With summer comes the time to take better care of ourselves and eat healthier and lighter, making olive oil a very important part of our diet. Whether to dress a salad, in a gazpacho, or as the main element of a dish, it is important to choose a good extra virgin olive oil to complete our recipes.
We have found five healthy, fresh, and easy-to-make summer recipes. All of them include an olive oil specially chosen for each dish by Pep Ribas, our extra virgin olive oil taster.
1. Living Salad
We start with the Living Salad proposed by Lolét on her blog HolaVegan. This simple salad is the perfect choice for a long and active summer day, not only because it’s easy to prepare but also because of its energy value.
Pep suggests using Finca La Torre Organic Hojiblanca oil to dress this salad. Its progressive spiciness with almond notes pairs wonderfully with this fresh and natural dish.
2. Mussels in Vegetable Vinaigrette
Few things beat a table full of friends under the summer sun at noon. Ernest Subiarana on Cocina sana con Ernest Subirana proposes simple, healthy, and delicious mussels in vinaigrette, perfect for those summer meals where noon blends into the afternoon.
Our taster recommends Castillo de Canena oak-smoked oil to prepare the vinaigrette. This Arbequina oil infused with oak smoke using a cold, artisanal production system will add spectacular notes to the dish.
3. Cold Cucumber and Avocado Cream
One of the summer stars is cold creams and soups. Because of their lightness and ease of preparation, gazpachos and creams are best friends of summer refrigerators. We wanted to break the routine and try the cold cucumber and avocado cream presented by Laura on her blog lacazuelavegana.
The Abbae de Queiles oil works perfectly with this dish. This Arbequina olive oil, fruity and intense, with apple, almond, and banana notes, gives a unique flavor that complements the cream’s ingredients perfectly.
4. Pink Tomato, Cucumber, Prawns, and Smoked Cod Salad
Salads are a cornerstone of our summer diet, as they can be prepared in very different ways with combinations for every taste. On the blog Recetas de cocina de Sergio, we discovered a fresh and complete salad of tomato, cucumber, and cod, which works both as a starter or a main course.
Pep recommends the Castillo de Canena First Day of Harvest Picual to dress the salad. Nothing beats a first-day harvest Picual—smooth, full-bodied, and long-lasting—to enhance the flavors of the ingredients and take the dish to the next level.
5. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Flan
We finish with a different and fresh solution for the summer heat. Ana María’s olive oil flan (Cocinandoentreolivos) is a perfect dessert to surprise and delight with the intense flavor of olive oil combined with the sweetness of the dessert.
We decided to prepare the flan with Verde Esmeralda Imagine Royal oil. According to Pep, this highly intense fruity oil, with green apple, grass, and tomato notes, but with a sweet entry, works perfectly with the dessert, making it an unforgettable experience.
