Butter Lettuce Salad With Mandarin Oranges, Strawberries, and Avocado

This butter lettuce salad has tender butter lettuce, mandarin oranges, strawberries, and creamy avocado. Drizzle some balsamic vinaigrette dressing over it and top with crunchy, toasted almonds, and you've made yourself a delicious and refreshing summer salad!

Two more summer salads you might like is this Italian tomato salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes, red onions and basil, and this peach watermelon salad with a mint basil dressing.

Summer's here and I'm so excited 'cause now I can do my favorite thing in the kitchen: make salads!

This colorful salad dressed in a light Balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect addition to your collection of spring or summer salad recipes. It is really easy to put together as all summer salads should be. Who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen while the sun is shining outside?

And if you love the idea of simple, no-cook salads that come together in minutes, you’ll definitely want to try a few more favorites. This refreshing spinach and arugula salad is packed with baby greens and a burst of lemony flavor, while the sweet and crunchy angel hair coleslaw with pineapple adds a tropical twist to any meal. And for a truly summery combination, this strawberry cucumber salad is as beautiful as it is delicious - perfect for picnics, barbecues, or just a sunny afternoon on the patio.

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

• Butter lettuce - also known as Bibb lettuce or Boston lettuce, it is readily available in spring and summer. Slightly sweet with a mild taste, it is perfect for salads as it holds up the dressing really well without wilting. And it lives up to its name as it's quite tender with a buttery texture. All in all, gorgeous!
• Avocados - full of good fats, this creamy fruit was made for salads.
• Strawberries and mandarin oranges - add a lovely fruity sweetness to the salad.
• Almonds - roasted and slivered, for the crunch factor.
• Balsamic vinaigrette - a delicious dressing with balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and sea-salt.

Instructions

• Gently remove the leaves off the lettuce head and wash thoroughly in cold water - Those rose-shaped florets, while pretty to look at, can also harbour soil and dirt. Giving the leaves a good rinse in cold tap water makes them ready to rock that salad. No need to chop them, however. Butter lettuce leaves are so soft, you can leave them whole.
• Toast the almonds - Set a small frypan on medium heat and toast whole, raw almonds until they change color. Once they are cool, chop them up in a food processor or slice them with a sharp knife. You can add almonds without toasting them too, but they will not be as crunchy.
• Prep the rest of the fruit - Wash and slice the strawberries, peel the mandarin oranges, and peel and slice the avocado.
• Make the dressing - Put all the ingredients of the vinaigrette in a small bottle with a lid and shake, shake, shake:)
• Assemble the salad - In a shallow platter, arrange the lettuce leaves so they cover it completely. Layer with the fruit, top with almonds and drizzle the dressing all over it. Your salad is ready to serve!

Top tip

Do serve the salad fresh. Most salads taste best when they're fresh, so resist the temptation to make it ahead. That being said, you can prep most of the the ingredients a few hours in advance (except the avocado) and make the dressing. Keep the prepped ingredients in the fridge and assemble the salad when ready to eat.

Did you try this butter lettuce salad recipe? Do leave a recipe rating and review in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you:)