Summer Salad Ideas

Let’s choose all our very favorite fresh summer fruit and veggie bounty, beautifully arrange it on a tray and serve it alongside a bowl of dressed greens for a super fun create-your-very-own-summer-salad-adventure situation!

Optional to add dairy and meat too! I’ll walk ya through all sorts of fun summer salad ideas!

Why this Recipe Works

• Versatile & adaptable! If it’s a seasonal fruit or veggie, it can be part of this salad idea!
• Can be an appetizer or the main meal! Make the salad as light or as hearty as you’d like!
• Minced shallot adds a mild sweetness and crunch to the simple vinaigrette, providing a more a more interesting finished texture and flavor.
• Celebrates the best of summer bounty! Fruit and veggies, at the peak of their season, are busting with juicy flavor! A

Summer is all about eating as much of this fresh produce as possible I say! These high-quality seasonal ingredients are the stars of these summer salad ideas!

And very often... tomatoes are huge part of the show!

Idea vs. Recipe & How to Make this Recipe

I wanna call this post an *idea* rather than a recipe. Hear me out!

The idea and how to make it goes like this: choose all your very favorite summer fresh fruit and veggie bounty. Prep said bounty (slice fruit, roast, blanch or sauté any of the veggies you’d like, etc.). Arrange all on a tray. Optional to add protein and/or dairy (or anything else!). Think you’re getting the idea. And serve it alongside a bowl of dressed greens.

For all the home cooks that want an exact recipe to follow, I am indeed providing one below. But I also wanna inspire ya, as much as I possibly can, to use it as a blueprint.

Why I Love Serving this Summer Salad Idea at Dinner Parties

I frequently host dinner parties for people to meet, mingle, eat, create community and simply have fun.

This summer salad idea has made its appearance at most of my dinner parties, all summer long. Albeit, slightly different each and every time. It all depends what I just so happen to find at the market and be in the mood for that day.

I love serving the salad on a large platter or board as a finger food app for guests to see as soon as they walk in. There’s definitely a WOW factor going on with this salad. And I love encouraging my guests to get all up in there, choosing what to put on their plates and hearing people asking what combo others got going on.

It’s the summer salad idea that fosters community building!

Summer Salad Ideas

• Pick a theme for the board: such as Asian, Greek, Mexican, or Cali, which is what I call mine.
• For some richness add cheese. Burrata, mozzarella, feta, and any cheese that works in a salad works here.
• For some crunch add nuts.
• Add some protein to turn it into a heartier meal: Chicken, fish, prosciutto or sliced steak, duck, any protein that can go in a salad works too!
• If you’d like to turn it into a heartier meal, vegetarian style, add grains such as quinoa or faro.
• For a fun twist: add carbs! Toasted bread cubes, some al dente pasta, and/or roasted potatoes.

This is my Tomato, Fig, Peach, Prosciutto, Burrata and Strawberry Summer Salad Version... YUM!

It’s the summer salad that can be as healthy or gluttonous as you’d like! Or as light and refreshing or hearty as you’d like too!

Here's a summer squash and berry version!

That's blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, summer squash (broiled and cut into ribbons), carrots (cut into ribbons), braised, broiled and sliced watermelon radishes, shishito peppers, greens and microgreens all from the Santa Monica farmers market.. YUM!

 Then I added cheese:

And of course you can make a smaller version and arrange it on a tray instead of a board like this rainbow tomato, cucamelon, grape summer salad plate!

Here's on early summer farmers market visit bounty and I used all the ingredients on the salad. I poached then blended up some of the rhubarb for the vinaigrette!

Cooks Tips

• When possible, buy local and organic produce.
• Pick a range of textures and flavors for a more interesting summer salad.
• Serving size can easily vary depending on the number of people you’re cooking for.
• If you are brining this to a potluck, assemble it on a rimmed baking sheet and just cover it up!
• Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; let come to room temperature before serving.

Stoked on more summer salad recipes? I got YOU with LOTS! Check out my:

Watermelon & Feta Salad

Strawberry Burrata Panzanella with Basil and Little Gems

Stone Fruit & Crispy Prosciutto Salad

Stone Fruit Salad with Burrata 

Caramelized Fig Salad with with Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

Let's make waves in the kitchen!

Print Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Summer Salad Ideas

Let’s choose all our very favorite fresh summer fruit and veggie bounty, beautifully arrange it on a tray and serve it alongside a bowl of dressed greens for a super fun create-your-very-own-summer-salad-adventure situation!

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer, Entree, Salad

Cuisine: Californian

Servings: 10

Author: Daniela Gerson

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato thinly sliced
• 1 bunch asparagus blanched
• 2 ears fresh corn shucked and kernels removed
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 heirloom tomatoes sliced
• 1 pint figs cut in half
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
• 6 heads little gem lettuce washed and dried
• 2 avocados diced
• handfull basil leaves
• flaky sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

For the Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot minced
• 1 lemon juiced
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons vinegar balsamic, sherry, red or white
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt to taste
• black pepper

Instructions

• First we will prep all the ingredients that we are cooking. In this variation, it is the sweet potato, asparagus and corn. To cook the sweet potato, preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Thinly slice the sweet potation (peeling optional). I use a mandolin but a knife works as well. Toss sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until tender, about 15-20 min, will depend on how thin you slice them. Flip once while cooking. 
• To blanch the asparagus, have a large bowl of ice water ready. Trim the ends and fill a big pot with water and about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. When the water is boiling, add asparagus; boil under tender, about 3-5 minutes (will depend on thickness). 
• Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside. 
• Shuck the remove the kernels with a knife. Heat a sauté pan with a tablespoon of olive oil; add the corn and pinch of salt and pepper. Sometimes I like to cook the corn on high heat and get a nice char and sometimes I like to cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes, just until the starchiness is gone. Set aside. 
• Prep the rest of the ingredients: slice tomatoes, cut figs, slice mozzarella, wash and dry lettuce, and dice the avocado.
• To make the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Arrange all salad (except the lettuce) on a tray. Serve alongside a bowl of the dressed greens. Optional to drizzle a little of the dressing over the board or a really good olive oil. Sprinkle board with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. 

Notes

• When possible, buy local and organic produce.
• Pick a range of textures and flavors for a more interesting summer salad.
• Serving size can easily vary depending on the number of people you’re cooking for.
• If you are brining this to a potluck, assemble it on a rimmed baking sheet and just cover it up!
• Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; let come to room temperature before serving.