Midsummer Pasta Salad
A love letter to Sweden and California, all in one bowl
In Sweden, Midsummer is sacred. It marks the longest day of the year—a celebration of light, the start of summer, and an excuse to delay any obligations, gather everyone you love around a table, and play drinking games outside for hours on end until the sun sets (which is basically never in Sweden in June). The holiday was originally celebrated to welcome the season of fertility and over centuries it’s become one of the most cherished days on the Swedish calendar. The food is simple but specific: different kinds of pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, strawberries (obviously), often followed by a fish like salmon.
We grew up split between two worlds. In California, hosting long midsummer lunches for our chosen family to introduce them to the wild celebration that is midsummer. And every so often, we’d find ourselves in Sweden, our mom’s home country, where this holiday was always the centerpiece of the summer calendar. Flower crowns, long tables, the golden-hour light that doesn’t seem to end (we’re serious about the sun never setting).
We feel connected to our Scandinavian roots in a lot of ways, but it shows up most in our palate. Dill, lemon, anything from the sea—we will never not want it on the table. So when we started thinking about a recipe to mark this Midsummer, it felt obvious to lean all the way into that.
This pasta salad is our love letter to it. The dill and chives bring the herb-forward freshness that defines a Swedish spread. The salmon is our nod to the fish that always lands as the main on the Midsummer table. The lemon and Parmesan dressing ties it together with something a little more California.
This year, we’re keeping Midsummer low-key by picnicking at an outdoor concert instead of hosting a full sit-down lunch. So we wanted a dish that traveled well, could be eaten straight out of the container, and still tasted like the holiday, even out of context. This is that recipe. We hope you enjoy, happy hausting & Glad Midsommar!
This looks delicious!