I’ve been overrun with chard this year and haven’t known what to do with it. It’s not my favorite green. It’s tougher than spinach, so I don’t love it raw. And it’s not as… beefy? as kale, so it cooks down too quickly in a saute for my liking. I like it in smoothies, but I’ve been ignoring my blender lately.

So chard has been left to die a slow, wilty death in our crisper drawer.

Cue my lovely sister. She recommended I try it chard raw, marinated in citrus with some fresh herbs. She’s brilliant in all other areas of life, so I figured I’d give this a go too. WOAH. I am so happy I followed her advice.  This recipe is not only one of my new favorite way to enjoy this leafy green, it’s now one of my favorite summer side dishes.

It’s bright, refreshing and tastes like summer. The acidic lime breaks down the tender chard leaves and the herbs give the salad a vibrant, bold flavor.

Basil, Chard and Blueberry Salad

Ingredients

• 1 bunch chard
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp honey (optional)
• 15 leaves fresh basil
• 1 small handful fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Trip the stems from the base of the chard and set aside. Stack the chard leaves on top of each other then starting at the tip of the leaf and working towards the base, roll the chard leaves up. Using a sharp knife, slice the rolled chard into very thin strips working right to left. You’ve just made a chard chiffonade. SO FANCY.

Place your chiffonade into a large salad bowl and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over chard, toss to evenly coat the leaves and allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, using the same technique as the chard, chiffonade the basil.

Finely dice the reserved chard stems and add those, along with the basil and minced parsley, to the marinated chard. Toss to evenly distribute the herbs.

Top salad with fresh blueberries and additional salt and pepper, if desired.