It has been almost five years since I moved from California, and you know what I’m still not used to? Summer rainstorms and the staggering attendant humidity. Snow and the bitter cold I can handle – although I’ll gripe about it along with everyone else, for sure! At least I was mentally prepared for the cold. I mean, it’s all anyone talks about when you say that you’re moving to Michigan.
But the heat and humidity and rain and thunderstorms? No one warned me that it wasn’t enough to check the hourly weather report, that you have to check the fifteen-minute weather report if you want to avoid those abrupt, torrential downpours that, if they catch you unawares, can put a damper on your entire day (pun very much intended). You see, it doesn’t rain during the summer in California (to be fair, it pretty much doesn’t rain at all in California anymore). I think it rained during the summer once the whole time I lived there, which (naturally) was when my parents were having the roof re-done.
So when I was planning to make this strawberry rhubarb vinaigrette, I found myself torn between wanting to use up the produce that was begging to be eaten immediately and wanting to wait for a day that would be suitable (e.g. not dark and thunderstorm-y) to take pictures of the salad. In the end, the produce won out and I found myself rushing to take photos in between waves of menacingly dark clouds. In my haste, I completely forgot about the poppy seeds until juuust after I put the camera away, but you should be sure to include them – they add such a delightful element of texture and nuttiness!
Now that I’m done kvetching about the weather (for now, at least), let’s talk about this strawberry rhubarb vinaigrette! Strawberry and rhubarb make for a classic combination, most often featured in desserts; I wanted to switch things up a bit, so I used them to create a salad dressing that is positively bursting with juicy tartness, aptly suited for a fruity, summery salad such as this one. This salad practically screams summer, with its vibrant colors and its sheer simplicity – the vinaigrette comes together in under ten minutes! Plus, it only takes about one stalk of rhubarb, so if you’re got a bit left over from making a crumble, a galette, or cocktails, you’re good to go.
Trust me, this is one recipe you don’t want to miss: perhaps I was still in a hurried state of mind from taking photos, but once I sat down to eat, this salad was gone in a flash!
- 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen (about one stalk)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise (light is fine)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons water (optional)
- 6-8 ounces baby lettuce or spring mix
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup sliced peaches
- 3/4 cup corn
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds (I use Trader Joe’s sliced honey roasted almonds)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
- Chop the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the pieces, along with 3 tablespoons water, in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender and starts to fall apart slightly.
- Place the rhubarb (along with the liquid) into a blender or food processor. Add the strawberries, honey, mayonnaise, and vinegar and blend until smooth. Add the olive oil and salt and blend until smooth. Optional: stir in 1-2 tablespoons of water to achieve the desired consistency.
- Combine all the ingredients for the salad (reserving the poppy seeds) in a large bowl or in individual bowls. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and sprinkle the poppy seeds on top. Store extra vinaigrette in a sealed container the refrigerator for up to one week. (Please note that the amounts listed for the vinaigrette will yield far more than you need for 4 servings of salad.)
- To make this salad dressing vegan, use Dijon mustard (or vegan mayonnaise) in place of mayonnaise and agave nectar or maple syrup instead of honey.
That is one gorgeous salad and I can see why you were in such a hurry to eat it! Strawberry rhubarb is one of my most favorite things about spring and I think it sounds fantastic in this vinaigrette!
Me too – it’s not really spring for me until I’ve made strawberry rhubarb something!
You’ve invented the perfect Summer salad. That dressing looks incredible! I could drink it through a straw.
Thank you! And actually, the dressing is not totally unlike a smoothie…you’d probably want to label the jar so as to avoid giving anyone a weird surprise, though!
The photos look amazing! This looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much!
I have some rhubarb and was thinking of ideas of what to do with it (not being dessert-oriented here). Nice!
It can be tough to think outside the dessert box with rhubarb! In fact, I’m trying to figure out how to use up the rest of mine without making desserts…
Looks amazing! I live in California – moved here after growing up in the Midwest and then living a few years in the South. Rhubarb is hard to find here! I finally found a vendor last weekend at the Farmer’s Market with some and have been wondering how to prepare…may have to give this a try. Beautiful!
I never noticed that it’s hard to come by in CA, but then again, I wasn’t really looking for it when I lived there. My parents planted their own (in CA) last year, though! I hope you get a chance to try this vinaigrette!
Looks awesome, pictures were great, thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks! Enjoy 🙂
I have a bunch of rhubarb plants in my new garden and I will be looking for ways to use it up very soon! This looks perfect!
Ooh, nice! Let me know what you think if you try it 🙂 If you’re looking to use up a whole bunch, we also really enjoyed rhubarb simple syrup in cocktails/sodas!
I love using fruit in savory recipes! One of my favourites is mixing orange with halloumi salad. I will deffo be trying this out in the summer XD
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I’ll have to try orange and halloumi together sometime – sounds tasty!
What a lovely looking dressing! It’s such a pretty color, and it sounds super tasty! 🙂
Thanks! Definitely very tasty – I just had some at dinner tonight 🙂
This looks like the perfect dressing for any summer salad! LOVE!
Aw, thanks! I hope you get a chance to try it!
It sounds like Michigan has monsoons!! Ha ha, seriously, sounds like the weather in South East Asia where you’ll get 10 minute bursts of torrential rains then the sun comes out and the clouds disappear. And the humidity is so thick you feel like you’re swimming through air.
I LOVE this dressing, WOW! It’s so creative – fantastic! I’m pinning it to make sure I don’t lose it!
The torrential rains do usually only last 10-15 minutes, but I’m sure the humidity is far worse where you described. Yikes! I’m glad the dressing caught your eye – I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Heyya… Strawberry rhubarb is one of my most favorite things about spring and I think it sounds fantastic in this vinaigrette! and I will be looking for ways to use it up very soon! This looks perfect!What a lovely looking dressing! It’s such a pretty color, and it sounds super tasty! 🙂
Thanks so much! Let me know what you think if you try it 🙂
What a great idea! Strawberry rhubarb pie is my favorite pie, so naturally I hope I can try this dressing soon 🙂
ps. I always enjoy reading your posts – keep them coming!
Aw, thank you! You should definitely give this vinaigrette a try 🙂
What a fun idea! I love the whole strawberry-rhubarb combo in baked goods, and I’m a big fan of fruit in salad in the summer…but I’ve never thought about turning strawberry-rhubarb into a dressing. I need this for lunch today!!
I hope you get a chance to try it! I’ve been eating it for days on end and haven’t gotten tired of it. I’m going to try making it with frozen rhubarb soon, too!
I love anything with rhubarb, and even more with a rhubarb strawberry flavour! I just tried making a rhubarb vinaigrette myself the other day and it tasted rather washed out, so I think the addition of the strawberries really would have helped it! What a lovely post and your photos came out very beautiful and bright! I’m rather fond of the rain myself, but perhaps only because I haven’t experienced Michigan-style raining!
Thank you so much! I enjoy rainy days too – but I much prefer them when I can stay at home and not get caught outside in a downpour 🙂
Hey there! I nominated you for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger award, check it out on my blog 🙂
Thank you so much – that’s very kind of you! 🙂
I made this dressing today and loved the summery fresh flavors. You can really taste the rhubarb and the strawberries – it made our spinach salad so much more nuanced. Thanks for a new dressing recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I haven’t tried it with spinach salad, but I bet the flavors complement each other quite well. Thanks for reporting back!
I see it’s been 7 years since you posted this recipe, but I just found it. Thank you so much for posting it. I just made it and it’s delicious! I googled strawberry rhubarb vinegrette and the other recipes I saw called for things I didn’t have like red wine vinegar or things I wasn’t sure would taste good like vanilla. This is perfect! Strawberry rhubarb pie is my family’s favorite and this dressing is like scraping the pie plate with a spoon after you’ve already had your slice of pie and would feel guilty cutting a whole other slice for yourself, but you just can’t help yourself. This is that! And I can drizzle it over my garden greens! Delicious and guilt-free–my favorite combo! Thank you again.