Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Asparagus, Rhubarb, Blue Cheese, Olives and Almonds is incredibly delicious and takes no more than 30 minutes to make!
This strawberry poppy seed salad with asparagus, rhubarb, blue cheese, almonds, olives and balsamic cream is the ultimate late spring salad for me. Nice takeaway lunch? Yes. Date night in starter? Yes. Family occasion dinner tarter? Yes. It’s so decadent and yet so easy to make. Garnish it with edible flowers for an extra impressive look!
I started making savory salads incorporating fruits and berries last year and I must tell you it’s one of my favorite ways to make salads since then. My husband told me that he wouldn’t even think about trying something like this before. But once he did, he loved the combination of sweet fruits and berries and savory dressings and veggies. If you are in doubts whether you would like it or not, just make it once and decide for yourself. It’s a whole new field to experiment with. Be inspired by the other salads I’ve made that incorporate sweet and savory flavors, such as Mozzarella Melon Salad with Raspberries, Thai Watermelon Radish Salad with Blueberries and Sauerkraut Salad with Mango and Almonds.
In autumn I like adding roasted pumpkin and sweet potatoes to my salads that work instead of fruits as a sweet agent. Some of the examples would be: Warm Winter Salad with Pumpkin, Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Avocado Dressing; Beetroot Salad with Persimmon, Kale and Goat Cheese; Kale Salad with Caramelized Grapefruit; Avocado, Feta and Pesto Dressing and Kale Pumpkin Salad with Feta and Pesto Dressing. Now when I’m writing it, I’m looking forward to remake all of these salads in autumn!
But for now, I’m also excited about spring flavors: strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus and wild garlic. I’ve made a very successful attempt to combine strawberries with rhubarb in a savory dish, and it was rhubarb chutney with strawberries and ginger and goat cheese crostini with this chutney. In this strawberry poppy seed salad I also include rhubarb, because these two spring fruits work so well together!
How to Make Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Asparagus and Rhubarb
As I said, this salad is very easy and it won’t take you longer than 30 minutes all together. Start with roasting asparagus and rhubarb with a bit of olive oil and rosemary stalks. If you like it soft, the roasting time will be 15 minutes, but if you like them a little crunchy, 10-12 minutes will be enough. Meanwhile, make the dressing: combine poppy seeds, Greek yoghurt, honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Now you only need to assemble the salad: transfer salad greens to two bowls, arrange roasted rhubarb and asparagus on top, top with quartered strawberries, dried olives, diced gorgonzola or any other blue cheese, sprinkle with sliced almonds and pour the dressing and a bit of balsamic cream. Garnish with edible flowers (I’ve chosen wild garlic for its honey garlic touch and pansies to add some color).
I found that most salads look better when you arrange them on plates rather than mix everything in one bowl and then distribute the salad to plates. So, here is the full recipe for my strawberry poppy seed salad. Hope you enjoy it this season!
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Asparagus and Rhubarb
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 spears asparagus ends trimmed
- 1 medium-sized stalk rhubarb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- a handful salad greens I used a mix
- 12 medium-sized strawberries quartered
- 8 dried black olives pitted
- 80 grams or 2.8 oz gorgonzola cheese diced, or any other blue cheese
- 4 tablespoons sliced almonds toasted
- 4-6 edible flowers wild garlic and/or pansies
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- a drizzle of balsamic cream reduction
Instructions
- ROAST ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB: Preheat the oven to 190° C or 370 °F. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Slice asparagus and rhubarb into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces. Transfer to the roasting pan together with rosemary and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes if you like them crunchy or for 15 minutes if you like them softer.
- MAKE THE DRESSING: Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: combine Greek yoghurt, poppy seeds, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and whisk until smooth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- ASSEMBLE: Divide salad greens between two plates. Add roasted asparagus and rhubarb, quartered strawberries, black olives and gorgonzola cheese. Sprinkle with toasted almond slices. Garnish with edible flowers. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad followed by balsamic cream reduction. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What is your favorite savory salad incorporating fruits? Leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Elena
This salad sounds like it has just the right amount of sweet and savory! I’ll definitely have to put this one on our menu.
I don’t know how I lived before without adding sweet things to my salads 🙂 Thank you for your feedback Claire!
I love strawberry poppyseed salad, but I’ve never thought to add asparagus and rhubarb. What fun additions!
Thank you Abby! I tried it once and loved it 🙂
I’ve never thought to add rhubarb to a salad – I’m going to have to try that ASAP! And man, these pictures are making me long for summer like nobody’s business!
Fruits and berries in savory salads were nothing I would even consider before starting the blog 🙂 Now it’s so much fun to mix sweet and savory!
What a beautiful and nutritious salad! It will be perfect for the summer season!)
Thank you Veronika! I can’t wait for it to start 😉
This looks super tasty and healthy. I love that you’ve added edible flowers in as well. Such a pretty touch!
Thank you so much Jenni! I love edible flowers too and finally I found where to put them 😉
You are right! This strawberry salad looks like the perfect starter! I love salads and am always looking for different and easy ways to eat them. This is perfect with the strawberries and rhubarb and holy moly – asparagus!! I can’t wait to try your lovely salad!
Thank you so much Elaine! I’m a big salad fan too and I can’t wait for the asparagus season to finally start 🙂
The first time I tried to get my husband to eat a salad containing fruit, he was like your husband. He didn’t want to try it. In my case it was spring greens with strawberries and a few other things tossed with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Once he tasted it, he devoured his entire portion and had seconds. This salad looks delicious. I’ve never tried roasted rhubarb, but I imagine that the tartness is a good contrast to the sweetness of the berries. I’m going to have to try this one.
I know right? You never know unless you try it 😉 Now I’m a huge fan of savory salads with fruits and my husband is too. Hope you enjoy this one! Thank you Patti!
What a beautiful plate! 🙂 Love the flowers and the colourful mix. I have to say, I haven’t seen rhubarb here but I am definitely trying this one as soon as spring arrives and we have fresh strawberries.
Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait until rhubarb is in season again 🙂 Thank you Ashima!
What an especially beautiful spring salad! I love those flowers on there. Gorgeous!
Thank you so much Kate! Love the flowers too, even in salads 🙂
strawberry poppy seeds salad looks so healthy and delicious..wish I had some right now!
Hope you can have some of it soon!
What an amazing looking and sounding salad! I love all of those flavours!
Thanks so much Carrie!
I love strawberries and poppy seeds in salads, usually with spinach, but I can’t wait to try pairing these with asparagus – it sounds absolutely perfect! Great recipe!
Love it with spinach too! Thank you Monica!
What a beautiful salad! Perfect for the upcoming summer produce.
Thank you, Kristen!