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:
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!
Summer Salad Ideas
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.
Love all this ideas for different summer salads.
You are amazing and I am already salivating.
Thank you chefdanielagerson🙏🙏🙏😘👍💜
Absolute pleasure Jacqueline and I really appreciate your super sweet feedback! You are too kind :)!!!
Look at all that color. I feel healthy just by looking at all your photos. Beautiful summer salad!
Hehehe love hearing that ya feel healthy just by looking at my pics :). And thank ya so much! I absolutely adore colorful food!!!
Salads are the perfect way to add healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet while keeping the house cool by not heating up the kitchen. I love the Vinaigrette dressing in this salad.
Yesssss exactly Sharon! Bring all the healthy fruits and veggies on I say! And thanks so much for the sweet feedback :).
Salads should be on more people's meal plans. I'm a huge salad for dinner person, especially when it's blazing hot outside.
Yessss!!!! There's a whole wide salad world out there! And so many different ways to make a deliciously seasonal salad! I also love big healthy salads for dinner :).
What a great idea. I love the idea of a large platter of crudite and all sorts of yummy vegetables. Perfect for how summer evening al fresco dinners.
Yessss exactly Benice! I just use a baking sheet and all the best fruits and veggies in season when I'm making it... always a hit :)! Thanks so much for the sweet feedback!
What a great idea to have a "salad board" where everyone gets to pick their favourite ingredients to add to the greens! What is most difficult when having many guests is to nail a salad that pleases everybody. It's so unconvenient when you see guests who start picking while helping themselves from a salad bowl to avoid some stuff they don't eat in order not to leave it uneaten on their plates. This way every guest just takes what they love! Brilliant!!
Yes exactly Eva! It's a make-your-very-own-salad-adventure so everyone can enjoy exactly what they like :). Thanks so much for the sweet feedback!
This is absolute perfection. Your photos are gorgeous and the idea of communal eating is perfect. It is especially good for us gardeners, who can adapt this to whatever is coming from the garden!
Yassssss Jacqui! Are ya a gardener? Also good to inspire folks to just go to the farms market and choose whatever looks best to them + feel empowered to assemble a salad with whateva they find :).
I love salads especially in summer. This dressing has become my favorite go to salad dressing and i make it quite frequently. Thanks for sharing it.
Absolute pleasure Gunjan and I'm so super stoked to hear that about the dressing! And YAYAY for fresh summer farmers market salads :)!
I love this idea for using summer veggies . I always buy produce at our local farmers market , combined with my very small garden this will be perfect for serving my family. Your photos are beautiful and make me want to make it now !!
Thank ya so much Debbie! I'm so stoked and honored to hear that :). And that's so rad that ya have your own garden! Just use the best produce ya want, prep it, and arrange on a tray! Such an epic way to eat :)!
This looks amazing and your photos are stunning! I love the idea of adding different ingredients to make summer salads and the vinaigrette sounds so light and refreshing.
Thank ya so much LaKita!!! It's all abut choosing what looks best at the farmers market and going from there think me! Really appreciate the sweet feedback :).
I absolutely loooove this post! What a beautiful way to present all of the awesome vegetables I get from the farmers market! Seriously these salad ideas are so beautiful and so delicious. I can't wait to do this for our next dinner party!
YAYA! So super stoked to hear that Sara! My goal in my posts is def to inspire folks to go to their local farmers market :).