This simple fig and salami panzanella salad recipe is made by tossing thin sliced salami with quartered figs, shaved Parmesan cheese, and bread chunks. The salad is then tossed with an olive oil and lemon vinaigrette. It is ready to eat in 10 minutes or less.
How To Make Fig and Salami Panzanella Salad
- Lightly toast a rustic piece of bread (I like a little crunch) and then tear the bread into large pieces.
- Next, slice some Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler
- Thinly slice pieces of hard Italian salami
- Quarter a couple fresh figs.
- Toss ingredients in a vinaigrette (either a homemade or an Italian bottled salad dressing). Lunch is done!
What Kind of Figs Do I Use For This Fig Salad Recipe?
Any type of fig will work for this recipe, but the most common grocery store figs are black mission and brown turkey. Both are darker on the outside and a beautiful pink inside.
All fresh figs have a sticky milky sap. It's edible and nothing to worry about. The stem end of younger figs are tender and can be eaten, but as the figs age or dry out the stems become tougher and inedible.
What is Panzanella Salad?
Simply put, traditional Italian Panzanella salad is made with stale bread that is rehydrated in a salad dressing and tossed with summer salad ingredients like onions, tomatoes, peppers, and / or cucumber slices.
Pane in Italian translates to bread in English. Zanella translates to "soup bowl". I guess it's kinda like a soup bowl of bread salad 🙂
I've never been a huge traditionalist (gasp! those that know me, know this), so I use the term Panzanella loosely and use chunked bread pieces, dressing, and put in whatever ingredients I have on hand for a fresh salad.
Fresh figs, salami, Parmesan cheese, and bread are the perfect ingredients for a light summer fig salad recipe.
Panzanella Salad can be made from whatever ingredients your heart desire, so knock it out with ingredients you love! The unifier is the dressing (oil and an acid) and bite size chunks of bread or croutons.
Fig and Salami Salad Variations and Substitutions
Don't get too caught up in the amount of ingredients by weight for the salami or Parmesan cheese. Think about how hungry you are and what your taste buds are craving, and slice away to make the perfect ingredient ratio for the fig salad that you are craving.
I prefer a "log" of salami over pre-sliced salami. Salami logs stay fresher longer and tastes better, in my opinion. Salami logs are a little harder and not as wide in diameter. They can also be sliced to any desired thinness or thickness.
Like nuts? Try adding some pecans or walnuts to this fig salad recipe. Pine nuts would also be a delicious addition.
Trying to "up your green" intake? Add some arugula salad or bibb lettuce to this easy panzanella fig salad.
What Can I Do With Too Many Fresh Figs?
We have three large fig trees that all ripen mid July. It's a lot of figs.
Here's a couple of fresh fig recipes to make when summer blesses us with a big bounty:
- Berry Gazpacho - the recipe doesn't call for figs but they would be a great addition or substitution for the berries.
- Peach, Fig, and Arugula Salad
- Roast Figs with Stuffed Chèvre (Goat cheese)
- Roast Figs with Balsamic Honey Glaze
Simple Fig and Salami Salad
This beautiful and simple Fig salad recipe has thin sliced salami, shaved Parmesan cheese, and bread chunks. It's then tossed with an olive oil and lemon dressing and is ready in 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cooking Involved
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz hard salami, thinly sliced
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
- 4 fresh figs, quartered
- 1 medium piece of thick bread, toasted and torn into chunks
Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
- black pepper
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette by adding the lemon juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper in a small glass jar and shaking vigorously.
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and toss with desired amount of vinaigrette. Plate it pretty because we eat with our eyes too 🙂
- Add salt to taste. Happy easy eating! Beckie
Notes
- Don't get too caught up in the amount of ingredients by weight for the salami or Parmesan. Think about how hungry you are and what your taste buds are craving and slice away to make the ratio that you are craving.
- I prefer a "log" of salami over pre-sliced salami. Stays fresher longer and tastes better.
Things In My Kitchen:
- Vegetable Peeler - for shaving the Parmesan cheese thin.
- 2 and 3 quart stainless steel mixing bowl - stackable, dishwasher safe, affordable, flat bottom so it doesn't rock.
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Serving Suggestion
Serve fig and salami panzanella salad with other classic and cool summer recipes:
