Easy + Fresh Fig Salad with Scallops

Summer is here and for us, that means we eat a LOT of salads for dinner. Salad is easy, quick, and healthy. And salad is COOL. But what I don’t want is my salad to be boring, so I’m always trying to come up with new combinations of favorite ingredients. Enter this super easy, Fresh Fig Salad with Scallops. Sweet scallops and figs combine with tangy goat cheese, crunchy toasted walnuts, spicy arugula, and crispy prosciutto in this beautiful salad for the summer.

Jump to Recipe

It’s finally fig season here in California. I have a complicated relationship with figs. Mostly I like them, but they have to be a part of something else, rather than a standalone snack. Like, I wouldn’t just eat a fig to eat a fig. But put a fig in a salad, or a cookie, or a tart and we’re in business – and that applies to both fresh and dried.

I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, the formula for a perfect salad is a balance of flavors and textures. They need something tender (avocados, tomatoes, fruit), something crunchy (nuts, seeds, crisp veggies), something salty (cheese, bacon, prosciutto), and something tangy (lemon juice, vinegar). They should be beautiful to look at, and should always always always use the freshest ingredients possible. This salad meets those requirements, naturally.

Here’s what you need to make this Fig Salad with Scallops:

• Fresh figs – Fig season goes from about mid-May through November, give or take. You can tell if a fig is ready to eat in a few ways; the skin should be smooth, dry, and with no cracks. It should give a little under light pressure, but not be overly soft. If figs aren’t in season, it’s perfectly acceptable to use dried, chopped fits in this salad.
• I love putting cheese in my salads. In this one, I use goat cheese or chevre. Its tangy flavor and soft texture perfectly compliment the sweet figs.
• Scallops – It’s more important than ever to buy sustainable seafood. According to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, scallops are almost always a sustainable choice! Scallops are sweet and succulent and a great source of protein.
• I almost always put some sort of nuts in my salads. Here, I’ve used roasted walnuts, and also toasted walnut oil in the dressing. Walnuts have a slightly bitter flavor that compliments the sweet figs and scallops.
• I’m absolutely obsessed with arugula. It’s spicy, nutty and so flavorful. In this salad I’ve combined wild arugula with mixed baby greens – that way it still has plenty of flavor, but doesn’t overwhelm the star of the show, the more delicate scallops and figs.
• For the salty element, and also to add some more crunch, this salad has thin slices of prosciutto that are crisped up in a pan. They are total flavor bombs so a little goes a long way. So does a lot, your choice.

Some tips for cooking fresh scallops

Because my scallops were on the smaller side, I was worried about overcooking them. I chose to have them a little less golden brown in exchange for keeping them tender. If you use larger scallops, you should be able to get a nice brown sear and ensure they stay tender. Here’s how to accomplish that:

1. Make sure that you pat the scallops dry before cooking.
2. Season them with salt and pepper.
3. Put them in a hot pan that’s been coated with olive oil.
4. Do not touch or turn them until they are golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Flip them over and sear on the other side.
6. DO NOT overcook or they will be chewy. Wah wah.

All you need to complete your meal is a delicious California Wine. I paired this salad with my very favorite L’Avion wine from Stolpman Vineyards. This wine is a Roussanne, which is is a luscious white wine with notes of pineapple, tropical fruits, fig and spice. It has a beautiful, lingering finish, a deep golden color, and is truly perfect with this salad. I would also enjoy this salad with a Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. Enjoy!

Love main course salads? We do too! Here are a few more you can try:

• Zesty Artichoke Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese
• Not Just Another Salade Niçoise Recipe
• Your New Favorite Summer Salad – with Figs, Melon & Dukkah

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and star rating below (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐). It means a lot and helps my content get seen! Post a picture and tag us on Instagram using the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes! Thank you!

Thank you for helping support my small business! A Girl Defloured earns revenue in a few different ways; I have occasional sponsored post and I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there might be a few of those links in this post. The only items that I feature are those that I use on a regular basis and that I truly love. I earn a small commission on your purchase, but you don’t pay any more than retail price. This allows me to share my recipes with you (and keeps me well fed). THANK YOU!