Strawberry salad

Summer strawberry salad with salad cheese

Since we eat with our eyes as much as with our mouths, a colourful strawberry salad is sure to bring a smile to everyone's face. The mix of colours – red, green, purple, and white – serves as a beautiful display of all the bounties summer has to offer. So too does the combination of different tastes and textures that are brimming with both freshness and BBQ flavour.

The best strawberry salad features a range of delicious produce and this one is no exception. The fresh, crispy lettuce and sweet and tender strawberries are joined by grilled red onion and asparagus as well as pearled spelt to create a filling meal tossed with a rich and creamy dressing. To brighten the dish, we have added salad cheese to introduce a bit of salt and tang into its overall flavour profile.

If you like the idea of using deliciously ripe summer fruits in your salads, we recommend having a look at our recipe for salad with melon and cucumber, summer salad, or grilled peach salad as well.

Sweet and creamy dressing for strawberry salad

A great dressing can tie all the different flavours together to create a harmonious dish. It must, as such, both balance and offset the flavour profile of the dish. This is why a strawberry salad with balsamic vinegar dressing is such a great match. With our recipe for strawberry salad dressing, you get a vibrant addition in terms of taste as well as colour.

This creamy, slightly chunky, dark red dressing with sun-dried tomatoes, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar has a multifaceted flavour profile with sweet and tangy undertones that mirror those of the salad itself. The richness and syrupy consistency brought to it through the balsamic vinegar makes it a good dressing for strawberry salad as it perfectly balances the freshness of the ingredients while adding complexity.

Enjoy a delicious smoked flavour from grilled asparagus and onion

This strawberry salad becomes even greater with the addition of grilled vegetables. Pan-grilling the vegetables at high heat gives them a smoky flavour and allows them to char slightly. This develops a slightly crispy texture. The heat causes the sugars and amino acids in the vegetables to react and create a caramelised crust, adding a rich, browned, savoury, and slightly smoky flavour, giving any grilled food that special taste that makes it so delicious.

In this red onion, asparagus, and strawberry salad, the grilled vegetables add a bit of crunch as they are a bit crispy on the outside, while they remain juicy and tender on the inside. The smoky flavour enhances the natural earthy and nutty flavours of the asparagus, while the red onion is caramelised and gains a sweet richness that pairs well with the fresh lettuce and strawberries.

Serve with grilled meat or vegetables and crusty bread

Though it is deliciously filling on its own, you may want to serve the homemade strawberry salad with some delicious sides. This way you can serve it to a larger gathering of friends or family if you are throwing a garden party or decide to bring it to a summer potluck or picnic.

Grilled chicken would be a great side to this fresh strawberry salad, as it will introduce a wonderful savouriness. The smoky flavour of the grilled chicken will also complement the sweetness of the strawberries and mirror those of the grilled vegetables. If you prefer seafood, grilled fish or shrimp would also work well. A mild white fish like cod or tilapia would be an excellent choice, as it will not overpower the flavours of the salad itself.

Since the mixed green strawberry salad itself contains some grilled red onions and asparagus, you could also serve additional grilled veggies on the side. Some ideas include grilled courgettes, peppers like piementos de padrón, or corn on the cob with chilli butter.

Finally, a baguette or other types of crusty bread would be a nice addition, as it gives you something to sop up the deliciously creamy strawberry salad dressing with. In addition, it provides another texture to create contrast and make the eating experience more interesting.

Make it your own

A quick way to mix things up is to add nuts. Toasted almonds make for a great addition. They provide a nice crunch and a tasty nutty flavour. Walnuts are also a good option. These nuts have a slightly bitter flavour that pairs well with the sweetness of the strawberries. Pine nuts are great, too, as they have a buttery and slightly sweet flavour that pairs well with the red berries.

Another great way to incorporate crunchy textures is to add croutons. Making your own is wonderfully easy and allows you to flavour them in any way you like. It is also a great way to make stale bread tasty anew.

Lastly, you can add new potatoes instead of or in addition to the pearled spelt to give it more texture and make it heartier. As opposed to matured ones, new potatoes have a mild and slightly sweet taste with a creamy texture and thin, delicate skin.