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!
Gently remove the leaves from the lettuce head and wash thoroughly in cold tap water.
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.
Wash and slice the strawberries, peel the mandarin oranges, and peel and slice the avocado.
Put all the ingredients listed under 'balsamic vinaigrette ingredients' in a small bottle with a lid and shake until well mixed.
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.
Notes
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.