Strawberry salad with black pepper-feta croutons
Indulge in the perfect balance of sweet strawberries and savory black pepper-feta croutons in this delightful salad recipe. Bursting with fresh flavors!
Ingredients:
- lb. strawberries, hulled, halved, quartered if large
- Tbsp. white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- tsp. honey or sugar
- tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more
- Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more
- large eggs
- cup panko
- cup all-purpose flour
- oz. feta, preferably Bulgarian or French, patted dry, cut into 12 cubes (1"–1½")
- cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- heads of Little Gem lettuce or 2 romaine hearts, cores removed, leaves separated, torn if large
Instructions:
- Mix together 1 pound of strawberries that have been hulled, and halved or quartered if they are large, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar, ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal or a ¼ teaspoon of Morton kosher salt, and some freshly ground black pepper in a big bowl. Toss the ingredients until they are well coated. Using a potato masher or a fork, gently press down on the berries to soften them slightly. Set this mixture aside.
- Whisk 2 large eggs in a shallow dish until they are blended. Put 1 cup of panko in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, whisk together ½ cup of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- In batches, coat 8 ounces of feta cheese, preferably Bulgarian or French, that has been patted dry and cut into 12 cubes (1 to 1 ½ inches), in flour. Shake off the excess flour, then dip the cheese into the eggs, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the feta in the panko mixture, pressing firmly to make it stick. Place the breaded feta on a plate or a baking sheet with edges.
- Pour ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil into the strawberry mixture that was set aside, whisking until it is emulsified. Add 4 heads of Little Gem lettuce or 2 romaine hearts with the cores removed, the leaves separated, and torn if they are large. Add ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal or a ¼ teaspoon of Morton kosher salt and toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully place the breaded feta into the pan and cook, turning the cubes every minute or so, until they are golden on all sides, which should take about 6 minutes in total. Transfer the feta to paper towels and immediately season with salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- Divide the salad onto plates or shallow bowls and place 3 feta croutons on the top of each portion. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette from the bowl over the salads.
Summary:
- Calories: 2427 kcal
- Fat: 172 g
- Protein: 68 g
- Carbs: 165 g
- Potassium: 2396 mg
- Magnesium: 216 mg