Summery Fruit Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Balls
This Summery Fruit Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Balls is easier than it looks – packed with sweet fruit, crisp herbs, and savory fried goat cheese. The perfect sweet and savory dish!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Salad
- 1–2 cups strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup arugula, chopped
- 1 cup kiwis, chopped
- 1/2 cup peeled mandarin orange pieces
- 2 cucumbers, diced
- 1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
- 1 TBSP fresh dill, chopped
- 1 TBSP fresh mint, chopped
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Fried Goat Cheese Balls
- 8 oz fresh goat cheese
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Add the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs to 3 separate bowls.
- Slice the goat cheese into 1-in balls. Set aside a baking sheet. One by one, roll goat cheese ball into flour, then coat in egg, and roll in breadcrumbs. Set on baking sheet. Repeat with all goat cheese balls. Place baking sheet in freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- While goat cheese balls are setting, add chopped strawberries, arugula, kiwis, mandarin oranges, cucumbers, basil, dill, and mint to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then drizzle atop fruit salad.
- Coat a cast iron skillet with 3 cups of vegetable oil and heat for ~5 minutes on medium heat. When ready to fry, set aside a paper towel-lined plate. Place 4 balls at a time in the frying pan, letting sit undisturbed for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, gently rotate balls every 20 seconds or so to continue to fry until a golden brown. Once done, remove using a slotted spoon and place on paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all goat cheese balls are fried. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Add the goat cheese balls to the fruit salad and enjoy!