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Summer salad using in-season vegetables at their tastiest

The real benefit of eating salads relates to the fact that vegetables contain a mixture of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre

Chef Erica Drum loves using seasonal ingredients in her cooking
Chef Erica Drum loves using seasonal ingredients in her cooking
Erica Drum
Tue Aug 13 2024 - 15:40

There is a certain nostalgia when we look back and remember the long summer evenings of our youth, when the sun always seemed to shine. In my vivid memory those summer evenings were enhanced even more through the food we ate and the people we shared it with. The food set the mood of these occasions, which invariably involved family and friends eating deliciously prepared seasonal summer plates, from barbecued meats to healthy salads to tasty cheeseboards.

Summer is salad season and most Irish salads are based around the new season arrival of some key salad and field vegetable crops. We have become more inspired and creative when it comes to preparing salads in Ireland. For this salad, our vegetable heroes are lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, cabbage and spinach. The common thread for all these vegetables is that they are sourced as fresh, local and in season. So why are these factors important? Purchasing and eating fruit and vegetables when they are in season means that they will be at their tastiest with the most nutrients available. The real benefit of eating salads relates to the fact that vegetables contain a mixture of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. All this with the added appeal of supporting local growers in farming communities while reducing food miles (keep an eye out for the Bord Bia Quality Mark in store).

Check out this flavoursome and versatile chopped summer salad using mixed herb and garlic and harissa vinaigrette. Mix and match the ingredients to pair with in season fruit and vegetables, what you have in the fridge and/or a selection of favourite veggies. The vinaigrette dressing has some heat from the harissa paste and fresh garlic. Its crunchy texture and delicious flavours make this salad so enjoyable to eat. It can be served alone, alongside a range of summer tapas or paired at a barbecue with grilled fish or chicken skewers.

So, enjoy this delicious taste of summer with this quick and easy to prepare healthy seasonal salad. To ensure shopping is fresh, local and in season, make sure to check out @lifeisbetter.ie for monthly What’s in Season updates.

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Summer chopped salad, mixed herb, garlic and harissa vinaigrette

Makes 4 portions

Takes 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ head of spring cabbage
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • ½ head butterhead lettuce
  • ½ cucumber
  • 2 handfuls spinach
  • 3-4 scallions

For the dressing:

  • 3 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 2 handfuls of mixed herbs, (eg parsley, basil, coriander, chives)
  • 1 teaspoon harissa paste
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (white or red wine vinegar will work here too)
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Chef’s note: My favourite tomatoes are little cherry ones, they are much sweeter and so nice to slice up into little wedges for this salad.

Method

  1. Wash all vegetables.
  2. Chop the lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes into small pieces.
  3. De-seed the cucumber, to reduce the amount liquid in the salad. Slice lengthways into strips before slicing across into cubes.
  4. Finely chop the spinach and slice the scallions.
  5. At this point, you could store this chopped salad altogether but ideally not mixed on top of kitchen paper in a container in the fridge for up to six hours.
  6. So, If you were hosting a party or meal prepping it could be done ahead of time and the dressing just added on afterwards.

For the dressing:

  1. Dice the garlic on a chopping board, add some sea salt and then using the blade of a knife to squish and pull to create a paste and add to a small mixing bowl or jar. (Note: The salt allows moisture to withdraw from the garlic, helping the paste to form.)
  2. Roughly chop mixed herbs until fine (stalks and all) and add to the garlic paste.
  3. Add a teaspoon of harissa to the garlic and herb paste (add more for additional spice).
  4. Drizzle in a teaspoon of honey and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Now for the vinegar, I like to use apple cider vinegar but white or red wine vinegar will work here too.
  6. Add in the olive oil and whisk together in a bowl or shake in jar.
  7. To serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
  8. The dressing will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Of course, you could add crispy bacon lardons, some toasted nuts or even a chopped boiled egg. The dressing will last in the fridge for 3-4 days so any extra can be saved for later.

The Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables campaign is a three-year EU and industry-funded campaign promoting fun, educational, feel-good information and recipe inspiration. Full details on the campaign are available at fruitnveg.ie and the @lifeisbetter.ie accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Visit fruitnveg.ie. for a host of in-season salad recipes and much more.

Funded by the EU. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. For guidance on balanced, healthy diets, please consult the Department of Health