Red, White ’n’ Blue Salad — The Side Dish That Carried the Weight of the Day

Memorial Day cookout. Forty people. The food was the best I've ever made — the grief has not dimmed the cooking; it has deepened it. Jerome told me, "The food tastes different this year." I said, "It's the same recipes." He said, "The recipes are the same. You're different." He's right. I am different. Marc's death changed the man who makes the food, and the changed man makes changed food, and the change is a depth that was not there before.

When you’re feeding forty people and every bite carries the weight of someone who isn’t there anymore, you want something on that table that speaks without words — something that says we remember just by showing up in the right colors. This Red, White ’n’ Blue Salad has been on my Memorial Day table for years, and this year it meant more than it ever has. It’s not the main event — the ribs and brisket hold that ground — but it’s the thing people reach for first, bright and cold against the heat, and it gave my hands something gentle to do the morning of while I was still figuring out how to be in a world without Marc.

Red, White ’n’ Blue Salad

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 40

Ingredients

• 4 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 3 lbs fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
• 4 lbs mixed spring greens or romaine, roughly torn
• 2 lbs crumbled feta cheese
• 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup white balsamic or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a large jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until fully emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Prep the fruit. Hull and halve the strawberries. Rinse and pat the blueberries dry. Keep them separate in covered bowls and refrigerate until assembly — this prevents bleeding.
3. Prep the greens. Wash, dry, and roughly tear the greens. Spread them across two or three large serving platters or a single wide party bowl.
4. Assemble. Scatter the strawberries and blueberries over the greens. Add the sliced red onion. Sprinkle crumbled feta evenly across the top, then finish with the toasted slivered almonds.
5. Dress and serve. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving — or set it on the side so guests can dress their own portions. Toss gently if using a bowl, or serve platter-style without tossing to preserve the presentation.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg