Summer Chopped Salads

There’s nothing like delicious summer chopped salads to keep meals light and fresh during hot summer days. Plus you are getting all your veggies in your diet which is always a good thing!

This year summer solstice fell on 20th June which marks the longest day of the year when the Earth tilts closest towards the Sun. With summer solstice came a week-long heatwave in London with temperatures around 30C. We survived by keeping meals easy and eating summer chopped salads all week alongside with refreshing fruits, ice cream, and custard-style desserts. 

The beauty of summer salads is that you can mix and match with ingredients in the refrigerator and the pantry. The sky’s the limit when it comes to summer chopped salad. 

With the summer in full swing, get chopping to make your favourite summer chopped salads for a healthy lunch or a light starter for your next alfresco meal. The kiddos will also love the chopped sweet tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado as a side with their favourite cheesy pasta. 

Tips for making a beautiful summer chopped salad: 

• Salad Base: All good salads start with the base. There are so many varieties of salad greens to choose from ranging in subtle flavours from mild, sweet, peppery, and bitter. For chopped salads, I like a base with a nice crunch and sweetness so Little Gems or Bibb Lettuce are my go-to choice. Wash and dry your greens well using a salad spinner. Nothing is worse than a wet soggy salad. 

• Flavours, Colour & Texture: A perfect salad is about good proportions and balance of flavours to keep salads interesting. For the summer chopped salads, it’s all about the colours. Eat the rainbow by adding 3-5 veggies from sun-ripened tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, creamy avocado yellow peppers, red radishes. For a more substantial salad, add your protein such as tuna (Nicoise salad), boiled eggs and bacon (Cobb salad), and cheese (blue cheese, feta, and fresh mozzarella). Top off your salad with some nice textures such crunchy toasted nuts or seeds, and garnished with some chopped herbs for a pop of colour and freshness. 

• Salad Dressing: Skip the store-bought bottles and make your own dressing with a few pantry items. The basic vinaigrette consists of extra virgin olive oil plus an acid form such as red wine vinegar or lemon, mustard as an emulsifier and a dash of salt and pepper. The general rule of thumb is three to one, three parts oil to one part vinegar ratio. You can jazz it up in numerous ways by adding herbs, shallots, and garlic to change the texture and flavour. I like to make a batch in a small canning jar of a basic vinaigrette for the week to save some time. Dress and toss your salad right before serving. 

Happy summer everyone!