Avocado, kumquat, and rice salad

Do you like kumquats? Have you ever had them? They are my new winter citrus fruit addiction. They look like tiny little oranges and can be eaten whole (just take out the seeds) – the rind is very sweet and the center of the fruit is tart and juicy.

Kumquats are great for salad dressings and pair off well with fresh green flavors, Asian cuisine, seafood, and other tropical fruit.

For this salad, you’ll need:

• 1 avocado
• about 12 kumquats
• 2 cups sushi rice
• olive oil
• mirin or rice vinegar
• sesame seeds
• sea salt

1. Make the sushi rice first – use Japanese sushi rice and prepare according to package instructions, fold the rice vinegar, salt, sugar mixture into the warm rice. You can also add sesame seeds, if you’d like.

2. Slice the kumquats thinly and take out the seeds. Slice the avocado as well.

3. Layer rice, avocado, and kumquats in a bowl. Dress lightly with the reserved kumquat’s juice, olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt.