Being as I’ve been in Miami for one month now, the Miami-ness has seeped onto me like tree sap. There is so much to this city in a way that I have a hard and almost impossible explaining. If you’re from Miami, you know what I’m talking about. The city is surrounded with the untz untz culture, can be the epitome of trendiness and fashion and hipsters, beautiful beaches and scenery and boats, and yet if you travel just a bit you think you might be in Cuba. It’s weird if you don’t speak Spanish here. It’s like you hate it and you love it simultaneously. It’s like you want to leave but it keeps on drawing you back in…and because of that, it’s home.

And this salad is Miami on a plate. First we have orange and green, hues that will forever symbolize the college football team I have been raised to love, due to my father’s scream-into-a-pillow obsession. And then we have exemplary Florida produce, produce that is largely absent in other parts of the world, creamy luxurious avocado and tart gems of oranges. These are pulled to completion with perfectly roasted carrots, which turn soft but are still toothsome in essence. All in all, it’s a lovely mix of flavors and textures that are unexpected yet go together just fine. A little melting pot, I suppose.

Which is kind of like Miami, right?

Roasted carrot, avocado, & orange salad 

Adapted from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig

Serves 4 as a side

Notes: I realize the presentation of this is not totally amazing because as I mixed the three components together, the tender avocado fell apart. So when you make it I suggest mixing the carrots and oranges together, then laying the avocado slices neatly on top.

Also, the original recipe suggested to toast and grind the cumin and coriander seeds. I didn’t do this, I used whole seeds instead. Feel free to toast and grind if you wish, or just use already ground cumin and coriander instead of the seeds.

4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Maldon or another flaky sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pound carrots, chopped into large pieces, unpeeled

3 oranges

3 ripe Hass avocados, chilled

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

A handful of small, delicate cilantro sprigs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar until you have wet, smooth paste. Put paste in a large mixing bowl. Add cumin, coriander, chiles, and ¼ cup of olive oil; stir well. Add carrots and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with 3 pinches of salt, crushing grains with fingers as you add, and toss again.

Put carrots in a large shallow baking dish in one layer, making sure to scrape extra garlic, spices, and oil from the bowl. Pour ¼ cup water into an empty spot in dish and tilt so water spreads across bottom. Cover dish tightly with foil and roast 25 minutes. Remove foil and keep cooking until carrots are lightly browned and about as tender and creamy as avocado flesh, but not so soft that they may fall apart, about 35 minutes more.

While carrots are roasting, segment the oranges, removing the peel and cutting away membranes. Squeeze membranes over a small bowl to release juice. Set aside. When carrots are done, remove baking dish from oven and let it sit until carrots have cooled but are still warm. Meanwhile, take avocados from fridge, halve lengthwise, remove pits, and peel. Cut flesh lengthwise into slices about same size as carrots—slices should be sturdy enough that they don’t break when tossed.

Put avocado slices in a large mixing bowl. Add orange juice, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, and a healthy pinch or two of salt. Toss gently with your hands, then push avocado to one side. Add carrots to juices a handful at a time, tossing them in the juices before adding next handful and finally tossing avocados and carrots gently together.

On a platter or in a serving bow, stack carrots, avocado, and orange segments so they’re facing this way and that. Top with cilantro and bring to table right away.