The Ultimate Summer Salad
One of my favorite salads of all time is this summer salad. It’s bright and light with shaved veggies, perfectly pickled beets, olives, buttery pistachios, and parmesan crisps. Tossed in a refreshing vinaigrette, this salad is as delicious as it looks.
Servings: 4 appetizer portions
Equipment
- Mandoline, (recommended but optional)
Ingredients
- 5 ounces arugula
- 6 ounces cooked and pickled beets if you can’t find pickled, directions below for quick pickling
- 2 fresh mandarin oranges or clementines
- 1 medium fennel bulb stalks and fronds removed and thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
- ⅔ cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup salted and shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup parmesan crisps to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Small ciabatta loaf plus more olive oil to drizzle (for optional rustic croutons)
Instructions
- Couldn’t find pickled beets? Dice cooked beets into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a bowl with 50% champagne vinegar and 50% water until the beets are completely submerged. Let pickle for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Add arugula to a large salad bowl.
- Then add pickled beets that are cut into bite-sized pieced.
- Peel and segment mandarins (or clementines) and add in.
- Use a mandoline or sharp knife to very thinly slice the fennel bulb and onion, adding to the bowl.
- Add in the olives, chickpeas, and pistachios.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, and salt and pepper. Drizzle all over the salad. Toss.
- Plate salad, sprinkling with parmesan crisps.
- Want quick croutons? Rustically tear a loaf of ciabatta, placing pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Broil for 3-6 minutes until light golden brown. Serve!
Video
Notes
- Love Beets is a common brand sold in grocery store produce sections (like Whole Foods) that sell precooked and often pickled beets! This is not an ad.
- Castelvetrano olives are Italian green olives that are mild and buttery. If you can’t find them, look for Frescatrano olives or use another olive you love!
- Champagne vinegar is delicate and light with crisp acidity. If you can’t find it, you can use white wine vinegar but start with 2 tablespoons instead of 3.
- Top the salad with parmesan crisps, which you can typically find in the grocery store in the charcuterie section.
- Taste the salad before serving! Too much vinegar? Add a splash of olive oil. Not enough vinegar? Add a tablespoon more and re-toss!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (without croutons) | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 944mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1229IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 3mg