How to Make the Perfect Salad
Whether it’s Leslie Knope , the non-Lisa Simpsons , Vernon Dursley, or your racist uncle who draws scientifically meaningless parallels between salad consumption and gender identity , I can’t think of a food I hate better than salad. This is really bad because a well-cooked salad is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Mastering the art of cooking is a lifelong pursuit, but honestly, making meat taste good is pretty easy . Not that I’m not impressed with the perfect medium-rare ribeye or the tender duck confit; It’s just that I am much more impressed by the chefs who treat vegetables with the same care and attention as they treat meat. The few balanced and addictive salads on the menu, which is otherwise meaty, point me to a chef who really doesn’t care what they do. Sure, salads can be light and “wholesome” (whatever that means), but they are also a masterclass in texture and flavor balance, so every chef needs to master at least a couple.
Fair warning: this is not so much a step-by-step guide to making a salad, but a reflection on the beauty and obvious possibilities of an unfairly maligned dish. Sure, there are tips and tricks for everything from choosing ingredients to dressing recipes, but my goal in writing this is to inspire you to take a slightly different look at salad and hopefully welcome it into your life with open arms.
Know yourself (and your preferences)
When I told my boyfriend that I was writing an article about how good the salad is, he laughed and reminded me of the weekly unopened bucket of spring mixture in our fridge that I refuse to eat. (This is also far from the first time.) He’s right, but who of us hasn’t bought salad greens with wide open, mistaken hopes that this bucket of leaves will finally free the joyous salad eater inside?
“A bunch of leaves with some other shit on top” is a terribly common definition of “salad,” and I think that’s why a lot of people hate it. It’s okay not to like salad; it sucks, honestly. Once I ditched the boring (and overpriced!) Spring Blend in favor of stronger greens like kale, kale, mustard, and arugula, I began to appreciate the salad a lot more. As with most things in life, you need to know what you like and be honest with yourself about it. By the way, you don’t have to like raw vegetables to eat more salad. Even very omnivorous people have problems with texture; besides, some people’s systems simply reject them. A salad base can be anything from grilled pumpkin to leftover rice and stale old bread. Start with ingredients you know how and go from there.
Consider both the forest and the trees
A well-executed salad is a symphony of flavors and textures; each element must work individually and as part of a whole. The best way to accomplish this is to season each ingredient separately before preparing the salad. I know it sounds pretty damn extravagant, but it doesn’t have to. Just sprinkle a pinch of salt on the bowl of herbs before seasoning – this is very important.
You can of course go beyond salt. This is your salad and you can do whatever you want. Take a minute to massage raw cabbage or mustard greens with oil and a pinch of salt before adding other ingredients. it’s worth it. You can marinate celery for a tuna salad, or saute carrots and mushrooms for a pickled lentil salad. Toss the apples, straws, and lemon juice to prevent browning in a delicate paste. Use a vegetable peeler to cut off huge strips of Parmesan to give the cheese a distinct texture. Making mayonnaise on your own is noble and I fully support you, especially if you use it to dress your chicken sous vide salad.
Make better dress
It’s a cliché now, but making your own dressing is the best way to start enjoying your salad more. I do all my own with a hand blender. If you don’t have one, a mason’s jar is perfect ; just make sure to grind all hard ingredients like garlic and herbs thoroughly before adding them to the jar.
When making salad dressings, keep in mind intensity and balance . A good dressing is not something that can be eaten with pleasure with a spoon; it should be so aggressive that your mouth wrinkles a little when you try it. Since I do very intense dressings, I always add something sweet to balance the salt and acidity. Here are three of my favorite recipes to get you started.
Balsamic vinaigrette
This is a complete classic. It works just as well for a salad of grains and fried vegetables as it does for a salad with arugula, red onion, blue cheese, and thinly sliced steak.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tsp Honey, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (smooth)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- Black pepper to taste
Combine everything except the pepper in a plastic soup container (or any container with an opening wide enough to accommodate the head of a hand blender). Whisk until smooth, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed. When you’re happy with the balance, add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and stir. It is stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Lemon-miso vinaigrette
My favorite salad dressing is raw beetroot, a ton of chopped cilantro (or parsley), and chicken breast.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 TB. miso paste
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- A pinch of salt
- Pepper to taste
Combine everything except salt and pepper in a plastic soup container and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Try and adjust the seasoning as needed; you may or may not need additional salt, depending on which miso paste you used. Add black pepper to taste and stir. This one keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Dressing up next to the ranch
This dressing is the star of my summer 2017 obsession with salads. I mix chopped napa cabbage with julienne carrot, celery and serrano peppers, then top with pickled red onions and lots of that. It’s crisp and crisp and addicting as hell.
Ingredients:
- ¼ glasses of mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full fat Greek yogurt (sour cream will do)
- ¼ cups of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 onions, chopped
- Handful of chopped cilantro leaves
- Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Combine everything except the scallions, cilantro and parsley in a plastic soup container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Try and adjust the seasoning; When you’re happy with the base, add the green onions and beat until smooth. Add chopped herbs last and beat several times to combine. It is stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
There must be people who are as passionate about salad as I am. I’d love to hear about the best salad you’ve ever eaten and what made it so great. For me, it’s the connection between the hiyakko I ate in Biwa in Portland many years ago (I think they took it off the menu and it’s a shame) and the radicchio salad in Toro Bravo , also in Portland. Portland has some really great salads.