I was recently browsing through my Instagram newsfeed when I came across a delectable photo of a fig and feta salad that someone else had uploaded (Thanks @fromforestsforthesoft aka Perth fashion stylist Hannah McGrath!). For some reason I had three large figs in my fridge (I don’t actually like to eat fresh figs, I think I bought them because they looked nice!) and so I instantly knew I had to try to emulate this salad. I paired them with Persian feta which has a rounder taste and smoother texture than your regular Greek-style feta, and they complemented the sweet, soft figs perfectly! It’s a seriously easy dish, super fast to whip up, and very satisfying. Here’s how I made my version…

Ingredients:

• 400g mixed salad greens, washed and dried
• 100g whole walnuts
• 3 large figs, sliced about 8mm thick
• 3-4 cubes of Persian feta
• 1 tablespoon honey
• extra virgin olive oil
• cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Spread your walnuts out on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes, they’re ready when they brown up and you can smell their nutty aroma. Take them out to cool.
3. In the meanwhile, place your fig slices and honey in a bowl, add a splash of olive oil, and coat the figs by gently stirring (not too vigorously or else you’ll pulverise the figs!)
4. Heat another dash of olive oil up in a large fry pan over medium heat. Gently pan fry the fig slices, taking care to maintain the shape and form of the fruit. They only really need 1 minute on each side, you’re only aiming to heat them up.
5. Arrange your salad greens on a nice big bowl or platter, then top with the figs, walnuts and feta. I like to break the feta up into smaller pieces with a teaspoon and somewhat scatter them around.
6. Finish off with a bit of cracked pepper and another slosh of glorious extra virgin olive oil.