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Nothing beats a cool, crisp salad in the summer, and these are our favorites.
Vibrant, fresh, and wholly satisfying, these summer salads will shine bright on your table this season. We’ve rounded up all kinds of recipes, from crisp chopped salads and fruit-forward salads to hearty pasta and grain salads and smoky grilled vegetable salads. Enjoy a loaded Cobb or chopped salad for a terrific hearty dinner, serve up creamy potato salad at your next barbecue, or pack tuna salad into the picnic basket. Wherever summer takes you, these are our favorite seasonal salads to make and share.
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Bacon and Tomato Panzanella
This BLT-inspired bread salad includes your choice of hearty pumpernickel or sourdough, plus crispy thick-cut bacon and juicy Sun Gold tomatoes.
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Stone Fruit Salad with Collard-Peanut Pesto
If you’ve never had the pleasure of a non-basil pesto, this collard greens– peanut mashup from writer Nicole A. Taylor is an absolute game-changer. Blanched greens are pulsed with toasted nuts, lemon juice and zest, honey, garlic, and soy sauce for a pesto that’s splendid over fonio and stone fruit.
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Summer Salmon Cobb Salad
Cobb salad is beloved for its fun, fresh array of colors, flavors, and textures. In this rendition, staple Cobb components like bacon, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs are matched with grilled salmon, corn, and red onions. The salmon is especially moist and delicious thanks to the rendered bacon fat brushed on before grilling.
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Wheat Berry Salad with Shrimp
Star chef Hugh Acheson combines whole-grain wheat berries, poached shrimp, salty feta, peppery radishes, and fresh scallions for this flavorful salad.
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Crushed Cucumber Salad with Tomatillo Dressing
With their craggy edges, lightly smashed cucumbers soak up a zippy jalapeño-tomatillo dressing and mingle with salted roasted pepitas, crumbled queso fresco, and plenty of cilantro for this crisp summer salad.
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Caprese Salad
Caprese salad is supremely simple, but its flavor hinges on the quality of its ingredients, including ripe, juicy, peak-season tomatoes and verdant basil. With fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, the classic combination is even more delicious nestled in a bed of peppery arugula.
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Grilled Halloumi and Zucchini Pasta Salad
This fresh take on pasta salad balances bold flavors and contrasting textures. Charred halloumi adds a savory bite alongside tender squash, while pickled shallots and plenty of fresh herbs brighten each forkful. A shower of lemony panko brings crisp texture to finish the dish.
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Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Sesame-Miso Dressing
Japanese flavors permeate this seasonal salad showcasing the duo of watermelon and heirloom tomatoes. The fruit is tossed in a dressing made from toasted sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and white miso; soy sauce and ichimi togarashi are used to season the crunchy puffed rice topping.
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Crunchy Mango and Avocado Salad
Velvety avocado and juicy mango balance the crunch of both Savoy and red cabbage in this cooling summer dish. Fresh herbs, citrus, and tahini combine for a creamy, gingery dressing that pairs beautifully with the salad.
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Smashed Summer Squash Salad
Modeled after smashed cucumber salad, this mix of zucchini and yellow squash is marinated in rice vinegar before it’s tossed with a bold blend of cilantro, mint, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, and chile slices.
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Grilled Okra, Corn, and Tomato Salad
Chef Vishwesh Bhatt’s grilled vegetable salad celebrates the best of summer produce with okra, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. A bright dressing of lime juice, basil, cilantro, and charred jalapeños ties everything together with smoky heat and fresh herb flavor.
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White Bean and Tuna Salad with Shaved Squash
Creamy cannellini beans, large flakes of tuna, and ribbons of zucchini and summer squash absorb the flavors of a lemon-and-thyme marinade in this recipe from F&W’s Justin Chapple.
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Summer Tomato Salad with Jicama and Avocado
Juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and crisp jicama form the base of this summery salad recipe from 1995 F&W Best New Chef Traci des Jardins. It comes together in just 15 minutes and features an irresistible lime dressing accented by a shower of cilantro.
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Marinated Chickpea Salad with Radishes, Cucumber, and Queso de Freir
2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez highlights golden-brown and melty queso de freir with a salad of crunchy radishes and cucumbers, plus tender chickpeas.
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Soba Noodle Salad with Ginger-Scallion Dressing
For this refreshing summer pasta salad inspired by a Momofuku favorite, earthy soba noodles are tossed with a rainbow of crisp veggies and a warm ginger-scallion dressing.
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Pineapple Coleslaw
This creamy, easy-to-make coleslaw from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Bryan Furman has a mayonnaise-apple cider vinegar base and a sweet tang from canned pineapple.
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Greens, Avocado, and Blueberry Salad
Food scholar and cookbook author Jessica B. Harris uses a honey-ginger white balsamic to bolster a kicky dressing that complements peppery arugula, mizuna, and creamy avocado.
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Goldee’s Creamy Potato Salad
No barbecue is complete without potato salad. This standout side from 2024 F&W Best New Chef Lane Milne gets a perfect amount of tang from apple cider vinegar, mustard, and chopped dill pickles.
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Black Rice Salad with Cherries and Plums
Black rice brings a textural bite to this hearty summer salad. Juicy stone fruit, blue cheese breadcrumbs, crunchy black walnuts, and a simple vinaigrette complete the dish.
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Greek Salad
With its crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, briny olives, and creamy feta, a bountiful Greek salad is hard to beat in the summer. Plus, it’s nearly effortless to put together — and ready to serve in just 10 minutes.
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Coconut-Peanut Corn Salad
Bursting with flavor and texture, this salad combines lightly charred fresh corn with a make-ahead chaat featuring roasted peanuts laced with garlic and ginger. It’s salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp all at once.
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Prosciutto and Melon Burrata Salad
The combination of creamy burrata, salty prosciutto, and sweet cantaloupe is enjoyed in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean when melons are in season.
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Esquites-Style Poblano Pasta Salad
This salad has all the flavor of esquites (the creamy corn salad version of elote) but in hearty pasta salad form with the addition of zucchini, poblanos, and scallions. The finished dish is refreshing yet sturdy — a go-to side for picnics or cookouts.
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Corn, Squash, and White Bean Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Beans, squash, and corn are known as the three sisters, a name that dates back to the pre-Columbian farming traditions of indigenous Americans. When planted together, the crops benefit one another by providing support, protection, and nutrients, allowing all three to thrive during their summer growing season.
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Double Ginger Salad with Chickpeas and Peanuts
Fried garlic, crunchy peanuts, rich fish sauce, and two kinds of cabbage are paired with a combination of fresh and pickled ginger to give this knockout salad its punchy edge.
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Potato Salad with Fresh Corn and Basil
Prince Edward Island-based chef (and Top Chef Canada finalist) Lucy Morrow adds fresh yellow corn, yellow onion, celery, basil, and dill to tender, creamy red baby potatoes in this make-ahead salad that requires just 25 minutes of active time.
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Ramen Noodle Salad
Cold sesame noodles are a balm for hot days. This cold noodle salad is loaded with tender and crisp seasonal vegetables, and ready in just under 30 minutes — leaving you no time to work up a sweat.
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Shrimp Wedge Salad with Old Bay Breadcrumbs and Hot Sauce Dressing
Somewhere between a shrimp po’ boy sandwich and a traditional wedge salad is this satisfying number. You can use whatever hot sauce you have on hand for the dressing, but we like it best with Crystal.
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Antipasto Salad
A hearty bed of roasted peppers, celery, radicchio, salami, provolone, and more make up the fixings of classic antipasti. Make this the centerpiece of a refreshing dinner on a hot day, or the side salad to grilled mains.
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Crunchy Eggplant and Corn Salad with Mint and Feta
Chef and cookbook author Abra Berens oven-roasts tender summer eggplant coated with crunchy seasoned breadcrumbs, then tops each medallion with charred corn, tangy feta, fresh mint, and a splash of chile oil. It works as either a hearty vegetable appetizer or a vegetarian main.
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Grilled Squash, Corn, and Kale Salad
Squash, corn, kale, and sprouts make a wonderfully hearty salad with a creamy, za’atar-spiked sunflower seed dressing that comes together quickly in the blender.
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Summer Chopped Salad with Quick-Pickled Vegetables
Pickled carrots, celery, and peppers bring big flavor to this summery chopped salad that’s also full of good things like hard-boiled eggs, goat cheese, cabbage, peppers, and a sprinkle of smoky paprika.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
