Last Updated on January 12, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Fresh Fig Salad with Orange Emulsion Dressing
A quick and easy salad to put together when fresh figs are in season.
Fresh figs have been hard to come by this season. The few times I have seen them they have looked horrible – half rotten. With an insanely busy work schedule, I just did not have the energy or the time to do some grocery shopping. I decided to try instacart, a service I have been thinking about trying for several months now. It is like having your own personal shopper. You pick which local markets you want them to shop at and your food is delivered within 2 hours and way cheaper than Fresh Direct. I will be doing a complete review of this service soon on the blog, so stay tuned. Anyway, so I decided to use this service and try for fresh figs. The figs from Fairway arrived in perfect condition, still firm. I decided to make this Fresh Fig salad using some of the stuff I purchased from Fairway via instacart. The one thing with figs is they don’t have a long shelf life, so I will be eating fig salads and fig sandwiches for the next few days, but I am overjoyed and getting my full of figs this week!
I am in the process of reworking the curriculum before my culinary teaching semester begins in a few weeks. That’s why my schedule is so hectic. When I finish my temporary sous chef duties where I am working these two weeks, I have to come home and do work to prepare for my classes. Ah, it’s better to have too much work than too little right? Â I am always adjusting my curriculum to present recipes that both teach my students technique and that they will enjoy to eat. I was perusing my old binder from culinary school and came across this salad dressing, which I remember loving so much. This Orange Emulsion dressing complimented the figs perfectly.
It’s been hot and humid the last few days. I am in amazement how the tennis players are playing in this heat as they finish up the final matches of the US Open. We already have a women’s winner in Angelique Kerber who is now the new #1 in the world. As we wait to see who wins the men’s final match tomorrow, enjoy this light salad – perfect for these hot temperatures! Hopefully, you will be enjoying the match and this salad inside an air conditioned apartment!
This salad is so delicious to have in Spring and Summer when fresh figs are easily found.
Picking Figs
Black Mission Figs, the ones I used in this salad, are very delicate. When picking at the market, pick firm figs and make sure they are on the top of the bag when you bring them home so that the weight of other things will not crush tehm.
Serve this fresh fig salad immediately.
Fresh Fig Salad with Orange Emulsion Dressing
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups sliced Boston lettuce
- 5 quartered figs
- 1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
- 1 tablespoon pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 2-3 tablespoons orange emulsion dressing see below, to taste
Dressing Ingredients:
- Yield: 2 cups
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To make salad:
- Combine lettuce, figs, mozzarella, zest and pepitas.
- Add dressing and toss gently.
- Serve immediately.
To make dressing:
- Combine juice, zest, vinegar, honey and salt and pepper. Whisk well.
- While whisking constantly, slowly add oils until thorough incorporated.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper, as necessary.
Notes
Nutrition
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…linki
ng to September Week 2 of Cooking from Cookbook Challenge
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This sounds absolutely delicious! I somehow made it almost all the way through summer without buying any figs– just picked some up yesterday, and I can’t wait to try this salad dressing.
I am so making this! I love figs! and everything else in here!
A refreshing flavorful dressing with an equally fresh salad. I love citrusy salad dressing. Using rice vinegar which I discovered recently adds a different taste to dressings as opposed to cider vinegar.
yes the rice vinegar is milder. The gentle tones don’t overpower any foods
This dressing must be so flavourful. Love the orange flavour.
thank you – I am sure you will enjoy this dressing!
Love this healthy and filling salad with refreshing orange dressing
thank you – it does make a delicious summer salad!
I love this salad with Orange dressing. I love figs on their own but adding them to a salad sounds good.
fruits in salads are a combination that I love and I am sure you will love this salad!
We generally do not eat fruit as a salad , so making a salad with fig and with this lipsmacking dressing looks like an awesome idea.
I think you will start to enjoy fruits in salads once you try this version!
Fresh fig salad sounds lip-smacking. Loved the use of orange juice. I love orange flavour in my salad. I will try it for sure.
I am sure you are going to love it when you try it!