Best Salad Ever (My Most Requested Salad Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How to make salads that are actually good? ›

Spring greens: Arugula, spinach, chard, watercress, mustard greens, and beet greens are soft, flavorful spring greens. Crunchy greens: Iceberg, bibb, romaine, radicchio, escarole, endive, leaf lettuce, and frisée are all crisp, low-calorie greens.

leafy greens such as romaine, arugula, kale and spinach. whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and bulgur. chopped or shredded vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, cabbage, and beets.

Restaurants salt their salads.

This resulted in every bite tasting vibrant and flavorful. "Season your salad just like you would anything else," Simpson said. "Salt is a big difference between salads at home and salads in a restaurant." This doesn't mean you have to make your salads salty!

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

Obviously, every salad needs a base, some type of leafy greens. Choose a salad green that's loaded with health benefits… and STAY AWAY from that iceberg lettuce. You can also use a mix of these to give your salad a little more variety.

“Try tossing together two or more different greens to give your salads more exciting tastes and textures,” says Amidor. Even if two greens look similar, they have unique flavors, she explains. Arugula, frisée, and radicchio, for example, have bold tastes and can punch up romaine and iceberg lettuce.

What are the three keys to a quality salad? ›

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Adds richness and a “fullness” to a lusterless, dry salad. 2. Salt: Subdues bitter flavors and perks up the rest of them.

I like to incorporate fresh herbs into my salads. Basil, parsley and dill add nice pops of flavor. I add fresh fruit, toasted spiced pecans, goat cheese, roasted golden beets, pickled onions and chick peas.

Something crunchy, like toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, peanuts, slivered or crushed almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, chia or flax seed, or cacao nibs. Fresh herbs, such as basil, mint, dill, chives, cilantro or parsley (try mixing two)