A while back, I created a crostini recipe that was topped with ricotta, fresh figs, prosciutto, hot honey and olive oil. It turned out to be quite popular on Instagram and TikTok. I mean, what's not to love about that combo? So I decided to take those same elements and create this fig and arugula salad. It's perfect for peak fig season which starts in the spring and lasts throughout the summer. And it's also really easy to put together too. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Why You'll Love this fig and arugula salad

• It's light and fresh
• Packed with tons of flavour
• Easy to prepare
• Low on ingredients
• Visual crowd pleaser (just look at those figs!)

Ingredients

• Sourdough: you can essentially use whichever type of bread you like, I just love sourdough and tend to have that the most at home.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar: I recommend using a decent balsamic here, something like this one.
• Honey
• Arugula
• Prosciutto
• Figs
• Walnuts
• Ricotta salata: I love ricotta salata on salads, it can be grated quite fine and has a delicious salty taste. It's not like regular ricotta, as it is pressed and aged for at least three months, so it's firm and dry.

How to Make this Fig and Arugula Salad

Making this salad is easy and it can even be prepped in advance if you need.

The first thing you'll want to do is make the homemade croutons. You can of course use store bought, but homemade is so easy and I personally find them way tastier made this way.

I also really love the way you can tear the sourdough into irregular shapes, it's not only aesthetically pleasing, but it's also tasty done this way as well.

Make the croutons: place the torn sourdough into a large bowl and drizzle in some olive oil. You can also season with a pinch of salt too.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and once hot, toss in the sourdough. Let it get crispy and brown all over, while stirring occasionally. This will take about eight to ten minutes. Remove them and set them aside.

Make the dressing: whisk up the dressing, by adding all the ingredients into a small bowl or jar and set that aside.

Time to assemble: layer the arugula onto a platter or in salad bowl. Top with prosciutto, figs and walnuts.

Drizzle the dressing all over and then top with croutons and ricotta salata. Season with flaky salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Substitutions

• Ricotta salata: if you can't find or don't want to use ricotta salata, feta would also be a great substitute. Feta will crumble, unlike ricotta salata which can be grated.
• Figs: this fig and arugula salad tastes best when made with in season, fresh figs. Apricots, nectarines or peaches could work as well.
• Arugula: if you want to cut back on arugula (if you find it too bitter), try mixing in some baby spinach. If you can find fresh mizuna, that would work very well in this salad as well.
• Prosciutto: you can omit, or use a similar type of pork product such as mortadella, jamón serrano, salami or even pancetta.
• Walnuts: try with almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds.

Tips

• Make the croutons ahead: the croutons can be prepped ahead of time and placed in a sealed container or ziploc bag and left on the counter for a day.
• Have the dressing ready: you can also have the dressing prepped ahead of time and kept in a sealed jar, in the fridge or not. If you keep it in the fridge, let it sit out as the olive oil will congeal.

More Salad Recipes

If you love a good salad, be sure to check these out!

• My most popular go-to lemon kale salad with parmesan and crispy prosciutto
• Shrimp and orzo salad with spicy shallot dressing
• Raw beet salad with carrots and spiced lentils
• Chicken noodle salad (Thai inspired)
• Peanutty soba noodles with crunchy celery
• The best ever farro salad with sweet potato and parmesan
• French lentil salad with kale and feta

Alright, are you ready to make this delicious, fig and arugula salad?

If you make this fig and arugula salad, please let me know by tagging me on Instagram, or leave a comment and/or review below!

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