The best savoury recipes with strawberries

Strawberries are one of summer's best gifts. Bright, shiny and full of sweet, juicy flavours, these popular flavour bombs are so versatile you can use them for sweet and savoury recipes.

If you have a glut of strawberries waiting to be eaten, or perhaps they have gone past their best, why not try cooking your summer berries into a selection of savoury summer dishes?

Forget sweet meringues, tarts and jams, and instead accentuate the salty, the nutty and the peppery. Discover some intensely savoury salads, mains, sides and more summer dishes built around strawberries.

Strawberries love basil, mint and black pepper as seasonings, and are great with toasted nuts, especially almonds, and balsamic dressings.

Think strawberry risotto, pasta salad and fresh summer salads that say 'summer is here.' Strawberries elevate an everyday salad into the sunny heights of summer, or if you're grilling try tossing on some fresh ripe strawberries to add extra smoky char to your dishes.

Take a look at the best savoury recipes with strawberries below.

Savoury strawberry appetisers

Set the tone for a summer dinner with savoury strawberry appetisers like Salty Kitchen's strawberry bruschetta, or bite-size strawberry jalapeño poppers and savoury strawberry and goat's cheese pizza with these recipes by California Strawberries. Or keep it fresh, simple and fun with fuss-free and flavourful strawberry and mozzarella skewers by Rosemary and Maple.

Strawberry pasta salad

Saucy Kitchen shares its take on a fresh and vibrant strawberry pasta salad, which only takes 10 basic ingredients and less than 20 minutes to prepare. It's the sort of salad that packs up well and stands up to the heat of a summer's day making it the perfect addition to any picnic menu.

Risotto with strawberries

The 1990s classic, still served at weddings and on some traditional restaurant menus, adds summer flair to an Italian risotto. For extra dazzle try adding Prosecco.

Strawberry feta salad

Strawberry lends itself to simple salads, like fresh spinach, crumbled feta, balsamic vinegar, walnuts, mint leaves, lemon zest and strawberries. Or, try creating flavour combinations with your favourite seasonal ingredients. 

Strawberry salad

To build a simple summer salad, throw strawberries together with punchy greens like watercress, spinach or kale, add toasted nuts, like almonds, and even a salty cheese like feta or aged ricotta, if you feel like it. Toss everything together in a bright vinaigrette. Take your pick of other salad essentials like avocado, fennel, cucumber, celery or red onion, and top with fresh basil or mint.

Try Martha Stewart's watercress, strawberry and toasted sesame salad.

Strawberry gazpacho

If summer says gazpacho to you, try a remake of the favourite punchy Spanish summer soup, by throwing in strawberries instead of tomatoes. Here's Eleven Madison Park's strawberry gazpacho, as shared by Food52.

Duck with strawberries

Duck – and other meats like chicken, beef and pork, both grilled or roasted – works well with a punchy strawberry relish. Martha Stewart has this recipe idea: sauté capers and garlic in olive oil then pour the briny oil over diced strawberries. Add a splash of vinegar like white balsamic or sherry, a drizzle of honey, and some chopped pistachios.

Burrata and strawberries

Tossing ripe strawberries into a tomato and mozzarella or burrata salad adds flavour and a fruity sweetness that balances the creaminess and tanginess of the cheese while balancing out the sweet notes of balsamic vinegar.

Try this burrata, strawberry and basil salad from Bon Appetit. It's as simple as surrounding a whole burrata with freshly sliced strawberries, fresh basil leaves and walnuts, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar reduction, and then seasoning with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. 

Fresh strawberries and ceviche

Strawberries also go brilliantly with seafood. Try a refreshing shrimp ceviche as a cool and elegant appetiser with a hint of heat in this recipe for strawberry shrimp ceviche from California Strawberries.