Summer salads should never feel like an obligation. They should feel like a celebration.
Goat Cheese & Berry Summer Salad is everything I love about cooking with the season. Tender local greens, sweet sun-ripened berries, creamy goat cheese, crunchy pecans, and a spectacular Burnt Honey Vinaigrette come together in a salad that’s as beautiful as it is satisfying.
In this heat I loath to cook and will do almost anything to avoid the stove and the heat it brings. Eating cold is such a blessing, and far from boring.
Sesame-Crusted Goat Cheese Makes This Salad Unforgettable
Found a gorgeous local salad mix filled with tender greens and edible floral petals, and knew it deserved something special. Instead of crumbling the goat cheese over the top, I rolled it into two-bite balls and coated each one in a mixture of black and white sesame seeds. Not only does it make for a stunning presentation, but the sesame adds a subtle nuttiness and just the right amount of texture against the creamy cheese.
A Stunning Summer Salad with Berries and Goat Cheese
Fresh blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries bring vibrant colour and juicy sweetness, but don’t feel limited by the recipe. This salad is wonderfully adaptable. Raspberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, or even fresh figs would all be right at home here. It’s less about following a formula and more about celebrating whatever summer is offering that week.
The finishing touch is my Burnt Honey Vinaigrette. The caramel notes from the honey echo the sweetness of the fruit, while bright citrus cuts through the richness of the goat cheese. It’s one of those combinations that makes you pause after the first bite.
The Perfect Summer Lunch or Light Dinner
Serve it as an elegant starter, a light lunch, or pair it with a simple roasted chicken breast to transform it into a memorable dinner. However you enjoy it, this is a salad that reminds us how extraordinary fresh ingredients can be.
Serving Suggestions. This salad pairs beautifully with:
- Burnt Honey Vinaigrette
- Grilled or roasted chicken breast
- Cedar plank salmon
- Grilled pork tenderloin
- Warm crusty sourdough
- Chilled rosé or sparkling lemonade
- Bellini Peach Raspberry Iced Tea
- Fresh peaches or nectarines in place of berries
- Burrata instead of goat cheese for a different twist
Why I Love It
Some recipes are meant to impress without demanding hours in the kitchen. This salad is one of them. It’s colourful, fresh, full of texture, and endlessly adaptable. Every bite balances creamy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, and savoury flavours—the kind of harmony that only happens when beautiful seasonal ingredients are allowed to shine.
Pure summer goodness.
Goat Cheese & Berry Summer Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 2 to 4 1x
Description
Goat Cheese & Berry Summer Salad features fresh berries, sesame-crusted goat cheese, pecans, and Burnt Honey Vinaigrette. A beautiful summer salad that’s perfect as a light meal or with roasted chicken.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces local spring salad mix or your favourite mixed greens
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup blackberries
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice (use one or a combination of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, or blood orange)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated citrus zest
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vinaigrette: Add the honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to bubble gently without stirring. Continue cooking until it reaches a deep amber colour and develops a rich caramel aroma, about 4 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning – TOO much.
- Deglaze: Remove the pan from the heat. Keeping your face well back as you add the citrus, slowly whisk in your citrus juice of choice. The honey will bubble vigorously. Stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Finish the Vinaigrette: Whisk in the Dijon mustard, citrus zest, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Taste and adjust acidity or seasoning as needed.
- Prepare the Goat Cheese: Divide the goat cheese into 8 equal portions. Gently roll each into a ball about the size of a large walnut. Combine the black and white sesame seeds on a small plate. Roll each goat cheese ball until evenly coated. Refrigerate while preparing the salad.
- Toast the Pecans (Optional): Place pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Cool completely.
- Assemble the Salad: Arrange the salad greens on a large serving platter. Scatter the strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries over the greens. Tuck in the sesame-crusted goat cheese balls. Sprinkle with the pecans.
- Finish: Drizzle generously with Burnt Honey Vinaigrette. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper. Top with sliced roasted chicken if serving as a main course.
Notes
Don’t limit yourself to this fruit combination. Goat cheese is a terrific paring with any fruit; peaches, melon, litchi, plums and grapes would all work well here.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Canadian
