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A white serving plate of fig and goats cheese salad.

Fig and Goats Cheese Salad

Robyn
Sweet jammy figs, sharp goats cheese and peppery rocket are dressed in a honey and mustard vinaigrette to make a beautiful summer salad which makes both a delicious side and main meal!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Salads & Light Meals, Side Dish
Cuisine International
Servings 4 people
Calories 294 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 120g (6 c) rocket arugula
  • 6 large figs
  • 80g (3 oz) goats cheese
  • 50g (½ c) walnuts toasted and roughly chopped - see tip below for how to toast walnuts.
  • Small handful basil leaves approx 10-15 leaves, optional

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon runny honey
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place the rocket / arugula on to a large serving platter or bowl.
  • Chop the figs in to sixths or eighths depending on their size, and scatter over the rocket / arugula.
  • Crumble over the goats cheese and roughly chopped walnuts, then sprinkle over the basil leaves.

Make the vinaigrette

  • Add the olive oil, sherry vinegar, runny honey, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper to a small bowl or jar and whisk or shake to combine.
  • Just before serving, pour the vinaigrette over the salad.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

    • Fresh figs - the figs I have used in these photos are Brown Turkey figs, however use whichever variety you like. Use fresh in season figs, and ones that are not squishy nor too firm. Don't use dried figs in this recipe!
    • Goats cheese - or substitute feta cheese or even creamy gorgonzola if you like blue cheese.
    • Rocket - aka arugula, this peppery leaf goes so well with the sweet figs. Use baby spinach if you prefer.
    • Walnuts - or pecans. Toasting the walnuts releases their sweet perfumed flavour.
    • Olive Oil - I recommend using extra virgin olive oil.
    • Sherry Vinegar - this vinegar has a slight sweetness to it which I love in a salad dressing. Substitute with white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
    • Dijon mustard - dijon mustard not only adds a sharp tangy flavour to the vinaigrette but helps emulsify the dressing too.
    • Honey - a little runny honey adds a touch of sweetness, and honey and figs and honey and goats cheese are both classic pairings.
    • Basil - fresh basil leaves add a lovely fragrance to the salad, however you can leave them out.
    • Use in-season figs - their flavour is so different. I was lucky enough to go and pick the figs from the tree for this salad, and their flavour was far superior to any others I had tried.
    • Figs don't store very well, so if you are planning on making this salad, don't buy the figs days before you plan to make it.
    • How to toast walnuts - the easiest way to toast the walnuts is in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until the walnuts fragrant, stirring occasionally and watching them as they can burn easily. This usually takes around 3-5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 235mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 1029IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 2mg
Keyword fig and goat cheese salad, fig salad, goat cheese salad

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