Recipes Salads 23 Simple Salads for Summer Picnics By Food & Wine Editors Updated on July 16, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: CON POULOS Light, fresh, and seasonal, these filling salads will be the star of any picnic. Just make sure to bring lots of baguette and wine, of course. 01 of 23 Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette Eva Kolenko Potlikker, as it's called in the South, is the savory, starchy liquid left over after cooking beans or greens. Here, chef Joe Kindred whisks the über-flavor liquid into a vinaigrette, but you can also use it in soups and pasta sauces, or thicken it with butter and drizzle over fish. Get the Recipe 02 of 23 Southern Cobb Salad with Roasted Sweet Onion Dressing Con Poulos This fantastic salad gets a boost of flavor from a toasty roasted sweet onion and garlic dressing. Get the Recipe 03 of 23 Shrimp Salad with Hominy, Arugula and Lime © Sarah Bolla With similar ingredients you'd find wrapped up in taco, this brightly colored shrimp salad is light but satisfying. Enjoy with chips and beer on a hot day. Get the Recipe 04 of 23 Fresh Snow Pea Salad with Pancetta & Pecorino Daniel Humm's terrific summer salad is crisp and lemony, with bits of meaty pancetta and lots of fresh mint. Since the snow peas aren't cooked, it's best to buy them super-fresh, preferably from a farmers market. Get the Recipe 05 of 23 Grilled Bread and Marinated Tomato Salad © John Kernick Grilling the bread for this panzanella (bread salad) adds a slight smokiness and crunch. Marinate the tomatoes ahead of time so all you have to do is grill the bread and assemble the salad to serve. Get the Recipe 06 of 23 Baby Lettuces with Feta, Strawberries and Almonds This salad is an extraordinary combination of ingredients that wouldn't seem to go together: feta, strawberries, and almonds. Get the Recipe 07 of 23 Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon and Cider Vinegar © Fredrika Stjärne In this riff on corn chowder, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell toss corn, potatoes and bacon with cider vinegar. They grow at least five varieties of sweet corn each summer, and they're always coming up with new ways to use it. Because the corn for this salad is barely cooked, it's best to use the juiciest kernels available. Get the Recipe 08 of 23 Crunchy Vegetable Salad with Ricotta Crostini Michael White's fennel-and-asparagus salad uses a variety of herbs, including chervil and lemon balm, but it's equally delightful here made with just basil and tarragon. Get the Recipe 09 of 23 Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette This warm, garlicky anchovy dressing here is fantastic with an assortment of juicy, peak-season tomatoes. To finish the dish, Amelia O'Reilly and Nico Monday top it with tangy pickled shallots and an oozy, soft-boiled egg. Get the Recipe 10 of 23 Green Mango Salad © Maura McEvoy The mangoes in this jalapeño-spiced salad are full of vitamin C. Be sure to use firm, underripe fruit: They add an essential tang to the recipe. Get the Recipe 11 of 23 Marinated Carrot Salad with Ginger and Sesame Oil © Anna Williams Grilling concentrates the sweet flavor of fresh baby carrots. (Bagged "baby" carrots will never taste the same.) Bryce Gilmore marinates them, then tosses them with a wonderful and unusual dressing he makes by cooking butter until brown, then pureeing it with marcona almonds and sherry vinegar. Get the Recipe 12 of 23 Avocado, Orange and Jicama Salad Feta is a fun, briny addition to this salad's Mexican mix of jicama, avocado and cilantro. Get the Recipe 13 of 23 Warm Summer Vegetable Salad In this hearty salad, chef Marco Canora cooks the vegetables until their flavor is fully developed before tossing them with a pungent anchovy dressing. Get the Recipe 14 of 23 Carrot-and-Chickpea Salad Chef Charles Kelsey tosses chickpeas and carrots with a deliciously unusual combination of smoked paprika, cumin and cilantro. Get the Recipe 15 of 23 Charred Corn Salad with Mint, Parsley and Cilantro London chef Yotam Ottolenghi created this quick corn-and-herb salad that's delicious alongside grilled meats. Get the Recipe 16 of 23 Israeli Couscous and Tomato Salad with Arugula Pesto Arugula pesto is peppery and bright. The trick is to blanch the arugula and squeeze it dry, so when you blend it with the pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese, the resulting pesto isn't too wet. Get the Recipe 17 of 23 Spinach and Smoked Salmon Salad with Lemon-Dill Dressing CHRISTINA HOLMES Melissa Rubel's refreshingly crunchy, tangy salad makes for an excellent summer lunch or super quick dinner. Get the Recipe 18 of 23 Pea Shoot and Arugula Salad with Radishes and Hazelnuts With their sweet, mild pea flavor and their juicy stems, pea shoots are becoming a popular salad addition. Here, they're the perfect foil for sharp arugula and radishes, herbal fennel and toasty hazelnuts. Get the Recipe 19 of 23 Grilled Tomato Salad with Mozzarella and Unagi Sauce JOHN KERNICK Chicago chef Stephanie Izard makes the ultimate summer salad with a creamy version of sweet-salty Japanese unagi sauce, which is typically brushed over eel. Get the Recipe 20 of 23 Okra Summer Salad © Emily Farris This hearty salad features some of summer's most bountiful crops: okra, tomatoes and sweet corn straight from the cob, with black beans, onion and avocado. Canned beans and an easy dressing make preparation quick and easy. Get the Recipe 21 of 23 Summer Chopped Salad with Quick-Pickled Vegetables Paul Newman, the late co-owner of Dressing Room, Michel Nischan's restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, loved a good chopped salad. To add a tangy burst of flavor, Nischan pickles the carrots, celery and peppers before tossing them with the rest of the salad. Get the Recipe 22 of 23 Summer Vegetable and Potato Salad with Anchovy Dressing © Quentin Bacon This colorful salad of green and yellow beans and waxy potatoes reminds Jonathan Benno of his brief stint in the kitchen at Al Di La, a wildly popular Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. His friend Anna Klinger, the chef and co-owner, taught him how to make this deliciously tangy dressing, a mix of anchovies, poached garlic and olive oil. Get the Recipe 23 of 23 Tomato, Haricots Verts and Potato Salad CON POULOS This rustic Italian salad is a great way to showcase perfect, in-season produce. Swap out the summer tomatoes and green beans for roasted root vegetables and fennel in the winter, or asparagus and shaved artichokes in the spring — the possibilities are endless. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit