This Spinach, Strawberries, and Fried Feta Salad is next-level good! It’s BRIGHT and delicious!
Filling your taste buds with crunch from the fried feta, sweetness from the strawberries, pungent and bold flavor from red onion, and the sumac dressing – that I absolutely love on this spinach salad recipe!
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from qualifying purchases through the links at no extra cost to you.
A great spinach salad for a crowd large or small. Enjoyed with any protein, but knowing me, it’s typically accompanied by a side of fresh seafood.
Spinach Strawberries and Fried Feta Salad recipe is a great way to dress up your weeknight dinners!
With fried feta, strawberries, red onion, and topped with pine nuts – which are optional but exceptional. Dressed in one of my favorite Mediterranean-inspired Sumac Dressing recipe – making it pair well with grilled or rotisserie chicken or salmon for a quick delicious dinner!
FAQ
Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that has a strong citrus note. It’s very popular in Mediterranean cuisine and a spice that I grew up using in various dishes, from spanakopita to Chicken Shawarma, to many salads.
It’s great that I love this spice because Sumac spice’s health benefits are plentiful. Some of the health benefits include protection against liver damage, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, just to name a few. It’s a spice you need in your spice cabinet. Especially when it’s doing good work for your body.
Let’s just say that this is a well-balanced salad with spinach, sumac, strawberries and pine nuts, as the many healthy ingredients will make up for the fried feta :). Life’s all about balance!
Other Recipes To Try With This Amazing Spice
I love making various salad dressings with sumac.
There are many other ways to use this spice, and one of my absolute favorites is my Chicken Shawarma recipe, as well as my Mediterranean Oyster recipe that I will be posting soon. Stay tuned!
What To Pair With This Salad
This is a great Spinach salad to go with:
- Salmon. Cook your salmon how you like it and serve as the main protein with this fabulous salad as the perfect sidekick.
- White Fish. I love fish and cook them various ways, so however you like roasting, pan searing, air frying, so baking in the oven, it would work great!
- Chicken. Seasoned chicken or rotisserie are great options for a side.
- Seasoned Pork. A lemon pepper or a basic salt and black pepper seasoned pork that’s pan-seared or BBQ’d would be delicious!
- A side of Hummus and pita bread are a great side. I have a tremendous Silky Hummus recipe!
I like being able to quickly cook a protein on my cast iron to enjoy with a more sophisticated salad.
Spinach Strawberries and Fried Feta Salad Ingredients
Sumac Dressing Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil. To give a rich flavor.
- pomegranate molasses. This adds a bitter note that’s slightly sweet. Pomegranate molasses is often used in Middle eastern/Mediterranean cuisine, and one I grew up on in salad dressing.
- sumac. Sumac adds a great citrus punch.
- italian seasoning. To add a little herb flavor.
- honey. To offset the strong flavor of the sumac and pomegranate molasses.
- salt. A few sprinkles to taste.
Salad ingredients
- spinach. Use any type of spinach. Tear the bigger pieces of spinach for easy bite-sized pieces.
- strawberries. Sliced. They are absolutely a must in this salad and add so much freshness!
- red onion. Thinly sliced.
- pine nuts. Though these are optional, they add the perfect touch of nutty flavor.
Fried Feta ingredients
- feta. Cut into bite-sized pieces for easy frying and eating.
- all-purpose flour. To coat feta.
- eggs. Whisked. This will be used to dip the feta in before coating in panko. Eggs are used to create a sticky surface for the crust.
- panko. Panko keeps the crust light and extra crunchy, but if you don’t have any an alternative to panko is breadcrumbs. You can use gluten-free alternatives for panko as well as breadcrumbs.
How to make this Spinach Salad in advance
Prepare the salad dressing and store in an air-tight Tupperware or mason jar. Prep the rest of the salad in a large serving bowl, keeping the fried feta separate. Cover, and place in the fridge. Once ready to serve, dress the salad, mix, and enjoy!
Fried Feta
What to do with a block of feta cheese? Make fried feta, of course! Fried feta is the perfect addition to this fresh spinach and strawberry salad to add a much-needed cheesy crunch. I’m obsessed! And my husband wanted more, so gotta make it again soon!
How to make Fried Feta
This Spinach and Fried Feta salad wouldn’t be complete without this crispy Fried Feta!
- To make Fried Feta, you will need a block of feta, all-purpose flour, egg and panko in separate bowls.
- Cut feta into cubes and run through each bowl starting with flour, then egg, then panko.
- Set aside on a plate and heat 2-3 inches of neutral oil (avocado, vegetable) in a cast-iron or your preferred skillet. I usually set my stove to medium.
- Once hot, drop a few pieces of feta into the oil and stir around until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and set on a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy warm or cold.
Other Recipes To Try
- Mediterranean Beet Salad with Walnuts.
- Tahini Banana Bread (great for a make-ahead breakfast, or pair for dessert with this recipe).
- Silky Hummus.
What You’ll Need
If you loved this recipe, please give us 5 stars in the recipe card!
Spinach Fried Feta Salad with Sumac Dressing
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups spinach
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- ¼ cup pine nuts optional
Fried Feta
- ½ block feta cubed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup panko
- 2 eggs whisked
Sumac Dressing
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sumac spice
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all sumac dressing ingredients and set aside for flavors to develop.
- In a large serving bowl, add spinach and top with sliced strawberries, red onion and pine nuts, which are optional.
To Make Fried Feta
- Place all-purpose flour, egg, and panko in separate bowls.
- Cut feta into cubes and run each cube through every bowl starting with flour, then egg, then panko.
- Set aside on a plate and heat 2-3 inches of neutral oil (avocado, vegetable, etc.) in a cast-iron or your preferred skillet. I set my stove to medium.
- Once hot, drop a few pieces of feta into the oil and stir around until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and set on a wire rack to cool.
- Top to the salad and toss with the dressing to serve.