May: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Why This May: Strawberry Spinach Salad Works

Spinach leaves stay crisp because they are washed and dried first, so the dressing does not water them down. When the balsamic vinaigrette goes on, it clings to the dry leaves instead of sliding off. A light toss lets the dressing coat the spinach and strawberries in a thin layer, so everything tastes seasoned without turning soggy.

As the salad sits for a few minutes, the vinegar in the dressing starts to soften the red onion and take away some of its sharp bite. Strawberries give off a little juice, which mixes with the vinaigrette and turns it slightly sweeter and thinner, so it spreads through the bowl more easily. Feta stays in small crumbles, so it tucks into the leaves and sticks where the dressing is. Toasted almonds stay crunchy because they go in dry and are only lightly coated, so the salad has a mix of soft fruit, tender greens, and crisp nuts in each bite.

Mistakes To Avoid

Adding the dressing too early lets the spinach sit in liquid, so the leaves start to wilt and collapse. Instead of a light, fluffy salad, the bowl turns into a flat, soggy mix where the spinach loses its slight crunch and the strawberries leak more juice into everything.

Rinsing the spinach and not drying it well leaves a lot of water on the leaves. That extra water thins out the balsamic vinaigrette, so it slides off instead of clinging, and the salad ends up watery at the bottom and barely coated on top.

Cutting the red onion into thick chunks instead of thin slices makes the onion take over every bite. The sharp bite of the onion sits in big pieces, so the softer spinach and strawberries get buried under hard, crunchy mouthfuls of onion.

Skipping the toasting on the almond slices keeps them pale and soft. Without that quick toast, the nuts stay a bit chewy and blend into the salad instead of giving crisp bites that break up all the soft textures.