With the Corona Virus around it best to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Therefore we decided to make a simple and healthy snack to fight this virus – Fig and Mozzarella Salad.
This Fig and Mozzarella salad is going to become your new favorite twist on a classic Caprese salad. This is a Fig Caprese! Yes, we are talking figs with cheese. The ripe fresh figs replace the tomatoes, making this a fruity yet savory addition to your dinner table. What could be better than ripe figs, fresh mozzarella, good olive oil and fragrant basil? A perfect lunch or light dinner.
What is a Caprese Salad?
A Caprese salad is a classic Italian salad. It is made with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and great olive oil. Here the tomatoes have been replaced with sweet ripe fresh figs!
I know it sounds a little crazy but replacing the tomatoes with figs really does work so well. And if we think about it, a tomato is a fruit, a fig is a fruit so it isn’t too weird! The sweetness of the fig works so well with the basil and the bite of the olive oil. And creamy fresh mozzarella makes everything better!
Which mozzarella to use in a Caprese Salad?
Caprese salad has just 5 ingredients: Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, sea salt. So it stands to reason that with so few ingredients that you want them to be the best they can be.
For this reason pick a fresh mozzarella that is packed in water. The texture and taste will be worth it. Also allow your mozzarella cheese to come to room temperature before you eat it, this will change the taste and texture.
You can buy fresh mozzarella in bags or pots of water. Which actually isn’t water at all, it is whey. The whey is designed to keep the mozzarella moist so that it still has the soft milky texture.
Remember to season your salad!
Even the best olive oil you have you couldn’t complete the aroma of this salad without the help of salt. I know salt gets a bad rap these days but there is no substitute for it here! Salt isn’t just about adding a salty taste to our food; it actually makes foods taste more of themselves. For us we uses the sea salt adds a crunch to what is otherwise quite a soft salad. Use coarse sea salt to really add texture to the dish.
We also complete the salad with the freshly grounded black pepper. What I will say is that freshly cracked black pepper straight from a grinder is 10,000% better than dusty pepper from an old spice jar – just saying.
I love this salad as simple as it is, served as a refreshing starter or a light meal. But a couple of sweet Parma ham slices, an extra bunch of arugula and some toasted rustic bread, will make it well-balanced dinner too.
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #byplaincanvas! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
xoxo, Joe
Fig Mozerella Salad
It’s not about the number of steps or ingredients in a dish. If you shop smart, buying peak-season produce and quality protein, you don’t have to do much at all (like with this easy salad recipe).
Ingredients
8-10 ripe fresh figs
2 fresh mozzarella balls approx 4oz/120g each
small handful fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Methods
- Cut the figs into halves or quarters and arrange on a platter/plate.
- Tear the mozzarella into rough chunks and arrange amongst the figs.
- Sprinkle the fresh basil over the salad, then dress with extra virgin olive oil and the sea salt.
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