Freshly picked organic mixed greens pair perfectly with sweet local strawberries picked at their peak of ripeness. More vibrant colour is added with mandarin orange sections, and the tangy sweet onion dressing balances the sweetness of this Strawberry Mandarine Salad.
This is actually based on a recipe of my mom’s. She spent many years travelling with her curling team to bonspiels throughout the region. If you’re not familiar with curling, it’s more about the social part than the sport. The winning team always buys the drinks after the game. And there’s always good food. This was a salad she had while being hosted out of town. She says she can’t remember what else they had for lunch or if they won or not but she always remembered this salad.
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You can whip up this dressing in minutes. Using a little juice from the mandarin oranges adds a nice hint of sweetness. And red wine vinegar gives the dressing a slightly pink colour. But regular vinegar works well too. If you grate the onions you don’t have to worry about large pieces. But, you can also make the dressing in a small blender or mini chopper. Pulse everything except the oil together, then add it last in a thin stream so the dressing emulsifies. Hand mixing the dressing will result in a slightly thinner consistency.
You can use canned mandarin oranges or individual fruit cups. If fresh mandarins are available you could use them, just increase the sugar in the dressing to 2 teaspoons and make sure you peel off all the white stuff, the pith, because it can be bitter.
Once you’ve mixed up the dressing, fill a bowl with lettuce or arrange on single plates. Top the greens with sliced strawberries and mandarin sections then, drizzle some dressing over top and finish with a spoonful of sunflower seeds. The seeds add 2 more elements to this salad, salt and crunch. A perfectly balanced salad.
If you make Strawberry Mandarin Salad, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Strawberry Mandarin Salad with Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 large bowl mixed field greens
- 8-10 sliced fresh ripe strawberries
- 1 small can mandarin oranges, drained, reserve juice 11 oz can or a few fruit cups
- ¼ red onion sliced into thin strips
- 2 Tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds
Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp juice from mandarin oranges if using canned
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp dry mustard or dijon mustard
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 Tbsp very finely minced or grated sweet onion
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine dressing ingredients and whiz in a blender or shake until well mixed. If using blender, drizzle olive oil in last and let emulsify. If shaking in jar, dressing will be thinner.
- Arrange rinsed and dried lettuce mix in a large bowl or individual serving sized plates. Top with onion, fresh sliced strawberries and halved mandarin orange sections.
- Drizzle dressing over top and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Notes
more salads with fruit
Spicy Thai Grapefruit Salad with Shrimp
Spinach Salad with Maple Roasted Pecans and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette