Little Gem Salad With Garlicky Almond Dressing

Name: Little Gem Salad With Garlicky Almond Dressing
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 to 6 heads of Little Gem lettuce (more, if very small); 1/4 cup crushed toasted almonds (See Tip); 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper

By David Tanis

Updated July 2, 2021

Little Gem Salad With Garlicky Almond Dressing — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(865)
Comments: Read comments

This tart, garlicky dressing is made with toasted almonds and sherry vinegar for a simple but delicious green salad. Little Gem lettuce, a cross between romaine and butter lettuce, has become justly popular for a crunchy salad. Crisp and bright green with small crinkly leaves, it won’t immediately wilt when dressed. If unavailable, look for similar small sturdy heads of lettuce or choose hearts of romaine.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

4 to 6heads of Little Gem lettuce (more, if very small)
¼cup crushed toasted almonds (See Tip)
3tablespoons sherry vinegar
2garlic cloves, minced
½cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Remove wilted exterior leaves from each head of lettuce. Cut stems from the lettuce heads, separate leaves and swish in a large basin of cold water, letting any sand or dirt sink to the bottom. Lift the leaves from the water and transfer to a colander. Shake away excess water. Wrap in kitchen towels to dry or use a salad spinner.
Step 2
Make the dressing: Put almonds, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Put leaves in a wide salad bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Dress lightly just before serving, using 2 or 3 tablespoons of dressing and coating leaves well. Taste and add more dressing as necessary. Store any remaining dressing in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tip

To toast almonds, place them in a pie pan in a single layer, and place them in a 400-degree oven. Shake the pan occasionally and bake until almonds are fragrant, crisp and browned, about 10 minutes. To test, cut an almond in half to see that the interior is light brown.

Ratings

4 out of 5

865 user ratings

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Comments

danielle4 years ago

After eating this I don’t think I can go back to any other dressing ever again.

Cynthia3 years ago

In our house we call this a honeymoon salad because it’s “lettuce alone.”

Chris4 years ago

Anything David Tanis comes up with becomes a go-to for me :-)

Nancy Chek3 weeks ago

After trying to re-create sherry vinegar with Chinese rice venegar, a splash of dry sherry, a splash of red vinegar and a dash of sugar (to avoid spending a lot of money for sherry vinegar), I decided to go ahead next time to spend the money. What I did was good, but I'll never be able to repeat it.

cheri7 months ago

Can I add Parmesan cheese to this recipe?

Leslie Dumont10 months ago

We often eat “honeymoon salad” (lettuce alone) but I don’t think this qualifies as it has almonds.

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