This 5-Ingredient Summer time Salad Is as Easy as It Will get

May 20, 2025

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Why It Works

Younger, diminutive yellow squash sourced from a farmers market or high quality produce part has skinny skins and dense, tender flesh—good for slicing skinny and consuming uncooked in salads.
The goat cheese’s creamy, lactic tang resonates with the straightforward, citrusy dressing.
Fennel provides a delicate pure sweetness and crisp texture.

I observe a number of cooks on social media, however many of the meals they publish footage of, whereas enjoyable to ogle, would not translate properly for the house cook dinner. Each every so often, although, I see one thing that manages to be each superbly easy and in addition inspiring. A current instance: I used to be scrolling by means of my Instagram feed and got here throughout a photograph from the Portland, Oregon, chef Jenn Louis of a salad of thinly sliced uncooked yellow summer season squash and fennel, crumbled goat cheese, and dill. I could not shake the concept, so now, as a part of our Best Summer time Ever—a set of seasonal recipes utilizing not more than 4 fundamental components (not together with pantry staples)—I’ve determined to tear it off wholesale.

The one software I might suggest having readily available for a salad like it is a good mandoline or vegetable slicer, because it makes such simple work of getting these elegant slivers, with persistently good outcomes. You’ll be able to try our favourite cheap ones right here.

Other than that, it is so simple as it sounds. First, get your arms on some very nice younger and tender summer season squash—you already know, the small ones, not the older, overgrown ones which have massive spongy facilities and more durable pores and skin. A farmers market is commonly your greatest guess for high quality summer season produce, however some grocers and supermarkets with good produce sections may be a helpful supply. Slice the squash actually thinly on the mandoline, then observe it with a fennel bulb on the identical thickness setting.

Critical Eats / Vicky Wasik

Add some chopped dill, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and provides all of it toss. Then crumble in some contemporary goat cheese and provides it yet one more very mild toss earlier than serving. (I attempt to decrease how a lot I toss the salad as soon as the goat cheese is added, since I favor that it keep in clumps and never flip right into a milky coating on all the pieces, which might occur should you stir a number of moist components repeatedly.)

The completed salad is a mixture of tender, crisp, and creamy textures, and candy, aromatic, and tangy flavors—it might be easy, nevertheless it tastes refined sufficient to seem on any restaurant menu.

July 2015