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    Home » recipes » berries » Strawberry Salad, the Best Recipe for Sweet Tart Berries

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    Strawberry Salad, the Best Recipe for Sweet Tart Berries

    It's time for Strawberry Salad to graduate from mild, flat spinach to flavor-forward. Sweet strawberries, along with peppery arugula, rich avocados, funky feta cheese, crisp cucumbers, and crunchy walnuts perfectly balance one another, and the finishing touch is the sweet tart Balsamic dressing. Shall we?

    Jump to Recipe
    Strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette on platter

    What Ingredients You Need for Strawberry Salad

    The following ingredients are specifically what you need for this Strawberry Salad recipe, though the recipe is endlessly flexible and the ingredients can be substituted to suit your preferences and what's locally and seasonally available to you:

    Fresh/refrigerator ingredients:

    • strawberries
    • avocado
    • arugula
    • romaine lettuce
    • cucumber
    • feta cheese
    • red onion
    • garlic

    Dry/pantry ingredients:

    • walnuts
    • Balsamic vinegar
    • olive oil
    • Dijon mustard
    strawberries long stems farmers market

    Buying and Storing Strawberries, the Pro-Tips

    When is Strawberry Season?

    Peak strawberry season starts in early Spring and lasts through early Fall, varying slightly by region. Personally, I find strawberries direct from the farmers' market (southern California) are the absolute sweetest in May and June.

    However, you will find strawberries in grocery stores even through fall and winter because California can grow strawberries year-round!

    Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources

    Arugula. The arugula variety that's most widely available in grocery stores is the small arugula leaves sometimes labeled "baby arugula" in plastic bags or clamshells. Arugula labeled "wild" has a sharper taste. Sometimes you may find large leaves of arugula, which has a similar flavor, but is much less bitter.

    Feta. Because strawberries are sweet, feta cheese is a perfect balance taste-wise because it is salty and slightly funky. I buy mine from either Bristol Farms or Whole Foods.

    Walnuts. Shockingly, organic, whole walnuts are a great deal at Costco. Buy them in bulk, keep a mason jar of them on your counter to eat weekly, and put the rest in the freezer for longer term storage.

    Pickled onions. I make Perfect Pickled Onions every week as literally the only food I "meal prep" for the week. You can also simply slice fresh onions paper-thin and soak them in ice water for 10-15 minutes before adding to the salad.

    Balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is a natural vinegar made from grapes, which puts it in the same family as red wine, white wine, and other wine vinegars, though balsamic vinegar is truly in a class of its own. You can use a commercial-grade balsamic vinegar, which has higher acidity suitable for dressing, and is more affordable than a luxe, aged vinegar made in Modena Italy. Generally, a balsamic vinegar off the grocery store shelf in the $12-$20 range will work. This balsamic vinegar was a gift and is very good.

    Olive oil. Use the highest quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford, preferably with a recent Harvest Date on the bottle, not just the Expiration Date. I used this boutique brand of organic California olive oil for this recipe. This is a more widely available high quality olive oil that I use for every day cooking, though it is not organic.

    All other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sunday, or Whole Foods Market when I can't find what I need at the farmers' market.

    Quick Note on Black Pepper

    Black pepper is absent from this dressing recipe and most other dressing recipes on this site. Unlike salt, which has no flavor itself but significantly enhances the flavor of other ingredients, black pepper has its own distinct flavor. It is a spice that should be thoughtfully added to recipes when needed. Treat black pepper as an optional table condiment that people can add to their final dish if they want, rather than an automatic, somewhat mindless, addition during cooking to a recipe.

    Best Spring Salad Ideas Featuring Fruit

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    Strawberry Salad Ideas

    This Strawberry Salad is based on my tried and true Salad Template that I've been using for years. The template tells you what kind of ingredient, and you can fill it in with whatever sweet, tart seasonal fruit from stone fruits like cherries and peaches through summer, figs in late summer, pears in fall, and persimmons in winter. You will never go wrong.

    To make any other version of this salad, you will fill in these blanks, here are the best ideas:

    Greens other than arugula that don't always have to be green!

    • Butterhead. Soft and ruffly, looks very Spring-y. If you like the tenderness of arugula but want something with a much milder flavor, go for the butterhead!
    • Romaine/Little Gems. Other than arugula, which is soft and tender in texture, I always prefer salad greens that are crunchy like Romaine, or its baby cousin, Little Gems.
    • Radicchio. Even though it's not technically "green," radicchio will provide some bite like arugula does.
    • Spinach. Of course, you can always go back to the classic Strawberry Spinach Salad pairing if you really wantttt

    Cheese. Feta is always the favorite, the funk particularly complementary to sweet fruit, but any salty, fresh to semi-firm cheese works

    • Goat Cheese/Chevre has a similar funk and bonus, it's made of goat milk, which might be more digestible for some people
    • Ricotta salata sounds like ricotta, but is actually firm and salty so it's more like feta than cottage cheese-ish ricotta.
    • Parm. The GOAT (but not goat) of firm, funky, salty cheese, make them into long paper thin shavings

    Nuts or seeds of any kind to substitute for walnuts, but make sure they're toasted so they're crunchy! And if you really want to add another dimension of flavor to the salad, get nuts that have chili or Everything Bagel seasoning!

    • Almonds, a classic match with strawberries
    • Pistachios, another classic match with strawberries (though slightly more expensive)
    • Pepitas, chile seasoned pepitas also bring some spice to add to the flavor balance

    Dressing. High acid, sweet dressing like Balsamic Vinaigrette in the recipe below, super simple Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Hot Honey Balsamic, or the lemoniest Lemon Vinaigrette

    Best Dressing for Strawberry Salad

    Any salad with sweet, tart fruit as an ingredient is best with a similarly sweet, tart vinegar-based dressing, as opposed to a creamy dressing. For this Strawberry Salad, use a Classic Balsamic Dressing included as part of the recipe.

    These are some additional dressing options for Strawberry Salad:

    • apple cider viniagrette in glass jar
      Apple Cider Vinaigrette, the Only Dressing You Need for Fall
    • hot honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing
      Hot Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette, a Dressing with Hidden Health Benefits
    • lemoniest lemon dressing in mason jar
      Lemon Vinaigrette, the Kitchen Staple You Will Use All Year
    • varieties of citrus, peeled
      Citrus Vinaigrette, the Best Fresh and Healthy Dressing
    • Apple Cider Vinaigrette
    • Hot Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • Lemoniest Lemon Vinaigrette
    • Citrus Vinaigrette
    strawberry salad with arugula, feta, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette

    Instructions for How to Make Strawberry Salad

    Make the Classic Balsamic Dressing first, then assemble the Strawberry Salad.

    hot honey balsamic vinaigrette in blender

    Place all ingredients for the Balsamic Dressing in a small blender or food processor, whirl until emulsified, and set aside.

    Alternative: Make sure garlic is as finely minced as possible. Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until thoroughly combined.

    strawberry Balsamic salad

    Serve as a composed salad: Arrange remaining ingredients for Strawberry in a large salad bowl or platter with high sides. Drizzle dressing over salad, and serve extra dressing, walnuts, and crumbled cheese on the side.

    Alternatively, make a chopped salad: Chop salad ingredients into ½-inch bite-size pieces and toss together in a large bowl.

    Pro-tip: Because arugula is a delicate green and wilts almost immediately after dressing, drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving, or let the people eating dress their individual salads themselves just before eating.

    Advance Prep, Leftovers, and Storage

    Make the Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing up to five days in advance.

    Slice the strawberries up to 1 day in advance.

    Wash and prep the arugula up to 1 day in advance. Make sure the arugula is BONE-DRY before storing in refrigerator.

    Once the salad has been dressed, leftovers of the salad do not keep well.

    Tools and Equipment

    You don't technically need any special equipment to make this Strawberry Salad. You can simply use a large knife and cutting board to chop all vegetables. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make this salad even easier to throw together than it already is.

    • Salad spinner - this has saved my sanity because wet, soggy greens are the worst, and arugula in particular needs to be BONE DRY to keep it from wilting.
    • Chef's knife - my daily workhorse knife
    • Cutting board - large and sturdy so you have enough surface area for all the fluffy greens, and doesn't move around on the countertop
    • Japanese-style mandoline - to make lightning fast work of slicing the firmer vegetables. When you start eating a LOT of vegetables, this will be a lifesaver.

    For the Hot Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette, these tools are also helpful

    • BlendJet cordless personal blender - I don't know how I survived my salad days without this
    • 2-ounce (4 tablespoons) liquid measuring cup
    • Garlic press
    • Mini whisk
    • Wide-mouth mason jars and air-tight screw-on lids

    What Else to Serve with Strawberry Salad

    • Add cooked quinoa to give the salad a plant-based protein boost!
    • Add 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast to make it a hearty main dish salad
    • Top with a generous piece of omega-3-rich salmon to make this an antioxidant-rich meal.

    Best Wine Pairing with Strawberries

    You have a couple of directions you can follow for wine pairing with strawberries, and this Strawberry Salad in particular. Either take the fragrance lead of the strawberries, or follow the sweet, salty, and sour flavors of the Balsamic Vinaigrette.

    Salads dressed with vinaigrettes almost always calls for a high-acid white wine to match the high acidity of the dressing.

    For something a little more fun, this wine is made from California-grown sangiovese, and fermented as whole clusters in a process called carbonic maceration so the wine has a slight natural fizz.

    For more tips on pairing wine with food, check out this post about wines from Paso Robles, California, and this post about wines from Santa Barbara, California.

    Strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette, chopped salad in salad bowl
    strawberry balsamic salad
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

    A perfect combination of color, taste and texture in Strawberry Salad presented on a platter or chopped and tossed in a giant bowl, and always with a simple, subtly sweet Balsamic Viniagrette
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
    Keyword: anti-inflammatory, balsamic, strawberries, vinaigrette
    Servings: 2 servings

    Ingredients

    Salad

    • 4 cups wild arugula
    • 1 head romaine lettuce finely chopped
    • 1 pint strawberries hulled
    • 2 Persian cucumbers chopped
    • ¼ small red onion thin slice, soaked in ice cold water 10 minutes
    • 4 ounces feta
    • ½ cup toasted walnuts rough chop
    • 1 small avocado quartered, sliced, and shaped into fans

    Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

    • 1 clove garlic
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ cup olive oil  + more for consistency and texture
    • optional: 1-2 teaspoons honey or sugar
    • optional: 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to add a tiny kick and to help emulsify the oil and vinegar

    Instructions

    Make Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

    • Very finely chop garlic, then smash against cutting board with side of knife to make a rough garlic paste.
    • Add smashed garlic and remaining ingredients to a mason jar with tight-fitting lid and shake until well combined. Alternatively, you can combine everything in a food processor to emulsify the vinaigrette.
    • Taste for seasoning and add more salt or olive oil as needed. If your balsamic vinegar is very sweet or syrupy, add water until you get the consistency of a slightly thickened vinegar.

    To Assemble Salad as a Platter

    • Line entire platter with chopped Romaine lettuce and wild arugula.
    • Slice strawberries lengthwise into quarters and arrange on center of platter.
    • Arrange remaining salad ingredients except Balsamic Viniagrette on platter.
    • Serve Balsamic Vinaigrette alongside or drizzle over platter just before serving.

    To Toss Salad as a Chopped Salad

    • Place all arugula, Romaine lettuce, strawberries, cucumbers, and red onions in large salad or mixing bowl.
    • Drizzle with ½ cup Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette amd toss until each piece is lightly coated with vinaigrette. Add more vinaigrette if needed.
    • Add sliced avocado on top, then sprinkle with feta and toasted walnuts (these are not tossed with the rest of the ingredients so they don't get lost in the bottom of the bowl).
    when you make this recipe, let us know!Mention @TheDelicious or tag #thedeliciousmademedoit!

    Notes

    Like most salads with a leafy green base, this Strawberry Salad does not keep well once it has been combined with dressing. Plan ahead and dress what you think you will eat, always adding more later. Leftover ingredients can be stored separately in the refrigerator.
    Balsamic Vinaigrette, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, will keep for up to a week.

    More berries

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    Comments

    1. Ruthy says

      June 09, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      Dressing is on fire!!

      Reply

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