Our Ultimate Guide to Making Salad
Take your desk lunch and reliable sides from tired to inspired with these tips for dressing and pairing, tossing and topping.
[This article was originally published on May 9, 2017.]
The modern salad can be a tiny, pristine head of lettuce with a drizzle of olive oil or a huge bowl packing a day’s worth of vegetables, dairy and grain. All can be quick, irresistible and easy, but that’s not to say salads don’t require any effort. We’ll look at three types — green, single-subject and big — before walking you through dressing, tossing and topping your salad. With a little planning, the salad bowl can be the brightest spot of your meal.
Equipment
A wide, shallow bowl is ideal for tossing a salad quickly and evenly. It can be the same bowl you serve from or a lightweight metal or plastic one that stays in the kitchen after you transfer the greens to a serving bowl.
It isn’t just a nicety to have wooden salad spoons; they can gently lift and tumble ingredients without crushing them the way metal spoons do. Plastic or melamine versions are fine substitutes.
A salad spinner isn’t a must-have, but if you get one, make it the kind with a bowl that fills with water, which allows you to swish the leaves, and not the kind that just lets you rinse them under running water.
Wirecutter, a product recommendations website owned by The New York Times Company, has tips on the best salad spinner.
Buying, Washing and Storing
In an ideal world, we would all have easy access to salad greens, fresh from local farms. But in truth, our greens come from all corners, and we often don’t have time for washing until right before dinner. (And we may not even be doing that correctly.) Don’t let that dissuade you: Proper washing technique isn’t all that complicated, and, as long as your greens are good, a great salad can be in reach.
Shopping for Greens
The array of greens on the market keeps growing, along with innovations in rooftop farming and aquaponics make a sprightly salad possible almost any time of year. Whenever you can, look for seasonal or local greens. Both are more likely to be fresh than supermarket produce. (Farmers’ markets or stores that stock local produce are good places to start.)
To find out what’s fresh in your market, check the Department of Agriculture website for your state; most publish seasonal produce charts. You might stumble upon a locally grown green you wouldn’t normally consider for your salad.
If that’s not available to you, it’s fine to buy prepackaged greens: If doing so means you’ll eat salad more often, that’s a net gain. But note that expiration dates are no guarantee of freshness. You’ll want to rely on your eyes, and check the package carefully on all sides to ensure there is no sign of browned or wilted leaves. Yellow or brown patches and edges are sure signs of age. And, no matter what the bag says, always wash your greens.
If browsing for whole heads of lettuce, turn over and inspect the base; it should show only the slightest signs of browning. Press a fingernail into the base of a leaf. If some liquid oozes out, that means the leaves are fresh and juicy. A few slightly wilted leaves on the outside are not a problem, but if the whole head is droopy, pass it up.
Cleaning the Greens
Before washing, tear or cut leaves into the size you want for the finished salad. If possible, trim and wash greens when you get them home, so they can begin to regain their water content.
If keeping packaged greens for more than a couple of days, unseal the package, and turn it over a few times to fluff the greens and keep air circulating. Add a damp paper towel if the greens seem to be drying out. But try to use them quickly, as they are freshest just out of the bag.
A quick rinse in running water is fine for pre-washed greens, but it won’t get other greens really clean. For the ideal sand-free, fluffy greens, fill a sink or large bowl (such as the bowl of a salad spinner) with cold water. Add the greens and swish them gently to release grit and any nasty bits. They’ll sink to the bottom, while the clean leaves will float to the top. Use your hands to lift the leaves out and shake them. Then dry them in the spinner or roll in a towel. Refrigerate in the damp towel or wrap the greens in damp paper towels and store in bags. The moisture will keep the greens fluffy longer. Keep all salads in the refrigerator until minutes before serving. They wilt quickly at room temperature.
The Simple Green Salad
A green salad is a great friend to the home cook. Once you’re deep into making dinner, figuring out how to also get a fresh vegetable on the table can seem impossible. Enter the simple green salad. Just a serving of fresh leaves, it doesn’t need much more than a vinaigrette, but if you like the taste and color that come with a sprinkle of shredded carrots, finely sliced onions or diced tomato, they absolutely belong in your bowl.
Sometimes a salad made only of peppery watercress or delicate Bibb lettuce is just the thing. But even the green salad, the simplest kind of salad, can be so much more, incorporating several kinds of tastes and textures. Here, it helps to know the basic categories of greens (soft, all-purpose, sturdy and peppery), each one with distinct characteristics that “behave” differently in the bowl.
Soft Greens: This members of this group are defined by their pale or light-green leaves. They are sweet and will wilt easily. Varieties include baby lettuces; baby spinach; butterhead, Bibb or Little Gem; mâche; mesclun, also known as spring mix; and soft herbs like basil, celery leaves, cilantro, mint and shiso.
All-Purpose: These greens are defined by their crisp leaves and mild flavor. They include lettuces like iceberg, oak leaf, red and green leaf, and romaine, as well as baby arugula, baby spinach and purslane.
Sturdy: These greens have thick dark green leaves with fibrous stems, a strong vegetal taste and sturdy leaves that do not wilt. They include beet tops and greens, chard, escarole, kale and spinach.
Peppery: The members of this group are defined by strong pungent or bitter flavors, and a crispy, juicy texture. Among them are arugula, dandelion greens, endive, frisée, radicchio, mizuna (an Asian member of the mustard family) and watercress.
Feel free to experiment: Start by choosing a green from each category, aiming for three or four kinds, then add a vinaigrette and, if you like, a topping or two. Tinker with the combination each time you make it, and soon you’ll find a “house salad” that you love and can put together in a snap.
The Big Salad
The big salad is more than just a collection of dressed greens in a large bowl: It appeals to our eternal craving for a healthy, satisfying meal. A classic example is the salade niçoise, a perfect lunch on a summer day in the Mediterranean. But there’s also a perfect salad for a winter day in Minnesota. There’s no magic to putting it together, only a willingness to experiment.
Recipe: Big Salad With Grains
For the ideal big salad, there’s no exact recipe, but there are some rules.
Start with sturdier greens: soft lettuces tend to get squashed in a big salad.
Next, add one or two elements each from the three major categories: fruits and vegetables, proteins and starches. We’ll go into more detail below. You can use whatever is on hand, or aim for an artistic mix of textures, colors, shapes and tastes; either way, what you make is likely to be good. Six to eight total ingredients, before toppings, is the right number: Too few, and your palate will get bored before you’re done eating; too many, and the bowl gets crowded and confusing.
Look for a substantial dressing — one with a creamy element like avocado, cheese, tahini or yogurt — to bind it all together.
Toss gently to avoid crushing soft ingredients.
Fruits and Vegetables
When composing a big salad, fruits and vegetables add heft, but, more important, they provide an appealing jumble of colors and flavors. Once you’ve chosen your greens, you’ll want to choose one or two from this category and add them before dressing your salad.
How you prepare and slice them will affect the consistency.
Apples, avocados, bell peppers, celery, carrots, cucumbers, fennel, mushrooms, onions, pears, radishes, snap peas, snow peas, summer squash like zucchini, and tomatoes (drained on paper towels, if watery) are best raw and thinly sliced or julienned (peeled, if necessary).
Figs, grapes, nectarines, melons, mangoes, peaches and small tomatoes are benefit being raw, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Asparagus, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, edamame, peas and string beans should be cooked until tender, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Protein
Protein is optional, but it adds another level of satiation; use one item from this category or, at most, two. If using soft ingredients like salmon or tofu, add them at the very end, after tossing, so they don’t fall apart in the bowl.
Use a cured meat, like prosciutto, jamón serrano or country ham, in very thin slices. Similarly, thinly sliced saucisson sec, aged chorizo, salami, bacon or pancetta can add a salty bite along with protein.
Or try fish, like grilled or canned tuna, salmon or another meaty fish; smoked trout, salmon, mackerel or whitefish; and shrimp or squid that’s been poached, roasted or grilled.
There’s also always tried-and-true chicken (poached, roasted or grilled) or steak, cut into small pieces.
For meatless options, try cubed or sliced tofu, cheese in small cubes or crumbled, eggs (hard-boiled and quartered, soft-boiled and halved, or poached and left whole).
Starches
If that’s not enough substance, starches (whether grains or vegetables) make the salad filling and satisfying.
Consider beans and legumes (white, cranberry, cannellini, black, chickpeas, lentils); grains, like quinoa, farro, bulgur wheat and barley; roasted or boiled potatoes; and roasted sweet potatoes or winter squash. They can all add much needed heft to your big salad.
But make sure these ingredients are well cooked: Underdone beans or hard squash will not absorb dressing or combine nicely.
The Single-Subject Salad
A single-subject salad lets you show off one perfect fruit or vegetable and add a little elegance to the meal. It lies on a plate, is eaten with a knife and fork, and usually isn’t tossed but drizzled with dressing. Whatever you choose, feel free to try different toppings, like fluffy herbs, slivered nuts or crumbled cheese.
You might never have thought of it this way, but the classic Southern Italian Caprese, made by layering slices of ripe tomato and fresh mozzarella, is a single-subject salad, as is cucumber sunomono, the popular Japanese salad. This style is a classic way to show off a vegetable with a short season, like springtime asparagus, summer tomatoes or even fall mushrooms, and it starts with beautiful, in-season produce.
Some options include steamed or boiled asparagus, thinly sliced avocados, roasted and sliced beets, steamed and roasted carrots, endive spears, raw or steamed fennel, steamed or boiled green beans, halved and poached leeks, raw and thinly sliced mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, and roasted and sliced winter squash.
Drizzle any of these with the dressing and toppings of your choosing for an elegant and simple side.
Dressings
A homemade dressing is the best way to lift a salad, and it’s easier than you might think. For the most part, homemade dressings keep well in the refrigerator, and don’t have the sugar, stabilizers and preservatives found even in the fanciest bottled dressings. Don’t be afraid to experiment: Once you’ve mastered a vinaigrette, it’s easy to try mustard and tarragon, or to make the leap to a creamy lemon dressing.
There’s a golden rule when it comes to pairing greens with a dressing: Match the weight of your dressing to the sturdiness of your greens. Muscular kale and romaine can support a thick Caesar dressing, but soft mesclun leaves will wilt under the pressure. A light vinaigrette sets off Bibb lettuce, but it won’t have much impact on a salad of beet greens.
Recipe: Basic Vinaigrette
But rules on flavors are less hard and fast. In choosing a dressing for a side salad, you might play off the regional flavors of the main course. If pasta or pizza is the entrée, you might add a little dried oregano and fresh garlic to a basic vinaigrette, or mustard and shallots, if your salad is paired with French flavors. But, with smoky grilled or barbecued food, a buttermilk dressing tastes just right. Peppery greens bring their own bitterness to the bowl, so a dressing for them should be low in acid and relatively rich.
The classic profile of a salad dressing combines tangy, rich, salty, and sometimes sweet. As a rule, a “vinaigrette” is based on an acid (like vinegar or citrus) and an oil. How much of each, though, is a matter of taste. Some people like their vinaigrettes to be half oil, half vinegar, while others go all the way up to one part vinegar to six or seven parts oil.
When putting together any vinaigrette, you’ll want to follow these steps:
1. Always start by dissolving the salt in the acid (usually lemon juice or vinegar, or buttermilk). This will evenly distribute the saltiness throughout the dressing.
2. Next, choose your vinegar, remembering that not all are created equal. Different vinegars have different levels of sweetness, acid and viscosity. Wine vinegars are less sharp than white or apple cider, and even rice wine vinegar is much lower in acidity than red wine vinegar. Always put in less than you think you need.
3. Choose your oil, taking into consideration the most important factor: taste. Spending top dollar for organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed oil is no guarantee of flavor or freshness. Olive oil can be mild and lush or green and peppery, but you’ll need to taste it and see what you like. Many dressings are best with a more neutral oil like grapeseed, avocado or canola. Nut oils can be delicious in salad, but just use a teaspoon or so as flavoring in a neutral oil. If you want to bolster the flavor of your dressing with garlic, but don’t want its sharpness, smash and peel a clove or two, then steep in the oil for the dressing for 20 to 30 minutes. (Use it up; oil stored with raw garlic in it can spoil.)
4. Gradually whisk the oil into the acid, or put them together in a tightly closed jar and shake like crazy. This best emulsifies the dressing. A stirred dressing may taste fine off the spoon, but it won’t taste as good in the bowl: The ingredients will separate. Use a large bowl and a fast-moving whisk or fork to bring the dressing together before adding it to the salad.
For the fastest dressing, there’s no need to mix. Once the salad is in the serving bowl, sprinkle it very lightly with lemon juice or vinegar. Toss, preferably with your fingers, until leaves are evenly coated. Repeat with oil, then with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.