Blackberry Salad with Basil Pesto Vinaigrette

on May 27, 2019, Updated Jul 08, 2023

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The dressing is the best part of this blackberry salad with basil pesto vinaigrette because the herby flavor pairs perfectly with the berries, walnuts and feta.

You won’t see me using my iPhone to take pictures in restaurants. I am a home-cooking blogger through and through.

When I do dine out, I just want to focus on the company and the food and not how to document the meal.

Also, most of the time restaurant lighting isn’t great for photos, or at least ones that I would feel comfortable sharing.

But I do make exceptions.

There’s a folder of photos on my phone with select restaurant shots.

I might take a quick, discreet snapshot of a plate of food that that I find inspiring—a dish that I want to take to my kitchen to put my on spin on it.

I was reminiscing through photos from a year ago when we took a trip to southern California. It was an adventure with a little something for my son, my husband and me.

Of course it involved Legos, architecture & design and food.

Since I am an interior designer married to an architect, I always say that we are great vacation partners because we want to see the same things.

Fortunately, our five-year-old has adapted to our travel style.

We split the West coast vacation between Legoland and Los Angeles.

It was just the right mix of activities for our family.

After our exhausting first day with travel and an afternoon spent at the theme park, we went out for pizza.

I had a mixed greens salad with strawberries, blueberries and candied nuts. The salad was so good that I snapped a grainy photo of it.

How To Make This Blackberry Salad with Basil Pesto Vinaigrette

Now that we are in berry season once again, I took some inspiration from that salad and made a blackberry salad with basil pesto vinaigrette.

I debated the greens. Peppery arugula or spinach? I ended up using a mix of both.

I halved the blackberries, so I would have more of them in the salad. Also, some of their juices ended up in the greens. It was unplanned and really good.

For other mix-ins, I included red onions and walnuts. Crumbled feta gave the salad some salty bite.

The vinaigrette might have been my favorite part. It was just a mixture of pesto, lemon juice and olive oil. I loved how that strong herby flavor paired with the berries.