This Spicy Strawberry Salad With Romaine is a treat in winter once strawberries appear in stores, but it is a Super Star in strawberry season!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Strawberries are what make this salad so refreshing. It would also be good with raspberries, which would complement the tangy raspberry in the dressing.
- The kick in the dressing is thanks to the fresh garlic. Adjust the amount depending on your tolerance or penchant for garlic. Also ... in season, garlic is juicier and stronger so bear that in mind. If you are making it in Summer you may want to use a lesser amount and in Winter you may want to use the higher amount.
- The feta cheese in the dressing makes this both salty and tangy. I wouldn't omit it. Halloumi cubes would be a good substitute.
- Romaine lettuce - The romaine lettuce gives it a pleasing crunch but you could use any mix of greens you like.
How to Serve
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This salad is so robust it would make a fantastic side to a nice juicy steak. Check out the choices below!
Or this Make Ahead Chicken Salad
Wine Pairing for Spicy Strawberry Salad
The strawberries in the Salad and the raspberry notes in the dressing suggest a fruity Rosé would be a great pairing with this salad. That would be my first choice.
In the White category, I would go with an aromatic Pinot Gris or an off-dry fruity Riesling.
Red category calls for a lighter red, again, something fruity and not tannic- a light Pinot Noir or a Grenache varietal or blend would also work. A lighter Sangiovese could also work.
FAQs
Adding in the commercial raspberry dressing lends a fruity touch to the dressing. I have used 2 Tbsps of Raspberry vinegar in a pinch (instead of the ¼ cup of dressing called for). If that is the case, you will need to taste it and perhaps add more oil to offset the extra vinegar.
I wouldn't add frozen strawberries to the actual salad because the texture is too mushy. In a pinch you might blend ¼ cup of strawberries in to the dressing if you don't have raspberry dressing on hand. I have not tried this so you would have to taste and adjust the dressing to get the right oil/vinegar/fruit balance.
Yes, you could. Jarred garlic tends to be milder than fresh so the dressing may not have the spicy 'bite' component. Generally, ½ teaspoon of jarred garlic equals one clove.
Related Recipes
Spicy Strawberry Salad
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Save Print Pin Facebook TextIngredients
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 3 cups strawberrries cleaned and sliced. Can substitute fresh raspberries.
- 1 cup feta cheese grated
- 1 cup almonds
Dressing
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced See Note 1.
- 2 Tbsps brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup raspberry dressing (I used Kraft)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven or air fryer to 375 degrees.
- Roughly crush almonds. I put them in a re-sealable bag and crush them with my rolling pin.
- Toast almonds 10-13 minutes in the oven or 7-8 minutes in the air fryer. Monitor closely since nuts can burn quickly.
- Arrange lettuce, strawberries and feta on a platter.
Dressing
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined.
- Top salad with cooled crushed almonds just before serving and drizzle dressing over salad.
Notes
- The garlic is a lot of what makes this dressing sharp. If you have any reservations about garlic reduce the amount to 1 clove. If using jarred, minced garlic use ½ teaspoon for each clove.
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