Peak-season fruit, farmers market vegetables, fresh greens, burrata, prosciutto — or whatever else you love — arranged on a tray and called a summer salad. It’s a simple blueprint that keeps giving all season long.
Same idea, a completely different salad each time. It’s a choose-your-own-summer-salad-adventure.
When produce is at its peak, sweet and juicy fruits and vegetables barely need a recipe. Arrange them, dress them lightly, and don’t overwork it.
Think of this post as a celebration of summer in salad form: sweet, juicy fruits and crisp vegetables so good they mostly speak for themselves.
Sweet strawberries, ripe tomatoes, crunchy watermelon, creamy burrata, crispy chickpeas, pickled radishes — anything, really.
If it belongs in a salad, it belongs in our salad.
I build salads for texture and contrast, and each version depends on what looks best at the market and how I’m feeling. Keep it light and refreshing for a watermelon-feta vibe, or go creamy and dreamy with peaches and burrata. Caramelized figs and prosciutto make an elegant plate, while a rainbow salad brings maximum color. I like riffing on classics — a strawberry burrata panzanella or a plum-and-cucumber salad with a roasted ginger vinaigrette are both welcome tweaks.
The Summer Salad Blueprint
Pick Your Fruits: peaches, figs, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon — if it’s delicious on its own, it will be delicious in a salad.
Pick Your Veggies: corn, summer squash, green beans — let the farmers market inspire you. Also vary the prep: raw, roasted, blanched, or charred change the whole texture.
Pick Your Greens: little gems, peppery arugula, butter lettuce — or skip greens and focus on fruit and vegetables.
Pick Your Add-Ons: aim for a range of textures and flavors — toasted nuts or seeds, crispy chickpeas, pickles, creamy burrata or fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto. If you’re unsure about a combo, taste a bit—playing is the point.
Pick Your Dressing: let the produce be the star. Keep dressings simple: oil and vinegar are fine. Choose your vinegar — red wine for brightness, sherry for softness, balsamic for sweetness, or white wine for a clean note. Add lemon juice for lift. Shallots, honey or maple, and a touch of mustard are all useful tools. Whisk or shake in a jar and taste.
Serve the salad as a side or make it the main: add baked feta, roasted sweet potato, grilled chicken, or a slow-roasted lamb shoulder to turn it into a full meal.
Summer Salads Worth Making
Summer salads are my love language: peak produce, minimal fuss, maximum color. Here are a few ideas and a flexible recipe to get you started. Use the blueprint to build your own version and make it yours.
Recipe
Summer Salad Ideas
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch asparagus, blanched
- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 1 pint figs, halved
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 6 heads little gem lettuce, washed and dried
- 2 avocados, diced
- Handful basil leaves
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons vinegar (balsamic, sherry, red, or white)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Thinly slice the sweet potato (peeling optional). Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 15–20 minutes, flipping once, until tender.
- Prepare an ice bath. Trim asparagus ends. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add asparagus, and cook 3–5 minutes until tender. Transfer immediately to the ice bath for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.
- Remove corn kernels from the cob. Heat a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, add corn and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on high to char slightly or on medium-low 8–10 minutes until the raw starch taste is gone. Set aside.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients: slice tomatoes and mozzarella, halve figs, wash and dry lettuce, and dice avocado.
- Make the vinaigrette: combine shallot, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar and honey. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Arrange all salad components except the lettuce on a tray. Serve with a bowl of dressed greens on the side. Optionally drizzle a little dressing or a good olive oil over the board and finish with flaky sea salt and cracked pepper.
Notes
- When possible, buy local and organic produce.
- Choose a variety of textures and flavors for interest.
- Serving size can be adjusted based on guests.
- For potlucks, assemble on a rimmed baking sheet and cover for transport.
- Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before serving.
Summer-licious salad idea: cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, purple cabbage, pickled red onion, roasted lemons, basil and a simple vinaigrette.
You can also plate smaller versions, like a rainbow tomato and cucamelon salad for one.
Or try a savory cherry salad with baked feta, little gems, purple cabbage, basil and an herbaceous vinaigrette.
Another favorite: a savory cherry salad with sourdough croutons, fresh herbs, little gems, burrata and a pesto vinaigrette.
Or simply pile the best summer fruit on a plate with cheese, nuts and honey and call it a salad.
A farmers market haul from early summer — I made a salad from this bounty and finished it with a rhubarb vinaigrette.