Crispy fried goat cheese salad served with colorful fruits and vegetables. Fresh arugula, beets, carrots, peas, avocado, berries, and homemade raspberry dressing.
Are you looking for a colorful and healthy dish to bring some sunshine to your day? Something that always puts a smile on my face and impresses my dinner guests is this gorgeous fried goat cheese salad recipe. The peppery arugula leaves tossed with fresh fruits and vegetables creates irresistible textures.
Creamy goat cheese is lightly battered and fried for a deliciously crunchy crust. A bright raspberry poppyseed vinaigrette brings all of the farmers market flavors together in one beautiful bowl, just waiting to be shared!
If you are like me, you will find any excuse to add goat cheese to your meals. For this salad recipe, I used a French Chèvre, which has a light texture, earthy and a slight tart flavor. To make this goat cheese the star of the dish, it is lightly breaded and fried to give a contrast of soft and crispy textures.
How to Fry Goat Cheese
To ensure success, the goat cheese log is chilled in a freezer for about 15 minutes to make it easier to slice. To make a flavorful breading, I combined panko bread crumbs, chopped pecans, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
A standard breading procedure is used, dipping each slice into flour, egg, and a seasoned breadcrumb coating before adding to the hot oil. The goat cheese does not melt, so it holds up very well for a few minutes of frying to achieve the golden-brown crust.
You can refrigerate the coated cheese slices for up to an hour if not frying immediately. The fried goat cheese holds very well and stays crisp for over an hour if you need to prepare these ahead of time before your hungry eaters arrive.
When I design a salad, I love to play with the vibrant colors and textures of the fresh ingredients. Beets are bountiful, so I chose red and yellow varieties and then used a spiralizer to make long ribbons.
For the carrots, you can use a vegetable peeler to create wide strips. Thinly sliced radishes make for a delicate yet eye-catching red and white circles add a little spicy flavor. Crisp sugar snap peas, creamy avocado slices, and bright peppery arugula add gorgeous shades of green. Some ripe blueberries and raspberries add some extra sweet and tart flavors to the wholesome vegetables.
The easiest way to enhance the natural flavors of the fried goat cheese salad is to prepare a homemade dressing. I used whole raspberries, lemon juice, honey, olive oil and poppy seeds for a bright, sweet and citrusy dressing. It all comes together in seconds in a blender!
This fried goat cheese salad recipe is an easy way to highlight the natural flavors of the season. The cheese provides a crispy texture to contrast the soft fruits and crunchy vegetables.
Whether you are serving this salad as an appetizer or light entree, it’s so simple to enhance your dish with colorful ingredients and sophisticated plating. Don’t be afraid to unleash your inner artist and free your creativity with food!
How does the breading process create a crispy crust on the goat cheese?
The standard breading procedure for foods is a 3-step technique. First is to coat the cheese with a thin layer of flour to create a protective protein layer. This hardens once cooked and separates from the cheese into a crispy coating. It also helps the egg layer to stick better to the food. Second, coat the cheese with an egg wash which allows the breadcrumbs to stick to the outside of the cheese. Lastly, the cheese is coated in breadcrumbs to provide the golden brown crunchy exterior once fried. The cheese stays intact and creamy with a nice crust.
Fried Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups arugula, washed and dried
- 2 beets, medium-sized, thinly sliced or spiralized (4 cups)
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 4 radish, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sugar snap peas
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 1 ¼ cup raspberries, divided
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus zest
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Fried Goat Cheese
- 11 ounces goat cheese
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil, as needed (for pan frying)
Instructions
Salad
- In a large bowl add arugula. Arrange beets, carrots, radish, peas, avocado, blueberries, and ¼ cup raspberries.
- In a blender combine 1 cup raspberries, lemon juice, zest, water, and honey until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the blender is running until thickened. Add in poppy seeds and blend for 10 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl a reserve.
Fried Goat Cheese
- Freeze the goat cheese log for 15 minutes to firm before cutting.
- Combine panko, pecans, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Beat egg in a separate bowl. Place flour in a separate bowl.
- Remove the cheese from the freezer. Using a small sharp knife, slice the goat cheese into ½” rounds. Wipe the knife clean in between cuts. Reshape the round if needed to create a nice smooth circle. I find it easier to reshape the cheese once it's been dipped in flour.
- Dip the cheese in the flour, then egg, and then panko mixture and coat both sides.
- Place the breaded cheese rounds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate up to one hour if not frying immediately.
- In a small frying pan, add enough oil to reach halfway up the goat cheese (about ¼-inch deep). Heat the pan over medium-high heat, about 375°F.
- Carefully place the cheese into the pan and cook until golden brown (this cheese cooks very quickly, so check every few seconds), about 30 to 45 seconds. Flip over with a spatula and fry the other side until golden brown.
- Drain the fried cheese on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Serve salad with one or two pieces of the goat cheese and drizzle with raspberry dressing.
Recipe Video
Equipment
Notes
- The fried goat cheese holds very well and stays crisp for over an hour if you need to prepare these ahead of time.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Jill Thomas says
This looks so simple and yummy. I think you need to move in with Jess and I — make it again, just to see if it turns out the same 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Jill! I think your right, I have to ensure that the recipes are repeatable! 😉
Donna says
Wow…I must attempt this gorgeousness..Question…could I possibly use a non-gluten substitution for the panko crumbs?…Any ideas?..Nut or seed ground?…Quinoa flakes…buckwheat flakes…oatmeal ground or oat bran?…Thanks so much for the beautiful offering..The orange/poppyseed vinaigrette sounds stunning..and I adore figs!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Donna, great question! I would definitely recommend grinding and toasting your favorite nuts (like almond, pecan, macadamia, hazelnut), then pressing the chilled slice of goat cheese to create a nice crust. You can than eat as is, or warm it in a 350 degree F oven for about 5 minutes. If you like a crisp crust, maybe a fried herbed corneal would be an idea to try! I have not tried the flakes or oatmeal fried, however I would love to see how it turns out for you! I love figs too, they are in season for about two months, so enjoy them as much as you can! I can’t wait to hear how the recipe turns out for you!
Mary Lou says
Hi Jessica,
For years I have successfully used crushed Rice Krispie cereal as a gluten free breading for veggies & meats. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for the cheese in this recipe which, by the way looks divine! Haven’t made it yet, but if it’s as yummy as all of your others, I know it will be a 5 star winner!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your suggestion Mary Lou, it’s a GREAT idea! I’m going to have to try it for this recipes and others too. You are brilliant!
Carol Svec says
Hi, Jessica! This is definitely going on my list of “Must Make.” One question: I tend not to like sweet flavors in my salads–I avoid any dressing with honey or fruit. If I love the salad but want a different dressing, what would you recommend?
Thank you for all your hard work. Your dishes are beautiful, and you are a very inspiring writer and chef.
Jessica Gavin says
Yay Carol! I think you could do a simple balsamic vinaigrette, red wine vinegar dressing, Italian dressing or even a ranch dressing if you like it creamy 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words, you keep me motivated yo keep creating and sharing my adventures in the kitchen!
Judy Caywood says
Thank you Jessica. This is beautiful and I printed it out to make. I like goat cheese and my husband doesn’t but he is willing to try this so maybe I can work some goat cheese into our menu yet! Anyway what a lovely creation. I have the perfect dressing for this from Trader Joe. I think a poppy seed dressing would work well too. Do you?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Judy! I love that you are trying to get your husband to try new things 🙂 I think that a poppyseed dressing would be perfect!
anna says
Hi Jessica, i must thankyou for your tip on putting the goats cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes, this actually works, One of my favorite foods and i shall certainly try the raspberry sauce with it.
Jean says
Would you say this should feed four? Or more? And you said goat cheese freezes well. Could I bread and fry these up then freeze to use at a later date or might the outside coating become soggy?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Jean- It’s a pretty large salad so 8 small servings and 4 generous ones. The cheese freezes well, but the coating may get soggy. You can prep them ahead of time by coating them and refrigerate before frying. Also after frying the cheese, you can refrigerate for up to 1 day, and then reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees until warm and the outside is lightly crisp again.
Laura says
I would like to know what the yellow spiral vegetable is that is on the salad? All veggies are accounted for in the list of ingredients except for the yellow spiral one. Thank you.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Laura- It’s golden beets 🙂
Leesha Murphy says
Do you use fresh beets and if so do you roast them before spiralling them ?
Jessica Gavin says
I use peeled, raw beets, don’t cook them before spiralizing.