The creamy fig burrata summer salad has it all, the summer sweetness from the figs, saltiness from the parmesan, acidity from the aged balsamic and apple cider vinegar, and creaminess from the burrata and the figs. What more should we ask for?
Having just spent a couple of weeks on the Adriatic coast the taste buds are completely awake and ready to roll.
Two things I love the best, fresh fruit just picked from the tree and fresh fish caught during the night of our peaceful slumber.
Today, however, we focus on the fruit part (I promise the fish recipe is coming soon).
the figs …
We have been making this salad every summer using the figs from our fig tree in our garden. However, every summer it is a bit of a struggle with the fig tree. Colder winters are just a bit too much for the fig tree. As a result, a small number of fruits ripen very late in the summer.
This year we have been extremely lucky as we were able to get some freshly picked figs at our friends’ house in Baćina lakes in south Dalmatia. They were literally bursting with ripeness and the flavor is unique.
So, once we got home the first order of business was to make this amazing salad. I am sure that anyone who likes (adores) figs will simply love this salad.
how to …
This is an extremely simple salad to make. The most difficult part is to mix the salad dressing.
The whole process can be summed up in several steps:
- Prepare the figs and burrata
- Mix the salad dressing
- Assemble
The whole process is done under 20 minutes.
The creamy fig burrata summer salad is quite fulfilling, which means you can serve it as an appetizer or as a light lunch.
Enjoy!
Creamy fig burrata summer salad
INGREDIENTS
The salad
- 750 g figs, ripe (Adriatic or Mission)
- 250 g burrata cheese (Note 1)
- black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (15 years aged, acidity 6%)
- 20 g parmesan (flat shavings)
- a handfull small basil leaves (nonflowering tips only)
The salad dressing
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (with the seeds)
- 1 tbsp fig mustard (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp honey (field flowers)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin, high quality)
- ⅛ tsp fleur de sel
INSTRUCTIONS
- Gather all the ingredients.
Preparing the ingredients
- Wash the figs and pat they dry. Remove the hard tip of the figs and any blemishes.
- Quarter the figs and arrange them on a large serving plate.
- Drain the burrata from its liquid and tear to bite-size pieces. Arrange the burrata pieces evenly on the serving plate on top of the figs.
- Add some freshly ground black pepper.
Make the salad dressing
- Combine all the ingredients in a small jar.
- Close the jar with the lid very tightly and shake until all the ingredients are evenly combined and transformed into a nice and thick creamy dressing. It should be somewhat runny but not very runny.
Assemble the salad
- Using a spoon spread the salad dressing over the salad as evenly as possible.
- Shave the parmesan on top (Note 3).
- Drizzle the aged balsamic vinegar over the salad.
- Add the basil tips on top.
NOTES
- You can also use Buffalo mozzarella instead of the burrata. Note that the burrata is much creamier and it pairs nicely with the creaminess of the figs.
- This is very mild with only a touch of mustard taste, but it does give a nice additional aroma and flavor to the salad dressing.
- I forgot to add parmesan before taking the pictures (Ups). But definitely don’t omit it. It provides for the necessary salty taste which is amazing with the figs. Without it, I find that the salad is too sweet due to the figs.
