Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Butternut Apple Salad With Lemon-Pepper Frico Be the first to rate & review! It's crisp, fresh, and packed with umami. By Greg Lofts Greg Lofts Greg Lofts is a New York City-based food stylist and recipe developer with 20+ years of professional experience. He was the former deputy food editor at Martha Stewart Living for six plus years, and his work can be found in editorial and television outlets such as Bon Appétit, Epicurious.com, Condé Nast Traveler, Martha Bakes, Next Food Network Star Season 8, Kitchen Boss with Buddy Valastr, and many more. Editorial Guidelines Published on December 8, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Murray Hall Prep Time: 25 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe The ultimate fall-winter combo, this butternut squash apple salad is fresh, crisp, and packed with umami. We love how sweet-tart apples pair with sweet-nutty butternut squash. Rather than roasting it as is often done for winter squash salads, in this recipe, the squash is sliced thin and briefly steamed, preserving its flavor while imparting a crisp-tender texture. A mustardy anchovy dressing amps up the umami, as does the finishing touch of Italian-style frico crisps (grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cooked in a thin layer until crunchy). The crisps are crumbled in the salad and sprinkled on top, along with coarsely chopped Marcona almonds to accentuate the crunch. It’s a different and absolutely delicious vegetable dish. 27 Fall Salad Recipes That Are Packed With Autumnal Flavor What Is Frico? This recipe gets a punch of deeply flavored Parmesan and a delicious crunch from frico, the lacy Italian cheese crisps. Our easy version is made using freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (this is not a time for pregrated Parmesan). It's mixed with a touch of lemon juice and a little black pepper and cooked in a nonstick skillet in one-quarter cup increments to quickly make irresistible crisps. Other Winter Squash to Use Honeynut squash is a hybrid bred from butternut and buttercup squashes. It is similar to butternut, only sweeter, with darker orange flesh and about half the size. It can be used interchangeably with butternut for this recipe and others. Making the Salad Ahead This butternut squash apple salad is quick to put together and even faster if you prepare elements ahead. (The salad should only be assembled close to serving.) You can steam the squash ahead, though we prefer to steam it close to serving the salad so it absorbs more dressing.The dressing can be made a day ahead.The frico can also be made a day ahead. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch thick bite-size pieces (5 cups) 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry if packed in salt 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 2) 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (1 cup) 1 Honeycrisp or Empire apple, halved, cored, and very thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups) 1/3 cup marcona almonds, coarsely chopped Directions Steam squash: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil over medium heat in a pot lined with a steamer basket. Add squash, cover, and steam until crisp tender but still holding its shape, 5 to 6 minutes. Gently drain and let cool completely. Make dressing and mix Parmesan with lemon and pepper: Meanwhile, mash anchovies into a paste with the side of a heavy knife. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in Dijon, lemon juice, and olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss Parmigiano with lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook Parmesan mixture: Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-low. Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmigiano mixture evenly into center of skillet in an approximate 4-inch circle. Cook frico until golden and set on the bottom, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Gently flip and cook until second side is golden, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool (they will crisp up more as they cool). Cook remaining cheese mixture in 1/4 cup batches. Toss squash and apple with dressing: Gently toss steamed squash and apple with half of the dressing to evenly coat; season to taste. Assemble salad: Top dressed squash and apple with half of the lemon-pepper frico and almonds; serve with remaining dressing and frico on the side. Other Butternut Squash Salad Recipes to Try Shaved-Butternut-and-Carrot Salad With Dates and Sunflower Seeds Spicy Squash Salad With Ginger-Lime Dressing Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Squash Salad Lacinato Kale Salad With Roasted Squash Freekeh With Roasted Butternut Squash, Seared Kale, and Caramelized Onion Jam Rate It PRINT