Hello sweetie,welcome to kiekie’s place! Listen, I know we talk about a lot of incredible recipes around here, but today I want to share something that genuinely stopped me in my tracks the first time I made it. This is one of those salads that completely changes your mind about what a salad can be. We are not talking about a sad bowl of leaves with a few toppings thrown on top. We are talking about something that is rich, colourful, deeply flavourful, and so satisfying that it works as a proper full meal that leaves you feeling nourished and genuinely content.

Rich Mediterranean Shrimp and Avocado Salad is everything a great salad should be and more. Juicy, perfectly seasoned shrimp cooked until golden and tender, creamy ripe avocado, crisp cool cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives, salty crumbled feta, and a gorgeous herb-filled base of fresh greens, all brought together with a bright, tangy Mediterranean dressing that ties every single element into one harmonious, absolutely stunning dish.

This salad works beautifully as a light lunch, an elegant starter for a dinner party, or a complete and satisfying dinner on a warm evening when you want something that feels special without being heavy. It comes together quickly, uses fresh seasonal ingredients, and delivers a flavour experience that is vibrant, bold, and deeply Mediterranean in character. By the time you finish reading this article, you will have everything you need to make this salad perfectly and confidently. Let us get into it.

What Makes This Salad Rich and Mediterranean?

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The word rich in the name of this salad is very intentional and worth explaining because it sets this recipe apart from a lot of other shrimp salads you might have come across.

This salad is rich in the best possible way — not heavy or overwhelming, but deeply satisfying, full of substance, and packed with healthy fats, protein, and bold flavours that make every bite feel genuinely indulgent. The richness comes from several sources. The creamy avocado adds a buttery, luxurious quality that coats the other ingredients in every bite. The shrimp cooked in garlic butter add richness and a wonderful depth of flavour. The feta cheese adds a creamy, salty, tangy richness. The olive oil in the dressing adds the smooth, fruity richness that is so characteristic of Mediterranean cooking. And the combination of all these elements together creates something that feels genuinely lavish despite being made from completely natural, wholesome ingredients.

The Mediterranean character of this salad comes from the specific combination of ingredients — Kalamata olives, feta cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh herbs like parsley and mint, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil — that are the building blocks of cuisine from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. These ingredients have been combined and celebrated in Mediterranean cooking for centuries and together they create a flavour profile that is bright, savoury, herbaceous, and deeply satisfying.

Choosing the Best Ingredients

Because this salad celebrates fresh, high-quality ingredients without a lot of complicated cooking techniques to hide behind, the quality of what you buy genuinely matters here more than in most dishes. Let us talk about the most important components.

The shrimp: Use large, fresh, or properly thawed frozen shrimp for this salad. Large shrimp give you a satisfying, substantial bite that stands up to the other bold flavours in the dish. Make sure they are peeled and deveined. Tail-on shrimp look beautiful in a salad but tail-off is more practical if you are eating it as a main course. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them properly by running cold water over them for 5 to 7 minutes rather than using warm water, which can partially cook the outside.

The avocado: Use ripe but still firm avocados. A perfectly ripe avocado should yield slightly to gentle pressure but should not feel mushy. If you press and it feels very soft or sounds hollow, it is overripe and the flesh inside will be brown and stringy. A ripe avocado should have bright green flesh with no brown spots when cut open. If your avocados are not yet ripe, leave them at room temperature for a day or two — do not put them in the fridge until they are ripe.

The tomatoes: Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find. In summer, heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes are extraordinary in this salad. Cherry tomatoes are a great year-round option because they tend to be reliably sweet and juicy even outside of peak tomato season.

The feta: Buy proper feta cheese made from sheep’s milk if you can find it. It has a creamier texture and a more complex, slightly tangy flavour than the cheaper cow’s milk versions. Avoid the pre-crumbled feta in bags — buy a block and crumble it yourself for the freshest, most flavourful result.

The olives: Kalamata olives are the quintessential Mediterranean olive — dark, slightly fruity, and beautifully briny. Buy them unpitted from a deli counter if possible as they tend to have better flavour than the pitted ones in cans. If you cannot find Kalamata, Nicoise olives or any good quality black olive will work well.

The olive oil: This is not a dish where you can get away with using mediocre olive oil because the dressing is simple and the oil is one of its starring flavours. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil with a fruity, slightly peppery character.

Ingredients You Will Need

For the shrimp:

1. 500 grams of large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2. 3 tablespoons of butter
3. 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
4. Juice of half a lemon
5. Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika
6. Half a teaspoon of dried oregano
7. A pinch of red pepper flakes
8. Salt and black pepper to taste
9. 1 tablespoon of olive oil (for cooking)

For the salad base:

1. 4 large handfuls of mixed salad leaves (romaine, baby spinach, arugula, or a combination)
2. 2 ripe but firm avocados (halved, pitted, and sliced or cubed)
3. 1 large cucumber (sliced into half-moons or diced)
4. 300 grams of cherry tomatoes (halved — use a mix of colours if available)
5. Half a cup of Kalamata olives (pitted and halved)
6. 150 grams of good quality feta cheese (crumbled into generous chunks)
7. Half a small red onion (very thinly sliced)
8. A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
9. A small handful of fresh mint leaves (torn)
10. 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts or toasted slivered almonds (optional but adds wonderful crunch)
11. A handful of fresh dill (chopped — optional but very Mediterranean)

For the Mediterranean dressing:

1. 5 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
2. Juice of 1 and a half large lemons (about 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice)
3. 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
4. 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
5. 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
6. 1 clove of garlic (very finely grated)
7. 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
8. Half a teaspoon of honey
9. Salt and black pepper to taste
10. A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Step-by-Step Method

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Step 1 — Make the Mediterranean Dressing

Always make the dressing first so the flavours have time to come together while you prepare everything else. In a small bowl or a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, finely grated garlic, dried oregano, honey, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.

Whisk everything together vigorously in the bowl until the dressing is emulsified — meaning it looks smooth and unified rather than having the oil and vinegar separated. If using a jar, seal it tightly and shake it very hard for 30 seconds. The Dijon mustard acts as an emulsifier that helps the oil and lemon juice stay combined rather than separating immediately.

Taste the dressing carefully. It should be bright and tangy from the lemon and vinegar, slightly sharp from the garlic, fruity and rich from the olive oil, with a very subtle sweetness from the honey that balances everything beautifully. Adjust any element that seems out of balance. Set the dressing aside.

Step 2 — Prepare the Salad Components

While the dressing rests, prepare all the salad components. Wash and dry your salad leaves thoroughly — wet leaves dilute the dressing and make the salad watery and flat. A salad spinner is ideal for this but if you do not have one, wash the leaves and spread them on a clean kitchen towel, roll the towel up gently, and pat dry.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in a bowl. Slice the cucumber into half-moons or dice into small cubes, depending on your preference. Thinly slice the red onion — if you find raw red onion very sharp and pungent, soak the slices in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes and then drain. This removes most of the harsh bite while keeping the beautiful colour and a mild onion flavour.

Pit and halve the Kalamata olives if they are not already pitted. Roughly chop the fresh parsley and tear the mint leaves. Set all the prepared components in separate little piles or bowls near your assembly area.

Step 3 — Prepare the Avocado

Cut each avocado in half by running your knife around the pit lengthwise. Twist the two halves apart. Remove the pit carefully. To remove the pit safely, do not use the knife-whacking method — instead use a spoon to scoop it out cleanly. Scoop the avocado flesh out of the skin using a large spoon, keeping it as intact as possible.

Slice each avocado half into thick slices or cut into generous cubes — about 2 to 3 centimetres. Immediately drizzle a little lemon juice over the avocado pieces to slow browning. The avocado should be added to the salad relatively close to serving time — it does not sit well for long once cut as it browns fairly quickly even with lemon juice applied.

Step 4 — Season and Cook the Shrimp

Pat your shrimp completely dry using paper towels on all sides. Dry shrimp sear beautifully in a hot pan — wet shrimp steam instead of sear and stay pale and soft rather than becoming golden and flavourful.

Season the dried shrimp with smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat evenly.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the shrimp in a single layer — if your pan is not large enough to hold them all without overlapping, cook them in two batches. Do not overcrowd.

Cook the shrimp without moving them for exactly 1 to 1 and a half minutes on the first side. You will see the colour change from grey and translucent at the bottom to pink and opaque as the heat travels up the shrimp. When the bottom half is pink and opaque, flip each shrimp using tongs. Cook on the second side for just 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Remove the shrimp from the pan immediately and set aside. The shrimp are done when they are pink all the way through and have curled into a loose C shape. If they curl into a tight O shape, they are overcooked. Shrimp go from perfectly cooked to rubbery very quickly so watch them closely.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter to the same pan. Once it melts and foams, add the minced garlic and stir immediately. Cook for just 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the lemon juice and stir everything together. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss in the garlic butter for just 30 seconds to coat them completely. Remove from heat. The shrimp are now coated in the most incredible garlic butter sauce that adds an extraordinary layer of richness and flavour.

Step 5 — Assemble the Salad

Now comes the most satisfying part — bringing everything together into one beautiful, abundant salad. This is a composed salad, which means you arrange the components thoughtfully rather than just tossing everything in a bowl randomly.

Start by spreading the salad leaves across a large, wide, shallow serving bowl or a large serving platter. A wide, flat vessel is much better than a deep bowl for a composed salad like this because it gives you space to arrange the components so they are all visible and beautiful.

Scatter the cherry tomatoes evenly over the greens. Add the cucumber pieces. Distribute the sliced red onion over the top. Scatter the Kalamata olives across the salad. Place the avocado slices or cubes generously throughout the salad, spacing them so there is avocado in every part of the platter.

Arrange the garlic butter shrimp over everything, spreading them evenly so every serving will have a good amount. Crumble the feta cheese generously over the entire salad in chunky, uneven pieces — not a fine dust but proper chunks that people can see and taste. Scatter the fresh parsley and torn mint leaves over everything. Add the fresh dill if you are using it. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts or almonds over the top if using.

Step 6 — Dress and Serve

Give the dressing one more good whisk or shake to bring it back together if it has separated. Drizzle about two thirds of the dressing evenly over the entire salad. Reserve the remaining third for people to add more at the table if they want. Do not dress the entire salad with all the dressing at once — over-dressed salad becomes soggy and the delicate flavours become buried under too much dressing.

Finish with a final crack of fresh black pepper, a pinch of flaky sea salt over the feta and avocado, and a last drizzle of your very best extra virgin olive oil over the top of everything.

Serve immediately while the shrimp are still warm and the rest of the salad is fresh and vibrant. Place the reserved dressing on the table alongside the salad so people can add more as they like.

Helpful Cooking Tips for the Best Results

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Serve the shrimp warm over the cold salad. The contrast between the warm, garlicky, buttery shrimp and the cool, crisp salad underneath is one of the most wonderful textural and temperature contrasts in this dish. Cook the shrimp last, right before you are ready to serve, and place them on the already assembled salad so they land warm on the cool vegetables.

Do not skip the garlic butter finish for the shrimp. The garlic butter toss at the end of cooking the shrimp is what gives them that incredibly rich, flavourful coating that makes them taste so extraordinary. It takes only an extra 30 seconds and the difference it makes is very significant. Some of the garlic butter also drips down into the salad as you serve it, adding even more flavour to the whole dish.

Use a wide, shallow serving vessel. A composed salad like this one should be served on a wide platter or in a large, shallow bowl where all the beautiful components are visible. Piling everything into a deep bowl means the gorgeous colours and textures of the different ingredients are hidden and the dish looks much less appealing. Presentation matters with a salad like this and a wide, flat vessel makes it look like something from a proper Mediterranean restaurant.

Add the avocado last. Avocado browns quickly once cut and exposed to air. Add it as close to serving time as possible and make sure to drizzle lemon juice over it immediately after cutting. If you are assembling the salad more than 10 minutes before serving, keep the avocado separate and add it right before the dressing goes on.

Toast the pine nuts or almonds before adding them. Toasting takes just 2 to 3 minutes in a dry pan over medium heat and transforms the nuts from bland and pale to golden, fragrant, and deeply nutty. Stir them constantly and watch them closely as they go from golden to burnt very quickly. Toasted nuts add a wonderful crunch and warmth that raw nuts simply cannot provide.

Dress the salad right before serving. Dressed salad that sits for more than a few minutes starts to wilt and the leaves become soft and wet. Assemble everything, dress, and serve immediately for the best result. If you need to prep ahead, keep all the components separate and assemble and dress right before eating.

Balance the saltiness of the feta and olives when seasoning. Both feta and Kalamata olives are quite salty on their own. Take this into account when seasoning the dressing and the shrimp — you may need less additional salt than you would in a dish without these ingredients. Always taste before adding more salt.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overcooking the shrimp. Overcooked shrimp are tough, rubbery, and flavourless and they can ruin an otherwise perfect salad. The cooking time for large shrimp is about 1 to 1 and a half minutes per side — that is it. Watch them very closely and remove them from the heat the second they curl into a loose C shape and are pink all the way through.

Using unripe or overripe avocado. Unripe avocado is hard, tasteless, and bright green rather than creamy yellow-green inside. Overripe avocado is brown, stringy, and bitter. A perfectly ripe avocado yields gently to pressure, has smooth and creamy pale green flesh, and slices cleanly without falling apart. Plan ahead if your avocados need a day or two to ripen.

Over-dressing the salad. Too much dressing drowns the flavours of the individual ingredients and makes the salad soggy and heavy. Use just enough dressing to coat everything lightly and bring the flavours together. Start with two thirds of what you made, toss gently, and only add more if it genuinely needs it.

Not drying the salad leaves properly. Water on salad leaves dilutes the dressing and prevents it from adhering to the leaves properly. Always dry your salad leaves very thoroughly before assembling.

Slicing the red onion too thick. Red onion in a salad should be present in flavour but not dominant. Slice it paper-thin so it adds a subtle sharpness and colour without overwhelming every bite with its pungency. If it still seems too sharp after slicing, soak in cold water for 10 minutes.

Cutting the avocado and letting it sit too long. Avocado exposed to air browns within minutes. Do not cut it and leave it sitting while you prepare everything else. Prepare everything else first and cut the avocado at the very last moment, immediately drizzling with lemon juice.

What to Serve With This Salad

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This salad is rich and substantial enough to be a complete meal on its own, especially with the shrimp providing a generous amount of protein. But here are some wonderful things to serve alongside it if you want to make a more complete spread.

Warm pita bread or flatbread is the most natural Mediterranean accompaniment. Tear it into pieces and use it to scoop up the salad — the bread soaks up the dressing and garlic butter and becomes something magical in the process.

Hummus served on the side with extra pita creates a more substantial spread and adds another wonderful layer of Mediterranean character to the meal.

Tzatziki — that cool, creamy Greek yoghurt sauce with cucumber, dill, and garlic — is a wonderful accompaniment that pairs naturally with both the shrimp and the Mediterranean flavours of the salad.

Warm crusty sourdough bread with a side of good olive oil for dipping is a simple, wonderful pairing for this salad.

A chilled glass of dry white wine — Sauvignon Blanc, Assyrtiko from Greece, Vermentino from Sardinia, or a crisp Pinot Grigio — pairs beautifully with the Mediterranean flavours and the freshness of the shrimp and lemon dressing.

Sparkling water with cucumber and mint is a refreshing non-alcoholic option that complements the fresh, vibrant flavours of the salad beautifully.

A small bowl of marinated olives and some good quality cheese on the side makes this feel like a proper Mediterranean spread that would be right at home in a restaurant on the coast of Greece or Italy.

How to Store and Prepare Ahead

If making ahead for a party or meal prep: This salad is best assembled right before serving, but you can prepare almost every component ahead of time to make assembly quick and easy. Cook and refrigerate the shrimp up to 24 hours ahead — reheat them gently in a pan with a little butter before adding to the salad. Make the dressing up to a week ahead and store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Prep all the vegetables — halve the tomatoes, slice the cucumber, slice the red onion, pit the olives — and store them separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Crumble the feta and store separately. Toast the nuts and store in an airtight container at room temperature. When you are ready to serve, just cut the avocado, assemble everything, dress, and serve.

Leftover storage: This salad does not store particularly well once assembled and dressed because the leaves wilt, the avocado browns, and the dressing makes everything soggy overnight. If you have leftover components, store them separately and dress and assemble fresh portions as needed. The shrimp can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and eaten cold on top of a freshly assembled salad — cold shrimp on a salad is equally delicious.

Variations You Can Try

Add roasted red peppers: Thinly slice jarred roasted red peppers and add them to the salad for a sweet, slightly smoky element that adds beautiful colour and a very Mediterranean flavour.

Add artichoke hearts: Canned or jarred artichoke hearts, drained and quartered, are a wonderful addition that adds substance and a slightly nutty, earthy flavour that is very characteristic of Mediterranean cuisine.

Make it with grilled shrimp: Instead of pan-cooking the shrimp, thread them onto skewers, brush with the marinade, and grill over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Grilled shrimp have a wonderful slightly smoky, charred quality that adds a beautiful dimension to the salad.

Add sun-dried tomatoes: A few tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped and scattered over the salad, add a concentrated, sweet, slightly chewy element that pairs beautifully with the fresh cherry tomatoes and feta.

Use different greens: Replace some or all of the mixed leaves with shredded romaine for a more substantial base, or use all arugula for a more peppery, bold flavour that contrasts wonderfully with the creamy avocado and salty feta.

Make it heartier with grains: Add a base of cooked and cooled quinoa, farro, or couscous under or mixed through the salad leaves to make the dish even more filling and nutritious. Grain-based Mediterranean salads are very popular and very satisfying.

Add a soft-boiled egg: Halved soft-boiled eggs with a jammy, slightly runny yolk are a wonderful addition that adds extra protein and richness to the salad, and they look absolutely beautiful nestled among the vibrant vegetables and shrimp.

Nutritional Benefits of This Salad

This is one of those beautiful recipes where every single ingredient contributes something genuinely valuable to your body, and it is worth taking a moment to appreciate just how nourishing this salad is.

Shrimp are an excellent source of lean, high-quality protein. They are low in calories, rich in iodine — which is essential for thyroid function — and contain good amounts of selenium, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are one of the most nutrient-dense proteins available and cook so quickly that they are one of the most practical as well.

Avocado is loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, particularly oleic acid which is the same beneficial fat found in olive oil. It is rich in potassium — containing more than bananas — and is an excellent source of fibre, folate, vitamins K, C, B5, and B6. The healthy fat in avocado also helps your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients from the other vegetables in the salad.

Extra virgin olive oil is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and its health benefits are extraordinarily well documented. It is rich in oleocanthal, a natural compound with powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and high in antioxidants that protect the body from oxidative damage. Regular consumption of good olive oil is strongly linked to reduced risk of heart disease, improved brain health, and better overall longevity.

Cherry tomatoes are rich in lycopene — a powerful antioxidant that is actually better absorbed by the body from cooked tomatoes but is still available in significant amounts from raw ones. They are also high in vitamins C and K and contain potassium and folate.

Cucumber is one of the most hydrating foods you can eat, consisting of about 96 percent water. It contains vitamin K, potassium, and antioxidants and is very low in calories, making it a wonderful addition to any salad.

Feta cheese made from sheep’s milk contains beneficial fatty acids, good amounts of calcium and phosphorus for bone health, and is naturally lower in calories than most other cheeses.

Fresh herbs like parsley, mint, and dill are not just flavour additions — they are genuinely nutritious. Parsley is extraordinarily rich in vitamin K and also contains vitamin C and folate. Mint has digestive benefits and is rich in antioxidants. Dill has antibacterial properties and is a good source of several vitamins and minerals.

Kalamata olives provide healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, iron, and copper, and contain oleic acid and polyphenols with anti-inflammatory properties.

This salad is, in every sense of the word, food that loves your body back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use cooked frozen shrimp instead of cooking fresh or raw shrimp?
Yes, you can use pre-cooked frozen shrimp to save time. Thaw them completely under cold running water, pat them dry, and toss them in the same seasonings — smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper. Since they are already cooked, just warm them through very briefly in the garlic butter in the pan for about 1 minute — you are not cooking them further, just warming them and coating them in the garlic butter. Be very careful not to overheat them as they will become tough and rubbery if they cook again for too long. This shortcut works very well and saves significant time.

How do I stop the avocado from browning if I am making this salad ahead?
The most effective way to slow avocado browning is to coat all cut surfaces immediately and generously with fresh lemon or lime juice. The citric acid in the juice slows the oxidation process that causes browning. Additionally, keeping the avocado in as little contact with air as possible helps — if storing cut avocado, press a piece of cling film directly onto the flesh with no air gaps between the film and the surface. Keep the pit in any unused half as this also slows browning on that half. Even with all these precautions, cut avocado will still start to brown within a few hours, so the best approach for a make-ahead salad is simply to add the avocado right before serving.

Can I make this salad vegetarian by leaving out the shrimp?
Absolutely, and it is still a very substantial and satisfying salad without the shrimp. To maintain the protein content and the feeling of richness, you could add a can of drained chickpeas tossed in the same spices and pan-fried until slightly crispy, or add extra feta, a soft-boiled egg per person, or cubed and pan-fried halloumi cheese. Halloumi in particular is a wonderful substitute — it has a similar salty, substantial quality to the shrimp and pan-fries beautifully into golden, slightly crispy pieces that are absolutely delicious in this salad.

What is the best way to pit Kalamata olives if I buy them whole?
The easiest way to pit olives without any special equipment is to place each olive on a cutting board, press down firmly on it with the flat side of a large knife — similar to how you smash garlic — and the pit will pop right out. This takes only a few seconds per olive and gives you clean, properly pitted olives. Alternatively, you can use the bottom of a heavy glass or mug to press down. Once the olive cracks open slightly the pit can be removed easily with your fingers.

Can I substitute the lemon juice in the dressing with another acid?
Yes, you can use red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or a combination of vinegar and a little lemon juice if you do not have enough lemons. Apple cider vinegar also works and adds a very slightly fruity note. However, fresh lemon juice is strongly recommended for this particular salad because its bright, fresh citrus flavour is very much in harmony with the Mediterranean character of the dish. The lemon zest in the dressing adds a concentrated citrus flavour that no other acid can replicate, so try to include real lemon even if you supplement with vinegar for some of the acidity.

Final Thoughts

Rich Mediterranean Shrimp and Avocado Salad is the kind of recipe that reminds you of all the reasons why cooking at home is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It is beautiful to look at, incredibly nourishing for your body, deeply satisfying to eat, and made from ingredients that are natural, wholesome, and full of the kind of vibrant flavour that only real food can deliver.

What makes this salad truly extraordinary is the way every single component contributes something unique and essential to the whole. The warm garlic butter shrimp bring richness and protein and the most wonderful savoury depth. The creamy avocado brings luxury and healthy fat that makes every bite feel indulgent. The cherry tomatoes bring sweetness and freshness. The cucumber brings cool crispness. The Kalamata olives bring a bold, briny savouriness. The feta brings salty, tangy creaminess. The fresh herbs bring brightness and fragrance. And the Mediterranean dressing ties every single element together with its balance of lemon, olive oil, garlic, and oregano that is the flavour signature of the entire Mediterranean region.

This is a salad that you will make for the first time and immediately know you are going to make again very soon. It is the kind of dish you bring to a gathering and everyone asks you for the recipe. It is the kind of lunch or dinner that makes you feel genuinely well fed and well nourished in the deepest sense of both words. Make it this week with the best ingredients you can find, take your time with the assembly, dress it well, and enjoy every single rich, vibrant, satisfying bite. Happy cooking!