For me, a good salad is all about balance. There needs to be something crunchy, something creamy, something tangy and something with a little sweetness. This recipe hits all of those notes. If you can, use a mixture of seeds, each of which will bring its own thing to the party. If you want to make it heartier, add some crunchy, roughly broken up croutons to the mix.
Blackberry, feta and seed salad
Prep 10 min
Cook 5 min
Serves 4
150g blackberries
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp big seeds, such as pumpkin and sunflower
1 tbsp small seeds, such as sesame and poppy
½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb (about 230g), trimmed and finely sliced
120g wild rocket
½ bunch tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
100g feta, or goat’s cheese
Put the blackberries in a small bowl and toss with the vinegar. Toast the big seeds in a small, dry frying pan over a medium heat until lightly browned; towards the end, add the small seeds and the ground fennel. Add a pinch of sea salt, then take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
In a large salad bowl, whisk the mustard, honey and olive oil, add very generous pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix until smooth and combined.
When you’re ready to serve, gently turn the sliced fennel in the mustardy dressing, then add the rocket and chopped tarragon. Toss with the pickled blackberries and toasted seeds, then transfer to a wide, shallow plate. Crumble the cheese all over the top and serve.
