Enjoy a bowl of crisp and colourful goodness with these five refreshing summer salad recipes. These are perfect for easy lunches, summer picnics and light dinners.
Traditional caprese salad with Galbani fresh mozzarella
Serves 6 // Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 tomatoes
4 balls Galbani fresh mozzarella
1½ cups basil
⅓ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
⅓ cup walnuts
Method
- Slice the tomatoes and Galbani fresh mozzarella into 5–8 mm thick slices.
- Arrange alternating layers of tomato, Galbani fresh mozzarella and basil on a serving platter.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Crumble the walnuts over the top just before serving to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Gareth van Nelson // HMimages.co.za
Summer bread salad
Serves 4 // Cooking time 50 minutes
Ingredients
500g rosa tomatoes
115ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Leftover baguette, torn up
80g butter
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
Salad leaves, to serve
1 avocado, sliced
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp oil and season.
- Place in a roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the bread. Dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon zest.
- Bake until the bread is crispy and the tomatoes are slightly shrivelled.
- Allow to cool, then mix 100ml oil, mustard, sugar and lemon juice to make a dressing.
- Add roast tomatoes and salad leaves and toss to coat. Serve with crispy bread and sliced avocado.
Recipe & styling: Jules Mercer
Photography: Gareth van Nelson/HMimages.co.za
Leftover turkey Caesar salad with parmesan crumb
Serves 4 // Cooking time 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the dressing
1 tsp anchovy paste
½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Parmesan
For the turkey Caesar salad
1 cup crusty bread, torn
6 baby gem lettuces
1½ cups shredded leftover turkey
¼ cup Parmesan
4 eggs, boiled and halved
Method
For the dressing
- Whisk together the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the mayonnaise and Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate.
For the turkey Caesar salad
- Heat some olive oil in a pan and toast the chunks of bread until golden brown. Season lightly and set aside to cool.
- Arrange the lettuce leaves in a serving dish. Top with turkey, croutons and Parmesan.
- Add the eggs and serve with the dressing on the side.
Tip: Tearing the bread apart with your hands instead of slicing it will give your croutons loads of extra texture and crunch, and the jagged edges will hold your flavourful dressing perfectly.
Recipe & styling: Dylan Norton
Photography: Gareth van Nelson // HMimages.co.za
Salad jar with smoked chicken and rice noodles
Makes 1 // Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the sauce
1 garlic clove, grated
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp white-wine vinegar
1½ Tbsp sugar
½ lime, juiced
½ red chilli, thinly sliced
To serve
1 cup rice noodles, cooked
½ cucumber, ribboned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned using a peeler
1 smoked chicken breast, shredded
Handful fresh coriander
Method
For the sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
To serve
- Layer the jar, starting with rice noodles, followed by vegetables, chicken, herbs and seasoning, and dress with sauce.
Tip: If you aren’t a fan of rice noodles, simply swap them out for your favourite grain instead.
Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
Supercharged spanspek and paprika steak salad
Serves 2 // Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
500g rump steak
½ spanspek, peeled, deseeded and sliced into half moons
½ cucumber, ribboned
½ red onion, thinly sliced into rings
Handful fresh coriander
Handful fresh mint
1 tbsp vinegar
½ tsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
Method
- Combine paprika and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Rub over the steak. Set the steak aside to come to room temperature.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a griddle pan or frying pan. Fry the steak for 4 minutes on each side until it is medium rare, or until the desired temperature.
- Take it out of the pan and let it rest.
- Arrange the spanspek, cucumber, red onion and coriander on a plate.
- Make a quick dressing by mixing vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Drizzle half of this over the plate.
- Slice the steak thinly and arrange it on top of the salad. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the steak salad and garnish with the leftover mint and coriander.
Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Jotham van Tonder // HMimages.co.za