Strawberry Black Pudding Salad
This unusual combination was inspired by a Strawberry Black Pudding Salad I had years ago in a tiny restaurant in Clonakilty, right beside the butcher who makes the famous Clonakilty Black Pudding, which is arguably the best you’ll find anywhere in Ireland. With oats that get crunchy when frying and its fantastic depth of flavour. Together with strawberries, each mouthful tastes like a party in your mouth, umami, sweet and fruity, crunch and juiciness creating a very more-ish mix. It also is incredibly quick to prepare, with just a few ingredients, while giving you a great calorie vs volume ratio.
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Why You Will Love This
Super Quick to Prepare
The whole salad comes together in less than half an hour, making this a great option for those busy weeknights. Just a few veggies to chop, fry the black pudding, blend the Almond-Strawberry Vinaigrette and you are done.
Just remember to soak the almonds the evening before or 1h before in boiling water. In a pinch you could use almond butter. Bringing me right to
The Almond-Strawberry Vinaigrette
I discovered nut based dressings while reading “Eat to Live” by Joel Fuhrman and my dressing game changed daramatically. Not only does the nut base add additional flavour and nutrition, it also is lower calorie while being higher in nutrients. Contrary to the Nutritarian approach however, I do add salt to my recipes. Which brings me back to the pleasure aspect of this blog. Salt elevates the flavours of ingredients, so to me it is important. If you are on a low sodium diet, you could add more balsamic vinegar, since acidity is perceived as salty by our taste buds.
Helps You to Lose Weight
The portion size here is given for the Strawberry Black Pudding Salad to be a main meal. One large plate filled to the top.
This way of eating is big part of how I lost a lot of weight and am keeping it off, since the high volume of plants easily fills and satisfies you until the next meal, while keeping the calories low.
If you’d like to serve it as starter or side, it makes about 6-8 portions.
The Ingredients
As with most of my salads, I aimed to add as many plants as possible.
- The base idea of Strawberries and Black Pudding was clear. So I started looking for veggies to match those two.
- Cucumber, being relatively neutral in flavor, adds more crunch and juiciness
- Romano peppers with their sweet flavour support the fruitiness of the salad, giving a different kind of crunch
- Red onion gives both sweetness and contrast, going really well with the black pudding.
- Greens of some kind. I chose mixed baby leaves here for peppery accents and a softer texture, as the Black Pudding has lots of crunch already.
The Process
The Strawberry-Almond Vinaigrette
- Place the raw almonds in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. This will soften the almonds and make them easier to blend. Alternatively pour freshly boiled water over them and let them stand for 1h.
- Rinse the strawberries for the dressing under cold water and remove the stems.
- Drain the soaked almonds and add them to a high-speed blender like Vitamix* or Nutribullet* (preferred option for a smooth dressing) or food processor* in a pinch. Add the strawberries, water, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a few basil leaves. Blend until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender occasionally to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Taste the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper according to your preference. Add a little at a time, tasting as you go, until the flavour is balanced to your liking.
- Transfer the Almond Strawberry Vinaigrette to a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Store it in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake well before using.
- Note: If you prefer a smoother vinaigrette, you can strain it through a fine-mesh sieve after blending to remove any almond or strawberry pulp, especially if you used a food processor instead of a high-speed blender.
Prepare the salad
- Preheat a large frying pan* over medium heat. Add the sliced black pudding and cook until crispy on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the baby leaves with the dressing of your choice. (I used my Almond-Strawberry Vinaigrette here, but if you prefer you can make a simple olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette)
- Add the cubed cucumber, strawberries, and pepper strips.
- Top with the warm Black Pudding, drizzle with a little more dressing. Enjoy!
Meal Prep
Store the vegetables and dressing in separate lidded containers* in your fridge. They will keep for about 4 days.
When ready to eat, just fry the black pudding and assemble. And you’ll have dinner on the table within minutes.
Here Are Some Other Salads You Might Enjoy:
Grilled Peach Mozzarella Salad
Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Strawberry Black Pudding Salad
Equipment
- 1 High Speed Blender or
- 1 Bullet Blender for the dressing
Ingredients
- 2 packs Black Pudding I used Clonakilty. Cut into thick slices, about 1.5 cm/ 0.7in
- 1 cucumber cubed
- 2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and cut into halves or quarters, depending on size
- 2 Romano peppers or red bell peppers. Cut into strips crosswise
- 2 bags baby leaves washed
Almond-Strawberry Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup raw almonds soaked ideally overnight.
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
The Strawberry-Almond Vinaigrette
- Place the raw almonds in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. This will soften the almonds and make them easier to blend. Alternatively pour freshly boiled water over them and let them stand for 1h.
- Rinse the strawberries for the dressing under cold water and remove the stems.
- Drain the soaked almonds and add them to a high-speed blender (preferred option for a smooth dressing) or food processor. Add the strawberries, water, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a few basil leaves. Blend until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender occasionally to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Taste the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper according to your preference. Add a little at a time, tasting as you go, until the flavour is balanced to your liking.
- Transfer the Almond Strawberry Vinaigrette to a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Store it in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake well before using.
- Note: If you prefer a smoother vinaigrette, you can strain it through a fine-mesh sieve after blending to remove any almond or strawberry pulp, especially if you used a food processor instead of a high-speed blender.
Prepare the salad
- Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced black pudding and cook until crispy on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the baby leaves with the dressing of your choice. (I used my Almond-Strawberry Vinaigrette here, but if you prefer you can make a simple olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette)
- Add the cubed cucumber, strawberries, and pepper strips.
- Top with the warm Black Pudding, drizzle with a little more dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
When ready to serve, fry or reheat the Black Pudding, assemble and you have dinner within 10 minutes. The 4 portions are very large main meal bowls, to satisfy you until the next meal. It’s one of the “secrets” of my weight loss journey, to eat a really big and exciting salad for dinner, so I don’t feel like I need to snack.
This is indeed an interesting pairing but nonetheless tasty
This salad was amazing! The strawberries added the perfect amount of sweetness. The recipe was easy to follow and did not take a long time to prep!
This Salad is pure genius! I just got back from Ireland in June where I tried black pudding for the first time at breakfast. I loved it! I never thought I’d see it in a salad, but this combo is incredible. I found out that I actually can buy black pudding in specialty stores in Minnesota (who knew! )
It’s not Clonakilty but any brand will have to do! I am definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks!
Strawberry Black pudding salad looks delicious, Perfect dessert. I tried it. My family enjoyed.
This was as delicious as the black pudding we had in Ireland, but adding it as part of a saladwas genius!!! I loved every bite.
This salad was so easy, light, and yet filling. My favorite part was the tasty Almond Strawberry Vinaigrette. wow. so much flavor. Thank you