This fried goat cheese salad starts with a bed of buttery lettuce and herbs, and piles on balls of crunchy fried goat cheese, thinly sliced strawberries, and a smattering of edible flowers. Drizzle with lemon dijon dressing and enjoy!
why I love it:
This is a delicious, summery, fresh, beautiful salad. There’s something magical about the combination of fresh dill, sweet strawberry gems, and crunchy fried goat cheese.
The lemony dressing is light and fresh, with a dollop of dijon for bite and thickness.
The showstopper of this salad is the fried goat cheese balls. They’re gorgeous golden brown spheres of extra crunchy panko and warm, tangy goat cheese. I would happily eat them straight for dinner (or tossed in buttery hot sauce), but they are a true statement in this fresh salad. You can add them warm or room temperature to the salad.
Just make sure everything else is extra fresh, and if you can find edible flowers (or if you grow them!), don’t hold back. They’re just so pretty here.
fried goat cheese salad ingredients:
- fried goat cheese balls
- baby butter lettuce
- fresh herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro, mint)
- strawberries
- sunflower seeds
- edible flowers
- lemon
- white wine vinegar
- dijon mustard
- honey
- extra-virgin olive oil
how to make a fried goat cheese salad:
- Make the fried goat cheese balls.
- Make the lemony dressing.
- Toss the lettuce, herbs, and strawberries with half the dressing.
- Add sunflower seeds, edible flowers, and goat cheese balls.
- Enjoy!
A few more tips:
- Prep the goat cheese balls ahead. They can be rolled and breaded, then frozen until you’re ready. Read the fried goat cheese ball recipe post for more make-ahead and reheating tips!
- Edible flowers are tricky to find. I started growing them a few years ago and have never looked back. I love to get seeds from Johnny’s: they have an edible flower section filled with gorgeous varieties you can grow in your backyard. My favorites are stock, snapdragons, violas, and calendula.
shortcut this recipe for a weeknight dinner!
This is a fancy salad and it takes some time. You can break down the fried goat cheese balls into stages (freeze, fry, reheat in the toaster oven) or you can skip them entirely for a simplified but still delicious salad.
- Use fresh goat cheese. Crumble it, or slice it into disks (I love to use unflavored dental floss for perfectly round disks.
- Make the dressing ahead. I like to make it in the morning, so all I need to do is assemble the salad, toss, and eat!
more salads with cheese you might like:
fried goat cheese salad
This fried goat cheese salad starts with a bed of buttery lettuce and herbs, and piles on balls of crunchy fried goat cheese, thinly sliced strawberries, and a smattering of edible flowers.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
lemony vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
fried goat cheese salad:
- 12 fried goat cheese balls (from 6 oz goat cheese)
- 4 cups baby butter lettuce
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¼ cup dill
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup mint
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced into disks
- ¼ cup salted sunflower seeds
- edible flowers, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the dressing, combine lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and some black pepper in a jar. Whisk to combine.
- Add olive oil and shake the jar until thick and emulsified. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper, if needed. Store in the refrigerator.
- Fry goat cheese balls according to the recipe. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine lettuce, parsley, dill, cilantro, mint, and strawberries in a large bowl. Drizzle with half the dressing and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and top with sunflower seeds, edible flowers, and fried goat cheese balls. Serve right away, passing extra dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 367mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 23.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 113mg
Deanna says
Wonderful flavor combination!