Most people think strawberries and immediately go to shortcake.
Nothing wrong with that.
But strawberries for dinner? Most definitely. Strawberries aren’t just for shortcake anymore. Around here, once local berries start showing up at the market, they end up in a lot more than dessert. Salads. Salsas. Even barbecue sauce.
Here are a handful of savory recipes featuring this late spring favorite.
Salsas, sauces and pizzas, oh my…
Turns out strawberries work really well with grilled food.
A strawberry salsa with jalapeño and lime is great on fish tacos or grilled chicken. We found a few different versions online from Isabel Eats, UMaine Extension, and Muy Bueno. Same basic idea in all of them: sweet berries, lime juice, a little heat, fresh herbs.
There are some good salad ideas out there too.
Strawberries with arugula and goat cheese seems to be a popular combination for a reason. Cookie & Kate has a simple version with balsamic vinaigrette. Cat Cora adds walnuts. Cake ‘n Knife fries the goat cheese first, which sounds pretty hard to argue with.
Then there’s the barbecue sauce rabbit hole.
One recipe from The View From Great Island makes it fully from scratch with strawberries, vinegar, ketchup, and spices. Another version from Urban Cowgirl mixes strawberry jam into bottled barbecue sauce for something quicker. Both sound like they’d be pretty good brushed onto grilled chicken or pork.
We also found a flatbread recipe with strawberries, bacon, caramelized onions, and ricotta from RealSweet that somehow makes complete sense once you look at it.
That’s kind of how this time of year goes.
The berries show up and suddenly people start trying them in everything.
If you end up making one of these recipes, let us know how it turns out. And if you need strawberries, they’re coming in fresh from Warner Farm right across the street here in Sunderland.
Strawberries for Dinner – Recipes mentioned
Salads
- Strawberry Caprese Salad – Kitchen Treaty
https://www.kitchentreaty.com/strawberry-caprese-salad/ - Strawberry Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese – Cookie & Kate
https://cookieandkate.com/strawberry-arugula-salad-recipe/ - Strawberry, Arugula, Walnut & Goat Cheese Salad – Cat Cora
https://catcora.com/blogs/recipes/cat-coras-strawberry-arugula-walnut-and-goat-cheese-salad - Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries & Arugula – Cake ‘n Knife
https://www.cakenknife.com/warm-goat-cheese-salad/
Salsas & toppers
- Strawberry Salsa – Isabel Eats
https://www.isabeleats.com/strawberry-salsa/ - Strawberry Salsa – UMaine Extension
https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/recipes/strawberry-salsa/ - Fruit Pico de Gallo (Strawberry Salsa) – Muy Bueno
https://muybuenoblog.com/pico-de-gallo-style-strawberry-salsa/
BBQ sauces
- Strawberry Barbecue Sauce – The View from Great Island
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/strawberry-barbecue-sauce-recipe/ - Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce – Chasing the Seasons
https://www.chasingtheseasons.com/roasted-strawberry-bbq-sauce/ - Easy Strawberry Barbecue Sauce – Urban Cowgirl
https://urbancowgirllife.com/easy-strawberry-barbecue-sauce/
Flatbreads & pizzas
- Strawberry, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Flatbread – RealSweet
https://www.realsweet.com/recipes/strawberry-bacon-and-caramelized-onion-pizza - Mini Strawberry Balsamic Pizzas with Chicken & Sweet Onions – Lemon & Mocha
http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2018/07/20/mini-strawberry-balsamic-pizzas-with-chicken-sweet-onions/