Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto

This Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto features all four tastes - sweet (figs), salty (prosciutto), sour (vinaigrette), and bitter (greens and walnuts).

So today I want to talk about kitchen fails, because I just totally ruined my family's dinner.

I don't even know how it happened; I wasn't making anything difficult. I burned the hot dogs. Seriously! Hot dogs. Who does that?!

I oversalted the kale chips to the point of them being inedible. My sesame seed brittle for our dessert fused to the skillet to the point that I could not salvage it (luckily the skillet was saved).

And I burned the meringue for dessert. We're talking BLACK. That's just the way life in the kitchen goes sometimes. Right? It's not just me, is it??

Anyway, this Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto is totally NOT a fail.

This one was only recently added to my repertoire, but I've made it three times since - like in the past two weeks! It's that good! (And I needed to use up those figs, but it's not like I went searching for another fig recipe).

This salad could just as easily be used at a fancy dinner party as a casual weekday meal. The addition of the walnuts and shaved Parmesan to leafy greens is reminiscent of my Roasted Pear Salad, but the similarities end there.

The other ingredients are different: fresh figs, prosciutto, a vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar, honey and minced onion or shallot.

The greens can be your choice - I think I used a different type each time I made the salad. Whatever came in my CSA that week. I preferred the slightly stronger, nutty flavor of arugula, but spinach or mixed greens would be fine too.

How to make Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto

The only real cooking involved in making this salad is crisping up the prosciutto in a skillet with some olive oil.

Of course, you can skip this step if you're in a rush, I wouldn't recommend it. The crispy prosciutto adds a nice chewy texture to the salad and brings out the flavor too. Besides, it's pretty quick. It only takes a few minutes.

Once you've got all your ingredients prepped and the vinaigrette mixed up, simply toss the greens with the dressing,  divide it among your bowls, and add the prosciutto, walnuts, and Parmesan.

Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto Ingredients

This is the first time I have ever used fresh figs in a recipe. They can be pretty hard to come by since they're only in season for a short time and don't hold well. So when I saw them at Trader Joe's, I scooped up a carton.

If you can't find fresh figs (like, if it's any season other than summer, or they just don't ship them to where you live), use dried. You will have to warm them up in the dressing a bit to soften them up.

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Prosciutto
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Fresh figs
• Small shallot - or use half of a small onion
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Leafy greens  - use arugula (or baby arugula), spinach, or mixed greens.
• Walnut halves
• Parmesan cheese shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

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Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Proscuitto Nutrition Notes:

The nutrition information in the recipe below is for a side or appetizer-sized portion. Double (or triple) the nutrition information numbers if you plan on serving a larger portion as an entree.

This recipe is gluten-free as written.

Carissa Serink

Fresh Fig and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

5 from 1 vote

This Fresh Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto features all four tastes - sweet (figs), salty (prosciutto), sour (vinaigrette), and bitter (greens and walnuts).

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Servings: 6

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Universal

Calories: 258

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ▢ 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 ounces prosciutto
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 cup fresh figs stems removed and sliced ¼" thick (see note) (about 8)
• ▢ 1 small shallot or ½ small onion, minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 5 ounces leafy greens (arugula, spinach, or mixed greens), washed and dried
• ▢ ½ cup walnut halves
• ▢ 2 ounces Parmesan cheese shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

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Instructions

 

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 ounces prosciutto and fry until crisp, stirring often. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to cool and set aside. When cool, crumble or chop coarsely.
2. Whisk 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 Tablespoon honey together until smooth in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, whisking constantly. Stir in the sliced figs, minced shallot, 1¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add 5 ounces leafy greens and toss until the greens are evenly covered. Divide the greens evenly among 6 bowls. Top each portion with some prosciutto, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 275mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 696IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 178mgIron: 1mg

Notes

If fresh figs are not available, use ½ cup dried figs instead. Remove stems and chop into ¼" pieces. Toss figs with balsamic and honey mixture, then microwave on high until figs have plumped, about 30 seconds. Follow the rest of the recipe as written above.

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