Antipasto Salad

Hello and welcome! Today, we have an Antipasto salad that is great any time of the year. I first saw this recipe on Bon Appétit as a summer salad that called for fresh basil. I went to two different grocery stores on two different islands and there was no basil to be found! So I have swapped the basil for fresh flat leaf parsley, and I think it works out just fine. I also mixed things up a bit by using two different kinds of salami; one spicy and one mild.

This salad has a lot of great texture and flavor. Soft mozzarella cheese, chewy salami, crunchy peppers and onions. Another addition I made was to use a combination of plain fresh mozzarella and smoked fresh mozzarella. The smoked mozz added a nice light smoky, sweet flavor and went really well with vinegary dressing.

Soak your Onions!

Use half of a red onion and slice them pretty thin. Once sliced, soak them in a bath of ice water to mellow them out a little bit. I hadn’t taken the step to do this before and I am glad I tried it with this recipe. Because, while we like a lot of onions in our salads, sometimes they can overwhelm the flavors. Soaking them in ice water while you prep the rest of the ingredients mellows their sharpness a bit.

The Prep

I used half a red pepper and half an orange pepper, just for a little more color variety. You want to slice these into thin strips. As you prep, toss the prepped foods into a bowl.

We have a spicy, uncured Soppressata and a mild salami. I am using half of each. I also have some very spicy whole Calabrian chili peppers that I am dicing very thin, to add a little heat. This is optional, of course. Tear the fresh mozzarella into bite size pieces. Add the onions and artichoke hearts to your prepped veggie/meat/cheese bowl, and in a separate, large bowl let’s prepare the dressing.

The Dressing

The dressing is a simple Italian vinaigrette. Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano until it’s emulsified.

Toss the prepped veggies, meat and cheese in the dressing and let sit for at least 15 minutes, tossing it every now and again to redistribute the dressing. This is can be done well ahead of time and just marinate in the fridge until service.

When you’re ready to serve, add the zest of 1 lemon and the rough chopped parsley. Use basil if you can find it! The only zester I have here makes long ribbons, so I minced up the ribbons.

Toss it all together and serve!

I have a baguette that I sliced horizontally and made kind of an open faced sandwich. The soft bread soaked up the right amount of dressing and the crunchy crust was a nice addition.

This salad is great as a light lunch, or appetizer. Or make it a sandwich filling with some crusty sourdough bread. I hope you give this Antipasto Salad a try!

It’s been a long time since Alex and I have been anywhere; I am sure it’s been the same for many of you, as well. Even though our time at the Tybee house (which is called Wild Palms, by the way) isn’t technically a vacation, we are really enjoying the change of scenery. The pups love exploring the backyard, though they’re a little perplexed by the pool! Follow me on Instagram and facebook, I will be posting pics of Tybee while we are here, so stay tuned! In case you missed our first Sunday Supper in Tybee, you can find it here. Take care and be well, everyone! xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Antipasto Salad

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Appetizer, Salad – American/Italian

By Adapted from Bon Appétit – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: NA – Total Time: 20 Minutes

Tart and zesty with a sweet crunch from the red peppers, this Antipasto salad is an easy dish to throw together for a light meal or appetizer.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ tsp. Dried Oregano
• Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Red or Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced, soaked in ice water
• 1 14-oz. can Artichoke Hearts, drained, patted dry, halved or quartered
• 1 8-oz. Ball Fresh Mozzarella, torn into pieces (or a mix of fresh and smoked Mozzarella)
• 4 oz. Salami, thinly sliced (or a mix of a spicy salami and plain)
• 2-3 Calabrian Chili Peppers, minced (optional)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 Lemon
• 1 bunch Flat Leaf Parsley

Instructions

1

Mix garlic, oil, vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.

2

Add peppers, onion, artichokes, mozzarella, salami and Calabrian peppers (if using) and toss to coat; season with salt and black pepper.

3

Let sit, tossing occasionally, at least 15 minutes.

4

Zest lemon over salad and add parsley; toss to combine. Season with more salt and black pepper if needed.

5

Salad (without lemon zest and parsley) can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.