Our stunningly beautiful Lettuce Salad with Strawberries is unbelievably delicious. Full of sweet summer strawberries and soft butter lettuce and topped with a punchy lime vinaigrette. It makes a perfect summertime side for festive occasions.
Table of contents
About This Salad
This salad is best made during spring and summer when strawberries are at their peak. The butter lettuce here is tender and soft which makes it a perfect base for the juicy and sweet strawberries perfumed beautifully with a lime, raspberry vinaigrette. An impressive side for summertime entertaining.
If our Strawberry Salad with Lettuce is not what you had in mind for your festive table then why not try our Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberries and Almonds or even our Persian Watermelon & Feta Salad, they are both great alternatives.
Notes and Tips
- Make the dressing the day before and keep it in a glass jar in the fridge; this will allow the oils and vinegar to absorb all the wonderful aromatic flavour from the makrut/kaffir lime leaves.
- Wash your berries first, then hull and cut them, as they have a tendency to become waterlogged.
- To avoid limp salad leaves, dress the salad in a separate bowl, then transfer it to a serving platter leaving behind the excess dressing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter Lettuce - added here as a, base for its soft buttery flavour. You can replace it with baby spinach as it also has soft leaves or if your prefer some crispness then try romaine/cos lettuce.
- Fresh Strawberries - the star of this salad show and add fruity sweetness and bright colour. You can substitute it with other berries, such as raspberries or blueberries. You could also try red grapes or even kiwis for an all-green salad version.
- Red Onion - here for its pungent flavour and bright magenta colour; try a green onion or French shallot instead or leave it out altogether if you prefer. (The girls are not a fan of onion, so I gave it a miss this time).
- Sunflower Seeds - for some crunch and mild nuttiness, you can try bright green pepitas, poppy seeds, roasted almonds, pecans, walnuts or macadamias instead.
- Salad Dressing - all I can say is WOW, this Lime Raspberry vinaigrette is amazing and full of punchy flavour. If you are in a hurry you can replace it with a simple balsamic vinegar dressing instead or try our poppy seed dressing instead.
You Will Need
How to Make It (step-by-step)
Step 1 - Prepare the Ingredients.
We are going to start with the dressing to allow the flavours to develop for a much tastier salad. Add all the dressing ingredients to a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
Cut off the roots and core of your butter lettuce, then wash it carefully under cold running water.
Either gently pat the leaves dry with a towel or spin them dry in a salad spinner. Gently tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
First, wash your strawberries, and then hull them, and cut them in half.
Remove the papery skin from the onion, cut off the top and bottom, and then dice finely. (The onion is optional, and I did not add it in this version as the girls don't like it).
Step 2 - Assemble the Salad
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper; mix well, taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Arrange on a platter and serve immediately; garnish with the extra strawberries and lime slices. Serve and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
Our Lettuce Salad with Strawberries is a light and a refreshing summer salad and quite delicate, so it would be best served with poultry or seafood.
I first made this salad for a summer Christmas lunch it was the perfect side for our Christmas turkey. You could also try it with some poached chicken or with whole roasted salmon.
Common Questions (FAQs)
Also known as butterheads they are all soft lettuce varieties originating from the Mediterranean basin.
They have loose, round-shaped heads and loosely coiled leaves. They are tender and sweet with a mild flavour. They are grown hydroponically and sold with roots attached in plastic sleeves to preserve their freshness.
The two most popular varieties - Boston and Bibb are hybrids from the original butter lettuces. Boston's leaves are wider and lighter green than Bibb's. Bibb is smaller and also has red varieties that are tastier and oh-so-pretty.
Soft lettuce varieties are pretty delicate, so once the dressing has been added, then this salad really needs to be eaten straight away.
Strawberries should really be prepared on the day you plan on eating them, as water will add moisture and lead to berry spoilage.
If you absolutely HAVE TO prepare them the day before, make sure that they are completely dry and store them in a closed airtight container in the crisper section of your fridge.
The vinaigrette can be made one or two days before to allow the flavours to develop. Take it out of the fridge an hour or so in advance to allow it to come to room temperature, and give it a good shake before using.
Dress the salad and toss just before serving.
Our Lettuce Salad with Strawberries is meant to be enjoyed on the day you make it.
You can discard the leaves and just store the berries, sunflower seeds and dressing to add to fresh greens the following day.
Alternatively, blitz the leftovers (without the lettuce), then add to some vanilla ice cream or Greek yoghurt or honey.
As with all of my leaf salads, I like to use a salad spinner to completely remove the excess water after washing. This makes for a tastier salad as the vinaigrette has not been watered down.
This salad suits most eating styles - dairy-free; gluten-free; low-carb; paleo; vegan and vegetarian diets.
Each serving contains 246 calories with a net carb count of eight grams.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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Recipe Card
Equipment
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- 150 grams butter lettuce (1 small head of lettuce, approximately 5.3 ounces)
- 250 grams strawberries (1 punnet plus a few extra to garnish, approximately 8.8 ounces)
- 60 grams red onion, optional (half a red onion, approximately 2 ounces)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tbsps raspberry vinegar
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime zest (approximately 2 limes)
- Sliced strawberries and sliced limes to garnish.
Instructions
- For this salad, we are going to start with the dressing to allow the flavours to develop for a much tastier salad. Add all the dressing ingredients to a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
- Cut off the roots and core of your butter lettuce, then wash gently under cold running water. Then either gently pat the leaves dry with a towel or spin dry in a salad spinner. Gently tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash your strawberries, hull them, then cut them in half.
- Remove the papery skin from the onion, cut off the top and bottom, then dice finely. (The onion is optional and I did not add in this version).
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper, mix well, taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
- Arrange in a salad platter and serve immediately, garnish with the extra strawberries and lime slices. Serve and enjoy.
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