Blackberry Salad
Craving a fresh salad twist? Dive into our Blackberry Salad recipe – packed with juicy berries and pure deliciousness. It's summer in every bite!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 217kcal
Equipment
- grill pan (optional - if charring lemons!)
- pastry brush (to brush lemons with olive oil)
Ingredients
Charred lemons (optional)
- 1 medium lemon, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Charred lemon dressing (optional, can use any dressing of choice)
- 1 medium lemon, zested
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey (to taste, and use arunny variety)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
- juice of ½ the charred lemon
- small handful of basil ribbons (optional)
Salad
- 1 cup radicchio, chopped and soaked in ice water (optional, this is about ¼ of a small head of radicchio)
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1 medium avocado, cut into strips
- 10 ounces blackberries, washed (about 1 pint)
- 1 ounce sliced almonds
- 2 ounes creamy goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Charred lemons
- Optional step, if not charring the lemons, skip to making the dressing. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the lemon halves with about ½ - 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the grill is hot, place it cut side down on the grill, cooking for 1-2 minutes or when it has some nice grill marks. Remove from the grill pan and set aside.
Charred lemon dressing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, the juice from half of a charred lemon from earlier, 1-2 tablespoons honey (to taste), zest of 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and optional basil ribbons. Whisk to combine, and adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside to let the flavors come together.
Salad assembly
- On a serving plate, add a mixture of arugula and radicchio. Layer on blackberries, slivered almonds, goat cheese, and avocado. Drizzle with the homemade dressing.
- Garnish with remaining charred lemon, pepper, and more basil if desired. Enjoy right away!
- This salad is best served immediately and we don't recommend making it in advance. If you need to store leftovers, you need to separate the ingredients into their own airtight containers for up to 3 days. Do not dress the salad in advance. We also recommend cutting up avocado fresh and right before serving. Do not freeze.
Notes
- Soak the radicchio for 30 minutes if using. Radicchio is delicious when treated properly, but it is very bitter. It surprisingly complements this salad really well with all the sweet and creamy elements, but it does need to be soaked for a while, as this helps get rid of that bitter taste.
- Choose good blackberries. Blackberries are the star of this salad. Opt for berries that are deep black or dark purple, plump, and free from any signs of mold. Avoid those that are dull or mushy.
- Make the dressing first. This gives the flavors a few minutes to meld together.
- Grill marks. If charring the lemon, let them sit on the grill without moving them for a minute or two. This will ensure beautiful grill marks and keep the lemons intact and from sticking to the pan.
- Prep the ingredients before assembling. Salads are really straightforward, so make sure you have everything prepped in advance so you can put it together quickly.
- Don't dress the salad with the dressing until just before serving. Avoid a soggy salad! Don't add the dressing in advance. Instead, add it just before serving.
- Dairy free. You can omit the goat cheese entirely, or swap in your favorite dairy free cheese.
- Vegan. Follow the steps above for dairy free, and swap the honey for your favorite vegan alternatives, like maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Sugar free. If you follow a low carb, keto, or sugar free diet, you can easily swap the honey in the dressing for a sugar free honey alternative (affiliate link) or your favorite sugar free sweetener or sugar free maple syrup.
- Nut free. Feel free to omit the nuts in this recipe. They can also be swapped for seeds of your choice.
Nutrition
Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 717IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg