This Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Avocados is perfect for Spring and Summer!
Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Avocados
When I was a teenager, food really wasn’t my thing. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I loved Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken. I loved Cool Ranch Doritos (still do). What I really didn’t love was fresh, real food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and good quality cheese were not a big part of my teenage diet. One evening my parents took me out to a local Italian restaurant called Piccolo’s and that all changed.
I don’t remember what I ordered for my main course that night. But my appetizer was a crispy goat cheese salad with fresh berries and nuts. This is one of the first moments where I remember feeling really excited about food. The goat cheese was warm and soft with a crunchy exterior. Fresh berries were a perfect, sweet compliment to the tangy cheese and a light citrus vinaigrette brought the whole thing together beautifully. From that point on, instead of always eating fast food I would often order two of these salads as carryout for dinner. I’m sure they thought I was nuts; some teenage girl regularly stopping by the restaurant to pick up two fried goat cheese salads. But what did I care? No one was keeping me away from my salad.
This crispy goat cheese salad with strawberries and avocados is a tribute to that salad and also a celebration of Spring’s return. The original version had no avocados but I added them anyway because they’re awesome.
Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Avocados
Ingredients
Orange vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, strained (approximately 1 orange)
- 1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon shallots, minced
- pinch salt & pepper
Crispy goat cheese:
- 4-6 ounces chilled goat cheese, sliced into 1 ounce medallions
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- neutral high heat oil for frying, such as vegetable or safflower
Salad fixings:
- 3 cups arugula, or salad greens of your choice
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
- Blend orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper in a blender. Set aside.
- Prepare a breading station with 3 small bowls- one with flour and a pinch of salt and pepper, one with the beaten egg and one with the panko bread crumbs. (Tip: breading is easiest when one hand deals with the flour and panko while the other hand deals with the egg.) Dredge a medallion of goat cheese in the flour, then the egg, then finally the panko. Make sure there is a generous coating of panko and then set aside on a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining medallions and then chill the cheese until it's ready to be fried.
- Place a meat or candy thermometer in a medium saucepan or dutch oven and add about 3 inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
- While the oil is heating, arrange salad plates with arugula, avocado, strawberries and almonds.
- When the oil reaches 350 degrees, carefully add the chilled breaded goat cheese and fry until golden brown. Keep an eye on the temperature and try to keep it as close to 350 as possible (the temperature will drop when the goat cheese is added). After removing the fried goat cheese, allow it to drain on a paper towel for a moment before adding it to the salad.
- Pulse the salad dressing briefly in the blender and then drizzle over the salad. Serve immediately.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Averie says
Jen so pretty! A couple months ago I breaded and baked cheese (in the form of mac ‘n cheese) and realized it’s harder than you think to get perfectly neat little balls. Yours are perfect! Love the avo, too!
Jennifer Farley says
I think baking cheese might be trickier because it’s slower. Frying’s kind of quick and dirty so as long as the cheese is cold when it goes in the oil you can get the outside crispy before the inside looses it’s shape.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Beautifully plated, I love the orange vinaigrette!
Gerry says
I’d love try this…crispy is my thing :)
ashley - baker by nature says
Wow Jen, this is so stinkin’ pretty!!! Fresh salads like this are totally my thing lately.
Jen L says
I’ve made crispy goat cheese before, but I paired mine with roasted beets! Crispy goat cheese definitely goes well with fresh salad. This is freakin’ delicious!
Maureen says
That salad looks so fresh and the crispy cheese isn’t calling my name, it’s SCREAMING it. :)
ThisBakerGirlBlogs says
That is one beautiful salad!
Anne Marie says
I just ate dinner but I could so go the crispy goats cheese bites now! YUM! Anne Marie @ TFD
Jennifer says
I love the crispy goat cheese! What a fantastic idea!!! The salad looks so good!! As I am typing this, I really want some crispy goat cheese!!
Kirsten says
Jen,
This salad looks so fresh and pretty (makes me almost not believe the directions include “inches of oil”!) and perfect for Spring. I had a transformational salad up on Skyline Drive, at one of the restaurants there (Sky Meadows maybe?)–the combination of fruit, nuts, and goat cheese with a balsamic dressing was so good I had to recreate at home.
Thanks!
carol says
Everything about this salad is divine, Jen…but those crispy goat cheese medallions are calling me! Love them!
Anna says
You had me at crispy cheese! Wow, Jen! This salad looks amazing!
Heather says
Oh! Orange Vinaigrette! I am all over that.
Kristi Rimkus says
I love it when I have everything in the kitchen to make a dish. I have a whole container of goat cheese leftover from Easter that will work perfectly for your salad. The vinaigrette is a must make too.
Stephanie says
Mmm, this salad sounds so unique and delicious! Definitely drooling over that crispy goat cheese. :)