Food
10+ Refreshing Summer Salads That Are Anything But Boring
Updated on July 16, 2024

Take advantage of the season’s freshest ingredients with one of these chef-approved summer salad recipes. If you love Mediterranean cuisine, transport your tastebuds to Italy with a Cacio e Pepe-inspired Kale Salad by Mina Stone. Plus, don’t miss farm-to-table recipes from Rosie Daykin’s new cookbook The Side Gardener. “This salad is all about texture. There’s juicy melon, crunchy cucumber and the soft tang of the blood orange.”
Scroll down for 10+ refreshing summer salads that are anything but boring!

Chicken Salad with Coconut Crunch
“Crunchy, fresh veg is mixed with a peanuty coconut ginger dressing and coconut crunch — a nut, coconut, sesame seed and curry powder granola — that you can snack on all day.” — Molly Baz
Get Molly Baz’s recipe for Chicken Salad with Coconut Crunch here.

Cucumber, Cantaloupe & Blood Orange Salad with Feta & Mint
“This salad is all about texture. There’s juicy melon, crunchy cucumber and the soft tang of the blood orange — and always mint! I’m a big fan of the freshness mint adds here.” – Rosie Daykin
Get Rosie Daykin’s Cucumber, Cantaloupe & Blood Orange Salad recipe here.

Cucumber & Prawn Noodle Salad
“The grilled, spicy prawns are a nice contrast to the vinegary noodles and dressing, and the fresh cucumbers.” – Rosie Daykin
Get the recipe for Rosie Daykin’s Cucumber & Prawn Noodle Salad here.

Roasted Red Cabbage Salad
“This salad is fresh and crunchy, with a gorgeous richness from the feta cheese and a nutty crunch from the hazelnuts.” – Chris Nuttal-Smith
Get Chris Nuttal-Smith’s recipe for the Roasted Red Cabbage Salad here.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad
Lovage chef Jamie Crosby combines fresh cucumber with six types of candied seeds, a unique spice mix and seasoned yogurt to create this creamy, sweet and spicy salad. “It’s the candied seeds and spice mix that add complex flavours and make this dish special,” says Jamie. He suggests pairing the salad with braised lamb for a satisfying meal.
Get Jamie Crosby’s recipe for the Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad here.

Chopped Market Salad
A salad that’s simultaneously crunchy, creamy, sweet and spicy .
Get the full recipe here.

Cacio e Pepe-Inspired Kale Salad
“This is my version of having the idea of a decadent pasta, in salad form. It has the flavor components of a cacio e pepe, set against the backdrop of a hearty forest of green kale. The kale stands up to the challenge, providing a healthy vehicle for the tangy salty cheese, crunchy hazelnuts, and spicy black pepper.” – Mina Stone
Get the recipe here.

If Summer Were A Salad
“What I like about this salad — like so many of my salads — is that there’s no lettuce,” says Rosie Daykin.
Get the recipe for If Summer Were A Salad.

Herby Sun-dried Tomato Salad
“The crunchy seeds and the herbs are the shining stars, so do not skimp on either. Also, the secret to the chickpeas is panfrying them in a little bit of butter.” – Tieghan Gerard
Get the recipe here.

French Bistro Salad
This mustardy potato and bean salad is topped with egg, making it hearty enough for a stand-alone meal.
Get the recipe for French Bistro Salad.

Crushed Cucumber Salad
“When I started out cooking at Scaramouche in the late ’90s, this often appeared as part of our staff meal before the shift started. Depending on who was cooking, you’d get flavors and dishes from all over the world. This was always one of my favorite sides, made by an old friend.” – Cory Vitiello
Get the recipe here.

Tuscan Chicken Salad
This arugula-based salad brings together juicy grilled chicken, loads of Grana Padano and the surprisingly sweet and savory taste of pickled grapes (trust us!).
Get the recipe for Tuscan Chicken Salad.

Grilled Shrimp & Mango Salad
“Working in the sunshine in Turks, I wanted to create something light, inspired by what was available around me. When I first put this recipe together, I was really excited. Then when I served it and other people loved it, I knew I had hit on something. This is honestly why I cook: making people happy through food.” – Adrian Forte
Get the recipe here.

Kale Salad with Caper Vinaigrette, Crotonese Cheese and Bacon
“The secret to this dish is a rather unusual approach to preparing the kale. We read that people were massaging their kale. Well, we found that funny and needed to try it ourselves, so we created this salad on a whim. Now it’s one of our most popular dishes! Gently rubbing the kale breaks down its fibres, which creates a tender base, and the tartness from the vinaigrette complements the rich bacon and salty Crotonese — a Pecorino-style aged semifirm cheese.” – Steven Wall
Get the recipe here.

Zucchini & Couscous Salad
“It’s a great salad, but it’s also a great meal and I like that. It does double duty!” says Rosie Daykin.
Get the recipe for Zucchini & Couscous Salad.

Tahini Caesar
“My husband, Ido, and I are obsessed with the Caesar-inspired romaine salad that Roberta’s in Brooklyn does,” says Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan. “So, here’s my version with my kind of twist, which features — can you guess? — tahini. This salad plus Baharat Whole-roasted Chicken and a fat glass of wine… it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Get the recipe for Tahini Caesar.