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Fresh Strawberry Balsamic Salsa

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Strawberry Balsamic Salsa is a sweet, tangy, refreshing summer fruit salsa that’s perfect for utilizing your farmer’s market haul of berries and herbs!

fresh strawberry balsamic salsa recipe

I’ve become such a fan of fresh fruit salsas the past few years. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good bowl of traditional garden salsa, or a tangy salsa verde. But, sweet, ripe summer fruits make incredible salsas that are perfect for dipping and using in a multitude of recipes from breakfast to dessert.

One of my favorite fruit salsa recipes is this Strawberry Balsamic Salsa. I combine juicy diced berries with a splash of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, cracked black pepper, and fresh herbs. The berries macerate in the sugar and vinegar and produce a rich, sweet-tangy elixir. It’s a refreshing combination of savory and sweet on a hot summer day.

strawberry balsamic salsa brown sugar

strawberry balsamic salsa basil mint

Making Strawberry Balsamic Salsa – Quick and Easy!

This recipe doesn’t take long to make and is perfect for busy summer schedules. It’s best served shortly after it’s made, as the berries will continue to release their juices the longer the salsa sits.

For best results, you’ll want to find the sweetest summer strawberries available. If you end up with a basket that’s more to the tart side, you can always add additional brown sugar, to taste, to balance out the flavors.

Bear in mind that balsamic vinegar introduces another layer of tang to the salsa, so if you’re starting with especially tart berries, you’ll want to reduce the vinegar slightly and/or add more sugar. Play around with the proportions to find the balance that works best for your particular strawberry haul.

strawberry balsamic salsa pita chip

Serve it up!

The uses for Strawberry Balsamic Salsa are pretty much endless. It’s great on waffles, in lunch wraps, and even on top of ice cream. But, when serving this recipe, I most often turn to what I’ve come to call the “4-C’s” of Strawberry Balsamic Salsa: Chips, Chicken, Crostini, and (Short)Cake.

Chips: Lightly-salted or cinnamon-sugar pita chips are great for dipping.

Chicken: Use the salsa to top grilled chicken breasts.

Crostini: Spread toasted baguette slices with mascarpone cheese (sweetened with honey, if desired), and top with dollops of the strawberry balsamic salsa.

(Short)Cake: Fill layers of buttermilk biscuits with lightly-sweetened whipped cream and spoonfuls of strawberry salsa.

But, wait, there’s a video!

I’ve started making recipe videos (hello, learning curve!), and put together one for this recipe. If you enjoy the video, I’d love for you to like and share it with your friends on Facebook. (Click HERE for the sharable Facebook post.) Your support is what makes Striped Spatula a success, and I’m so grateful for it.


fresh strawberry balsamic salsa recipe
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Strawberry Balsamic Salsa

The amount of brown sugar you use in this salsa will depend on how sweet your strawberries are. I've had to go up to 3 tablespoons of sugar when I've gotten tart berries. Taste your berries before preparing the salsa and adjust as needed.

Course: Appetizer, Condiment
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound strawberries, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1-3 tablespoons light brown sugar, depending on how sweet your berries are
  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus additional, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Stir together strawberries, balsamic vinegar, light brown sugar, and black pepper. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir in basil and mint. Season to taste with additional black pepper. Serve!

Serving ideas

  1. Dip with your favorite crackers or pita chips.

  2. Top grilled chicken, steak, or fish.

  3. Make crostini: spread slices of toasted baguette with mascarpone cheese and top with a dollop of strawberry balsamic salsa. If desired, sweeten mascarpone with a bit of honey (stir in about 1 tablespoon to a cup of cheese, to taste). 

  4. Make shortcakes: Layer lightly-sweetened whipped cream and strawberry balsamic salsa onto your favorite biscuits!

Have you made this recipe? Take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!

Pearled Couscous Stuffed Peppers

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These Pearled Couscous Stuffed Peppers can be served as an easy and delicious meatless main course, or a side dish. With spinach, white beans, parmesan, and a drizzle of lemon-chive vinaigrette they’re a satisfying vegetarian alternative to the classic ground meat and rice stuffing.

couscous stuffed peppers recipe

As much as I love snowy days snuggled up with hot chocolate, warm fires, and ultra-cozy headbands that somebody in this house likes to steal, I have been ecstatic to trade it all in for polo dresses, sandals, and dinners on the patio.

Not to mention all the fresh produce. Say hello to prime farmer’s market season, friends!

In the spirit of the warmer weather (it’s been a gorgeous 80 degrees in New Jersey), I made one of my favorite weeknight meals this past week: Pearled Couscous Stuffed Peppers.

I fill sweet, roasted pepper halves with toasted pearled couscous, baby spinach, parmesan cheese, and creamy cannellini beans. Topped with a little extra parmesan and a quick lemon-chive vinaigrette, this is the perfect dinner to enjoy al fresco with a cold iced tea or glass of your favorite white wine….

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Josephine’s Tomato Salad

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My grandmother’s Tomato Salad is a light and simple way to savor some of the best summer flavors. Don’t forget the bread to dip into the sweet-tangy tomato juices!

Josephine's Tomato Salad recipe

There hasn’t been a summer of my adult life when I haven’t waxed poetic about tomatoes. Is there anything in the world like biting into a warm, sweet, juicy tomato, plucked fresh from the vine? It’s one of nature’s finest gifts.

As I mentioned a few years ago, I have many fond memories of the tomatoes my grandfather grew when I was a child. It simply wasn’t summer until dinner included a bowl of my grandmother’s salad, made with the tomatoes Grandpa had grown in his garden.

Josephine (“Nanny”) taught me that beautiful summer produce doesn’t need much in terms of “extras” to be enjoyed to its fullest. Her salad is a simple one, combining wedged tomatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, thinly-sliced Vidalia onions, fresh herbs, and salt. It’s a recipe that defines summer in my heart and on my palate, reminding me of warm evenings spent on my grandparents’ patio, and the abundance of love that was shared around their table.

Heirloom Tomatoes in handcrafted maple bowl

With so many different and unique heirloom cultivars available at farm markets today, it’s easier than ever to create an artful tomato salad with a vibrant mix of colors and flavors. The salad photographed here includes selections from the “Cocktail Tomato Bar” at Sansone’s Farm Market in Hopewell, NJ (a recent find for me and a stop that I highly recommend if you’re in the area), and straight-from-the-garden organic tomatoes that my neighbor gave me.

By tossing the salad and letting it rest for 15 minutes before serving, the salt will draw out some of the tomatoes’ juices, which will pool in the bottom of the bowl. Liquid gold, I tell you. Give me a wedge of crusty artisan bread for dipping and I’ve died and gone to heaven.

We love to serve tomato salad alongside grilled meats and seafood, but I often eat it on its own, with a few slices of piquant, imported provolone or a round of burrata. Paired with cheese, tomato salad is perfect for a light lunch that is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat….

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Mixed Citrus Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

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 Mixed Citrus Salad is a sweet, savory, and easy way to bring new life to your favorite fruits any time of year.

Mixed Citrus Salad with honey balsamic vinaigrette

The first time I had citrus salad was back in college (more years ago than feel possible, but “Go Spiders!”). At least a few times a week, my friends and I would meet off campus between classes to grab lunch at one of Richmond’s many cafés. On this particular spring afternoon, I remember arriving at the restaurant with a craving for a country ham and brie croissant, and found myself  intrigued by the citrus salad on the “specials” board. I’d had my fair share of fruit salads in the past, but one made entirely of oranges? Dressed with a tangy vinaigrette? It was a “must try” that instantly set my heart aflutter. In my version of the salad, I drizzle orange and grapefruit slices with white balsamic-honey vinaigrette and top them with fresh basil, mint, crumbled goat cheese, and a sprinkling of sea salt and cracked pepper. This Mixed Citrus Salad is simple way to dress up fruit for a light lunch or side dish that’s a refreshing departure from the ordinary.

balsamic honey vinaigrette…

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