Honey Roasted Fig Salad with Balsamic and Parmesan

A beautiful summer salad, simple and delicious, made with honey and balsamic roasted figs and topped with homemade crunchy parmesan crisps.

Fresh juicy figs are delicious, but roasted with honey and balsamic vinegar, makes them even more delicious! It gives them a caramelised sweet & sour flavour, perfect for salads, cheese plates or eaten on their own.

We mostly eat salads for lunch in summer and this roasted fig salad ticks all the boxes for a light healthy meal.

Served as a side for a BBQ or as an appetizer for a 3 course meal, this fig salad will certainly impress anyone with it's perfect flavours and textures.

FIGS

When figs are in season they pop up everywhere. When perfectly ripe, they will smell fresh and should feel soft.

Most common varieties are black mission figs, they have a dark-purple skin, with juicy red and pink flesh or Calimyrna with a green and yellow skin, and pink flesh!

INGREDIENTS

Figs try to avoid over ripe figs for this recipe as they will turn mushy quickly when you roast them.

Salad Leaves you can use any salad leaves you like. I chose lolo bianco (the curly one), arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts.

Tomatoes any tomatoes like heirlooms or cherry tomatoes.

Avocados make it to most of my salads and work pretty well in this salad too.

Radish red or white radish.

Honey fresh raw honey comes in liquid form and is easier to use than solid honey.

Balsamic Vinegar use a good quality balsamic vinegar for the dressing.

Olive oil a good extra virgin olive oil, the one you like the most.

HONEY ROASTED FIGS

Figs can be roasted in two ways, in a pan or in the oven. For convenience, I roasted them in the oven for just 6-8 minutes but it really depends how ripe the figs are - you have to be careful! But hey, let's not forget , mushy figs do make a good fig jam😉

Here is how you get them perfectly roasted:

1. Wash the figs and cut them in half
2. Place them on a baking tray
3. Drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar over the figs
4. Roast them in the oven at 190°C (375°F) for 6-8 minutes.

Let them cool down slightly, before adding to the salad, they can be warm but they shouldn't be hot.

FOR THE SALAD

I used my favourite ingredients in the salad, that I usually like to eat. Sliced market fresh tomatoes, avocados, radish and any salad leaves the market has to offer.

For texture and presentation, I added these crunchy parmesan crisps.

THE DRESSING

I kept the salad dressing very simple, as the figs add all the flavour to the salad. If there are any roasting juices left from the figs, add them to the dressing.

I use a ratio of 1:2 (balsamic vinegar: olive oil) and mix them in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper before you add Olive Oil. Taste the dressing, if you find it too sharp, add a spoon of honey.

ASSEMBLING THE SALAD

Not only is this salad visually beautiful, but it’s also a very simple to make!

• Arrange the curly salad and arugula leaves in a plate or bowl. Place the tomatoes, avocados, radish and figs nicely on the salad.
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad and garnish with afalfa sprouts and parmesan crisps.

SERVING AND STORING

This salad makes a great side to my Braised Beef Cheeks or Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder. Or when entertaining, serve it as part of your shared style meal along with this Oven Baked Trout .

The salad is best eaten when made fresh the same day however the roasted figs can be stored by themselves in an air tight container in the fridge for upto 3 days!

MORE SALADS IDEAS

Salads can be healthy, satisfying meals on their own or perfect accompaniments to main dishes. Here are few of our favourite's for you to try:

• This flavour packed Butternut Squash Salad with White Beans and Pesto
• or if you are looking for something quick and easy, then this Fennel Blood Orange and Feta Salad made with raw ingredients, will be perfect
• Otherwise this healthy and filling Classic Nicoise Salad is a good choice for light lunches, picnics and barbecues.

If you make any of these salad recipes, let us know how it turned out!