Strawberry Spinach Salad
Make Strawberry Spinach Salad today: toss fresh spinach, strawberries, pecans and feta with poppy seed dressing.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 cup thinly sliced strawberries
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 recipe Poppy Seed Dressing
- ½ cup toasted pecans
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Step 1: Toss the greens with the fruit and onion
Place the large shallow matte white ceramic bowl on the painted pine wood surface and add the fresh spinach leaves, then scatter the thinly sliced strawberries and the thin red onion rings over the top. Pour a few spoonfuls of the poppy seed dressing from a small glass jar onto the leaves — just enough to coat — and use a pair of wooden salad servers to lift and turn the mixture gently so every leaf has a light, glossy sheen. Move slowly and treat the fruit delicately so the strawberries keep their shape and color.
Step 2: Fold in pecans and feta for texture
Hold the bowl steady and add the toasted pecans and the crumbled feta cheese, scattering them evenly across the dressed greens. Use the same wooden salad servers to fold the nuts and cheese through the salad with gentle, sweeping motions so the feta breaks into small creamy fragments while the pecans remain intact and crunchy. Taste a leaf and adjust the balance of fruit, cheese and nut so the textures are layered: crisp spinach, juicy strawberry, crunchy pecan, creamy feta.
Step 3: Finish, season, and serve
If you like, drizzle a little more poppy seed dressing from the small jar for extra gloss, then sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper across the top. Give one last gentle toss to distribute seasoning without bruising the strawberries. Transfer the finished salad to the same shallow white bowl if you mixed it in a smaller prep bowl, or simply present the mixing bowl itself as the serving vessel. Serve immediately while the leaves are bright, the strawberries are firm and the pecans stay crunchy.
Notes
- Toast pecans briefly to deepen their flavor and keep them crunchy.
- Wash and thoroughly dry spinach to prevent a soggy salad.
- Add strawberries at the last minute to preserve their texture.
- Store dressing separately and dress the salad just before serving.
- Substitute goat cheese for feta and almonds for pecans if needed.