Summer salads are one of my favorite things. If you couldn’t tell, look through the salad archives. I am all ABOUT the cool, the crispy, the sweet and the tangy, and the fresh fresh fresh. Summer is the single best time of the year for salads, because we can experiment, we have access to fresh produce that we won’t see for half of the year, and it’s hot outside. Cool salads rule in the summer heat!
At my local farmer’s market, there are always beautiful varieties of fruits and veg. We are in a vegetable CSA this year, which stands for “community-supported agriculture.” This means, in advance of the summer season, we paid a certain amount up front directly to the farmer, and then once a week we pick up a bag with whatever the farm has that is ready for market. For example, this week we got red potatoes, heirloom cherry tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, a HUGE zucchini squash, and two beautiful eggplant.
When picking up last week’s share, the market was full of blackberries. Dustin, our CSA farmer from 10 Acre Woods here in Oklahoma, passed along a completely amazing salad recipe from another of his customers, whom I know only as “The Canadian Guy!” This salad combines cherry tomatoes, blackberries (or other summer berries of your choice), mint, lemon, olive oil — it is truly amazing. The flavor is deep, rich, sweet and tangy, and really unique. I think it is fantastic, and I hope you will give it a try!
So, here’s the newest member of my summer salads family, The Canadian Guy’s Berry-Tomato Salad, which I have courtesy of 10 Acre Woods!
- 2 Cups Blackberries (Or blueberries, gooseberries, etc.)
- 2 Cups Sweet cherry or grape tomatoes
- 15-20 Leaves Fresh mint Chopped
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/4 Cup Fresh lemon juice (The juice of one lemon)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil (I used extra virgin)
- 4 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tbsp Sugar (I used raw sugar)
- 1 Tsp kosher salt (Or less -- this is to taste)
- 1 Tbsp Black pepper, ground (Optional/to taste)
- Get your ingredients together! You will want one big bowl in which to combine the salad, and a smaller bowl to whisk up the dressing. This salad doesn't need to be made far in advance -- I found that it's delicious even immediately after putting it together. The fruits macerate in the dressing and give up some of their own juices, so if you like it with more juice you can make it a few hours in advance and let it meld together.
- Into your large bowl, combine your berries of choice, and your tomatoes. I cut my cherry tomatoes in half, and I used blackberries and a few fresh blueberries.
- In the smaller bowl, start to build your dressing. Here's a tip! If you use the measuring spoon for the OIL first, and then the honey next, the honey will come right out of the spoon without getting all sticky. Zest your lemon before squeezing it into the bowl.
- When all the liquids are in the bowl, give them a stir and then add the salt and sugar, the lemon zest, and the mint either cut in a chiffonade (julienned) or finely chopped. Mix this well, so the honey blends in with the oil/lemon vinegarette, and pour it over the fruits in the bowl.
- Mix gently by folding the Salad together using a spatula. Looking luscious! Now, add some black pepper (this is my adaptation, and was not in the original recipe) if you want, and start tasting. If you would like it sweeter, add honey. More tart, add lemon. See where we are going here? You make the salad your own at this point, taste and tweak if needed so it is delicious to YOU.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later. When you refrigerate it, sometimes your olive oil will chill and thicken. Before serving, give it a chance to re-melt into a liquid! Eat up and enjoy!
This salad is great with a spoon right out of the bowl, is delicious with grilled chicken or pork, or as a fresh summer hours d'ouvre spooned onto a crispy leaf of Belgian endive! I also imagine it would be fantastic as a sort-of chutney served with a cheese plate.
Dig in and eat up! Please share!