What makes this salad so appealing is the contrast between the ingredients. The raspberries bring softness and a gentle tart sweetness, while the blue cheese adds a deeper, salty richness that gives the salad more character. Sweet onion keeps the sharper flavors from becoming too strong, and the toasted pine nuts add a buttery crunch that makes every bite feel a little more complete. It is one of those salads where each ingredient really has a purpose.
Martha’s Vineyard Salad also has a name that invites a certain mood: fresh air, simple ingredients, and a plate that feels both clean and generous. It is easy to share and pleasant to return to, whether you serve it as a light lunch, a first course, or alongside a simple dinner. For a recipe for two, it is a lovely choice when you want something a little more refined than an everyday green salad.
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Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
FOR THE SALAD
- Sweet onion – other onions are also an option.
- Pine nuts
- Mixed salad greens – For this salad I used a pre-mixed green salad; they’re easy, not expensive. For a household of 2, it makes no sense to buy 4 of 5 different types of lettuces, so every now and then I buy the pre mixes.
- Blue cheese – Here you can go so many ways. This time I used Point Reyes Original Blue, a creamy blue cheese that is not overpowering, not stinky (like a Roquefort can be), not too crumbly (like a Blue Stilton can be), and has enough blue flavor to be a good salad blue. For me, the Original Blue is a wonderful cheese when you like to start to learn to appreciate blue cheese.
- Fresh raspberries
- Fresh tarragon – dry can also be used.
FOR THE DRESSING
- Fresh raspberries
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Balsamic vinegar
- Light brown sugar
How to Make Martha’s Vineyard Salad
Step 1 – Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add the onion. Bake the onion until it is lightly caramelized. Allow to cool.
Transfer the mixed salad green over 2 plates and divide the caramelized onion on top of the salad.
Step 2 – Drape the fresh raspberries as the next layer.
Step 3 – Cut the blue cheese in thin slices, break those slices and divide them over the plates.
I prefer slices of blue cheese for this salad over crumbles, because it adds to the beauty of the salad.
Step 4 – Make a raspberry balsamic vinegar from all the ingredients add salt & pepper to taste.
Check out this post to see how to make the dressing.
Step 5 – Toast the pine nuts. Check out this post to see how. Allow them to cool a little and then sprinkle them over the salad.
Now it is time for a drizzle of the raspberry balsamic vinegar.
Step 6 – Last but not least; divide fresh tarragon over the salad. This herb makes the salad complete as it works very well with the raspberries.
I know that not everybody is a fan of blue cheese, I hear that over and over again. Personally, I love blue cheese, and I find it is sometimes hard to believe that some can say ‘I don’t like blue cheese’. There are so many varieties of blue cheese, so many different flavors and textures, that saying that you don’t like blue cheese is not the way to go. Take the opportunity to learn, to explore and try a blue cheese you’ve never tried before; your taste perception may have changed.
But if you can’t make that step to try a new cheese, add feta, or goat cheese to the salad.
Martha’s Vineyard Salad for Two
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
For the Salad
- 1/2 sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 3 cups mixed salad greens
- 2 ounces blue cheese
- 1/2 cup raspberries, optional
- fresh tarragon
For the Dressing
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add the onion. Bake the onion until it is lightly caramelized. Allow to cool.
- Transfer the mixed salad green over 2 plates and divide the caramelized onion on top of the salad.
- Drape the fresh raspberries over the lettuce, as the next layer.
- Cut the blue cheese in thin slices, break those slices and divide them over the plates. (NOTE 1)
- Make a raspberry balsamic vinegar buy placing all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a uniform mixture. Strain that mixture to get rid of all the raspberry seeds. Season with salt & pepper to taste. (NOTE 2)
- Toast the pine nuts. (NOTE 3). Allow them to cool a little and then sprinkle them over the salad.
- Now it is time for a drizzle of the raspberry balsamic vinegar.
- Last but not least; divide fresh tarragon over the salad. This herb makes the salad complete as it works very well with the raspberries.
Notes
- I prefer slices of blue cheese for this salad over crumbles, because it adds to the beauty of the salad.
- Check out this post to see how to make the dressing.
- Check out this post to learn how to toast pine nuts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.