Spinach Salad With Goat’s Cheese Fritters

Is there anything better than eating a delicious refreshing salad outside in the sun? I don’t think so! This spinach salad is nice and fresh, but also crispy because of the goat’s cheese fritters. Long live the summer!

Nothing compares to eating outside in the summer. Every moment the weather permits, we are comfortably seated with our plates of food on our little balcony. My favourite thing to eat in this setting is a fresh main dish salad; light and refreshing, but packed with flavour and tasty ingredients. This spinach salad has been a favourite for years and has gone through many transformations. But what always remains, is the combination of spinach and mango with a citrus dressing; delicious! This salad is refreshing, but also has a crispy taste because of the goat’s cheese fritters. Make sure you use fresh and good quality ingredients; that way it only gets better!

Ingredients:

• 1 piece of soft goat’s cheese with rind
• One plate of panko
• 2 beaten eggs
• One plate of spelt flour
• 2 hands of flaked almonds
• Good quality olive oil
• 1 lemon: juice and zest
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bag of baby spinach (washed)
• 1 diced mango
• 1 red onion in thin slices
• 1 hand of walnuts
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of chives
• Peanut oil for frying

Preparation:

• Place the sliced onions in a bowl of water; this way the flavour becomes less strong and the taste more crisp.
• Toast the walnuts in a dry pan.
• Toast the almond flakes in a dry pan until lightly browned.
• Mix the walnuts with half of the almond flakes and a pinch of salt.
• Now prepare the fritters: mash the goat’s cheese with a fork and roll firm little balls.
• Grind the other half of the flaked almonds with pestle and mortar and mix with the panko.
• Coat the cheese balls with flower, then egg and end with the panko-almond mixture.
• If you prefer a thicker crust, repeat the last step for a second coating.
• Leave the fritters to cool in the fridge.
• Mix for the dressing olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper and honey.
• Slice the fennel very thinly with a mandoline.
• Chop the herbs very finely.
• Heat the peanut oil in a big pan or wok and fry the goat’s cheese fritters in the hot oil.
• Make sure they do not leak; the oil has to be very hot and the fritters only need a short amount of time.
• You could also fry the leftover panko and egg crumbs for some extra crispy bits.
• Leave the fritters to dry on a piece of kitchen towel.
• Now compose the salad: spinach, dressing, mango, onion, fennel and herbs.
• Dress up the plate: start with the salad, then the nuts and finish with the fritters on top.

Panko is a super light and crispy Japanese breadcrumb that can be used for coating anything you want to give a tasty crust; tempura, cheese fritters, croquettes… anything you like! Available at Asian supermarkets and deli’s.