 small red or white onion, very thinly sliced, optional; 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, or enough to dress generously; 1/2 tsp hot paprika or Aleppo-style red pepper, plus more to taste; Coarse sea salt; Toasted sourdough or rustic bread, to serve

About Neratzosalata

Neratzosalata is one of Corfu's simplest and most surprising traditional dishes: sliced orange dressed generously with olive oil, coarse salt and hot red pepper. Onion appears in some versions. Sweet, bitter, salty and spicy flavours meet in a salad rooted in older Corfiot home cooking.

Ingredients

3 oranges or bitter oranges, depending on availability
1 small red or white onion, very thinly sliced, optional
60 ml extra virgin olive oil, or enough to dress generously
1/2 tsp hot paprika or Aleppo-style red pepper, plus more to taste
Coarse sea salt
Toasted sourdough or rustic bread, to serve

Method

Peel the oranges, removing excess white pith if it is particularly thick.
Slice horizontally into thin rounds over a serving plate so none of the juice is lost. Remove seeds and any tough central fibres.
Arrange in a single layer and add the onion rings if using.
Pour over the olive oil, season with coarse salt and sprinkle generously with hot red pepper.
Press the orange slices very lightly with a fork to release a little more juice and encourage it to emulsify with the olive oil.
Leave for 5 minutes and serve with toasted rustic bread for the juices.

Plan your visit

Recipe tips

The older documented recipe is exceptionally simple: orange, olive oil, coarse salt and red pepper. Onion is an optional variation.
Corfiot terminology around nerantzi/orange can be confusing in translation; use good aromatic oranges if true bitter oranges are unavailable.
Do not turn it into a conventional leafy salad. Its simplicity is the point.

What to serve with it

Serve with toasted bread, olives, cheese or cured meats as part of a winter Corfiot-style table.

The story behind the dish

A version of neratzosalata appears in historical writing on Corfu and is remembered as an old island dish. Its core is strikingly simple: sliced orange, olive oil, coarse salt and plenty of red pepper. Modern Corfiot versions can add onion, olives, cheese or other winter ingredients, but the simplicity of the older preparation is part of its character.

Where to try it in Corfu

Neratzosalata is now uncommon as a standalone restaurant dish, but it still appears in contemporary Corfiot cooking. Cielo Beach Concept in Barbati currently uses Corfiot neratzosalata alongside its milk pie with extra virgin olive oil and fleur de sel, an interesting modern use of this old island flavour combination.

Neratzosalata