Strawberry and Mandarin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Published May 31, 2020

My family and I tried a new pizzeria for our family Pizza night.

One of the appetizers we ordered was a Caribbean salad. When I shared the photo of this salad on Instagram, y’all were so excited, and wanted me to recreate a version for you to try at home.

This week, I’m excited to share the recipe for strawberry and mandarin salad with raspberry vinaigrette.

Ingredients for Strawberry and Mandarin Salad

This salad is bright and refreshing because it uses whole ingredients.

I went to the store to buy the goat cheese, salad mix, and pecans. If you have regular pecans at home, you can glaze them yourself using brown sugar.

For the vinaigrette, I used black/dark balsamic instead of white, since that is what I had on hand. I also changed this original dressing recipe (which I found on Pinterest) — to accommodate my taste and ingredients.

How to Make a Strawberry and Mandarin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

I made this salad as a meal, so I used a large bowl and portion sizes. If you’re cooking for a smaller group, you can follow the same directions and customize it for 2.

I prefer my salads to be cold/chilled, so I made sure that my fruit and greens spent a night in the fridge before I made this.

Making Raspberry Vinaigrette

I used a large measuring cup to make my vinaigrette.

I originally thought that I would have to use my food processor/Ninja to make a smooth dressing. Once I saw the texture of the raspberry preserves, I decided to keep it simple and whisk the vinaigrette by hand. The balsamic and lemon juice thinned the preserves so you will have a pourable dressing.

If you do not like the texture or little seeds from the raspberry preserves, you may want to pulse your vinaigrette in a blender or processor so it is very smooth.

I was happy with how the vinaigrette turned out. It coated the spinach spring mix nicely and had a rich color.

I did not use all of my dressing. In fact, I had a ton leftover, so I poured it into a jar and stored it in my fridge. I have enough ingredients leftover to make this salad again, or find a new recipe for the vinaigrette.

Assembling the Salad

Once the vinaigrette is made, you’re ready to assemble.

My strawberry and mandarin salad was for dinner, so I used my largest salad bowl and filled it with the spinach spring mix. That turned out to be six handfuls. I bought a 1-pound container of greens. My 6-handfuls were not even 1/4 of the container. We each had 2 servings with some salad leftover.

If you’re making a salad for yourself or a small group, then buy a smaller salad container and also adjust your servings based on your bowl.

If this is a side dish, consider assembling the salads in each of the salad bowls that will accompany your main dish. There’s no “wrong” way to make this. You do not have to use a full container of strawberries or oranges if your salad is for a smaller group.

Adding the Toppings

As you can see in my video, I added 3/4 of the oranges to my salad and tossed it. Whenever I make salads, I find that if I mix the toppings into the greens, they sink to the bottom of the bowl, making it messy to scoop a composed serving.

I recommend that once you’ve coated your greens in the vinaigrette, do not mix your salad again. Add the toppings and then serve.

Thus, I added 3/4 of my strawberries (saving a bit for a final topping). I sprinkled a handful of pecans and scraped my goat cheese on top. This is a technique that my dad taught me, so you get small crumbly pieces of goat cheese without making a mess.

I personally like goat cheese in minimal amounts, so I only added a little to the entire salad, and more on top of individual portions based on those who love it. Feel free to use more, and larger pieces, based on your taste.

Serving the Strawberry and Mandarin Salad

I served my salad right away so the greens did not wilt. I like the flavor of the fruit, so I used the remaining mandarin oranges and strawberries and added more to my bowl. I also scraped more cheese on top of bowls that looked like they did not have enough.

Note: As your goat cheese gets to room temperature it will lose its shape and become smearable, coating your greens. If you do not want this to happen, you may want to keep the salad bowl in the fridge.

I loved the dressing so much that I drizzled another teaspoon on top of my individual salad portion.

The Final Product

I am in love with this salad.

The ingredients work so well together; you have the texture of the mixed greens, the refreshing fruit, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy brown-sugar pecans.

The raspberry vinaigrette is, by-far, my favorite part of this dish. The raspberry preserves tie in with the strawberry and orange, the balsamic and seasoning keeps the dish from being too sweet, while the lemon juice and honey make it bright and light.

This is a fabulous dish for outdoor BBQs and summertime. I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

Recipe Score

I would give my Strawberry and Mandarin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette a 12/10 for the following:

• Recipe Level

  • Easy: You can make this recipe in under 30-minutes. You’ll need measuring cups, bowls for the vinaigrette and salad, a knife and cutting board for the strawberries, and spoons (for mixing/serving).
    
    The strawberry and mandarin salad is customizable, so you can adjust the ingredients to match the serving/portion size. Feel free to add more or less of an ingredient depending on your taste.

• Ingredients

  • You may already have these ingredients on-hand. Fresh strawberries for summertime, your favorite greens, goat cheese, a can of mandarin orange (for its texture). If you don’t, it’s easy to find them at the store and they won’t cost a ton of money to have a refreshing and healthy dish.

• Prep

  • If you want a chilled salad, let your fruit chill in the fridge before assembling. Otherwise, there’s no prep involved.

• Flavor

  • 12/10: The raspberry vinaigrette is what makes this dish extraordinary. It blends savory spices with bright citrus and sweet honey. With whole ingredients and salad toppings, this strawberry and mandarin salad is one of my favorite dishes.
    
    

K. Martinelli Makes Strawberry and Mandarin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Looking for Another Recipe?

If you loved this summer salad, check out my homemade turkey burger recipe or my vegetarian pitas.