A quick and refreshing salad featuring creamy goat cheese, juicy tomatoes, peppery cress, and a tangy lime dressing, topped with Parmesan and balsamic glaze.
Salads are the epitome of versatility, suitable for any occasion—be it a festive dinner, a casual lunch, or a quick snack. They’re easy to adapt and satisfy everyone, from picky eaters to those seeking a light, refreshing dish.
This goat cheese salad is a simple yet elegant recipe shared by Armenian chef Artak Sarkisyan. The creamy tang of goat cheese pairs beautifully with the freshness of tomatoes and the peppery bite of cress. A drizzle of olive oil, lime juice, and balsamic vinegar adds the perfect balance of acidity and richness, while Parmesan brings a savory finish.
- Cut the tomatoes into 2 cm dice and put them in the bowl.
- Season the tomatoes with salt and the lime juice, toss and leave for 5 minutes.
- Cut the cold goat cheese into 2 cm cubes with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry.
- Add the goat cheese and olive oil to the tomatoes and fold gently once or twice, so the cheese keeps its shape.
- Divide the salad between the four plates.
- Scatter the cress over the top.
- Shave the Parmesan over the salads with the vegetable peeler.
- Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and serve at once.
- Prepare the Ingredients
- Dice the tomatoes and goat cheese into bite-sized cubes.
- Place them in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt and lime juice.
- Assemble the Salad
- Drizzle olive oil over the tomato and goat cheese mixture and toss gently.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving plate.
- Add the Garnish
- Sprinkle cress leaves on top of the salad.
- Add Parmesan shavings and drizzle balsamic vinegar for a final touch.
- Serve
- Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing, light dish.
- The chef's single plate tripled into four starters His one serving uses 100 g of goat cheese and 200 g of tomatoes, a main-course salad; three times the amounts makes four starter plates.
- Firm goat cheese, kept cold until cutting Soft fresh goat cheese smears when you cube it; a firm log straight from the fridge, or goat's-milk feta, holds its shape. If yours is soft, crumble it instead.
- Balsamic glaze instead of balsamic vinegar The introduction describes a balsamic glaze; thin vinegar would run into the tomato juices.
- Cress can be watercress or upland cress Garden cress in small punnets is common in European shops; elsewhere watercress or upland cress gives the same peppery bite.
- Salt added to the list The method seasons the tomatoes with salt, but the list leaves it out.
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.