Learning how to make a good restaurant quality tossed salad, or Accompaniment Salad as we learned to call it in Culinary School, is a mark of a good cook. Turn your next tossed salad into one of quality that’s vibrant in color, well balanced, well dressed and remarkable in flavor and texture.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
You’ll learn how to make an accompaniment salad, step by step, a simple technique, so easy to do but a bit time consuming to explain.
When is a good salad ever out of style, or place? Never! It’s pure, it’s palate cleansing and full of nutrition.
Well-made, and dressed with care, it’s a thing of itself. No need to endlessly search for good green salad recipes, learning this solid method will turn out delicious tossed salad every time. It’s an essential skill for any home cook to know how to make a good salad.
Bonus Info: Below in the recipe card, you’ll find the standard Accompaniment Salad Dressing Recipe from Culinary School. A traditional simple vinaigrette that brings out and enhances the natural flavors of greens without disguising or over powering their delicate and fresh flavors.
But what makes a tossed salad a great salad? The characteristics of an accompaniment salad should consist of natural flavors that are heightened and not disguised. Not complex or difficult, but rather fresh, crisp and balanced.
You’ll also learn what to put into a tossed salad, and when. Example, it’s important to know when to add a porous mushroom, or a hard vegetable like a bell pepper. No one wants to bite into a soggy mushroom or mushy cheese.
Follow these secrets, then sit back and wait for your guests to ask you why it’s so good.
What Is The Definition Of An Accompaniment Salad?
An accompaniment salad is an official name for a tossed salad. A salad of fruit, or vegetables which is served alongside a main course for dinner. The flavors of this salad are to compliment the flavors of the meal.
Table of contents
- What You Can Expect From This Recipe
- Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Choose Quality Salad Ingredients
- Step 2: Give Those Greens A Good Washing
- Step 3: How To Wash Lettuce and Keep It Crisp?
- Step 4: Thoroughly Dry The Lettuce Leaves
- Step 5: How To Store The Lettuce Properly
- Step 6: How To Properly Prepare A Tossed Salad
- Step 7: Chill Those Salad Plates
- Step 8: Construction Time, How To Build A Tossed Salad
- Tips For Success
- Ingredients. What To Put in A Tossed Salad and When
- Questions You May Have
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Choose Quality Salad Ingredients
- Seek out the freshest lettuces and greens you can find. When choosing a head of lettuce for a tossed salad, turn it upside down and look at the bottom of the stalk where it has been cut. It should be fresh, green and with no discoloring. Leaves should be vibrant and free of dark and shriveled leaves.
- Mix up lettuce varieties for texture and color. I like to start with Red Leaf for its showy beauty. Then look to add romaine, spinach, butter leaf, arugula and curly green leaf. This is only a start, but these are salad greens that are readily available. If you can find a good head of Frisee, grab it. It’s curly leaves a beautiful addition.
Step 2: Give Those Greens A Good Washing
Lettuce washing is not difficult, but dedication is required to do the job right.
- Separate the lettuce into individual leaves.
- Rinse each leaf under cold running water and place the leaves in a large bowl.
- Run the bowl as full with fresh water, swish the leaves around, then remove them to a colander to drain.
Step 3: How To Wash Lettuce and Keep It Crisp?
- Don’t let lettuce leaves soak in the water for long or you’ll rid them of vitamins, flavor and crispness.
- This second rinsing step is important, as you’ll be surprised to find there will still be some dirt at the bottom of the bowl even after that initial cold water rinse.
- After the final bath, run a blast of cold water over the leaves in the colander.
- Let them drain while you prepare for step #3.
Step 4: Thoroughly Dry The Lettuce Leaves
Wet greens may be just alright, but dry leaves make a great salad greater. Why are wet leaves a less desirable? Wet leaves become soggy leaves. But most important, the moisture on the leaves will dilute the dressing when we apply it.
- Dry each leaf carefully with paper towels
- Or better yet, use a salad spinner. I’ve had several salad spinners, and OXO Good Grips is my spinner of choice.
Step 5: How To Store The Lettuce Properly
Tucking lettuce leaves into paper towels was one of the best tricks I learned about storing greens in Culinary School.
- After the lettuce has been dried, lay out a length of paper towels or very clean cloth towels.
- Lay the washed greens on top and either roll them jelly roll style or gently fold the towels over the top of the greens.
- Place the covered greens in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them.
- TIP: If you are planning to store them for a day, place the paper towel filled leaves in a sealed container or plastic bag.
Step 6: How To Properly Prepare A Tossed Salad
Start by adding Garlic To A Wooden Salad Bowl.
Some suggest merely rubbing your wooden salad bowl with a clove of garlic and then tossing the clove of garlic away. I call that wimpy.
- Either fine chop or use a garlic press to add garlic to the salad bowl.
- Rub the chopped garlic against the sides and bottom of the bowl and leave the pieces there until you’re ready to go.
Step 7: Chill Those Salad Plates
Chill salad plates in the refrigerator, or even better in the freezer. A salad on a chilled plate just tastes better. Try it!
Step 8: Construction Time, How To Build A Tossed Salad
Don’t begin construction of the salad until a few minutes before serving. Of course, you can chop and slice any vegetables you’re adding in advance.
- Remove the salad leaves from the refrigerator and tear them into bite sized pieces.
- Add the lettuce pieces to that garlicky salad bowl on top of the olive oil.
- Using tongs, salad tossers, or even your very clean hands, toss the greens until each leaf glistens beautifully with olive oil.
TIP: The olive oil seals in the leave’s moisture keeping each leaf crisp, the crispness that was achieved by following the previous steps.
Tips For Success
- Purchase a good quality olive oil. An easy to find mass produced brand is Pompeian. Add four tablespoons of good fruity aromatic olive oil to that garlicky salad bowl. Looking to learn more about olive oils, I like this article from Food Network, Top 12 Best Olive Oils For Cooking.
- Use a wooden salad bowl and rub chopped garlic over it’s interior surface before making your salad.
Step 9: How To Properly Dress A Salad
Right after you’ve coated the salad leaves with the oil, sprinkle the following over the salad greens:
- Juice of ½ lemon, squeezed directly into the bowl, picking out seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Several grindings of black pepper
- In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, and a dash of Tabasco Sauce (then add to salad)
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Toss the salad greens again vigorously, but gently to distribute the dressing ingredients.
At this time, add any vegetables, such as bell pepper, cucumbers, onions, etc. Toss until add-in ingredients have been well distributed among the lettuce leaves.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Grab those chilled salad plated from the refrigerator and plate that beautiful salad.
Ingredients. What To Put in A Tossed Salad and When
Looking to add more ingredients to your perfect tossed salad? Here’s a list of green salad ingredients, what you can add, and when you should add it.
Hard, crisp and non moist ingredients
Can be added with the lettuce with the first tossing, Step #8.
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Onion
- And Cabbage for example.
Delicate and porous ingredients.
After the olive oil, at the same time you’re dressing the salad in Step #9.
- Sliced fresh mushrooms
- Firm cheeses
- Chilled meats
- Whole grapes
- Raisins (I like to add soaked raisins)
- Fresh apple
- Radishes
- Olives
- Seeds or nuts would fall into this category.
Ingredients to add only at the end.
Right before serving would be delicate or crumbly items that will serve as a topping. Examples:
- Hard boiled egg
- Ripe avocado
- Juicy fresh tomatoes
- Soft cheeses and most fresh fruit
Questions You May Have
I say yes! Not only for nostalgic appearance reasons, but also their ability to capture the fresh garlic flavor. A ceramic or glass bowl simply can’t do what a wooden bowl can do. Think wooden and think large. A wooden salad bowl needn’t cost you an arm and a leg. There are some absolutely beautiful showy bowls if you’re willing to spend. I found one that works quite nicely at Ikea for under $15.
Simply stated, a salad just looks better and presents better in a wooden salad bowl.
To clean a wooden salad bowl, just use a mild dish soap, a sponge and rinse it well under under warm water. Important: dry the bowl thoroughly, as liquid is the enemy of wooden salad bowls. Never put a wooden salad bowl in the dishwasher. It will warp or crack.
Now that you’re a salad making expert you’re probably looking for more ideas to make your best tossed green salad recipe for your next meal. Try the technique on these mixed green salad recipes.
Some of Our Best Accompaniment Salad Recipes
- Baby Kale Salad with Cider Vinaigrette
- Hearts of Palm Salad with Avocado
- The Only Strawberry Spinach Salad You’ll Ever Need
- Southwestern Salad Recipe
- Tree House Salad
- Lettuce Salad with Crispy Chow Mein Noodles
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How To Make The Best Accompaniment Salad (recipe)
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups lettuce leaves mixed varieties
- 4 tablespoons olive oil good quality and fruity
- ½ lemon juiced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper fresh grouned (several grindings)
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspooon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1-2 dashes Tabasco Sauce
- 2-3 Tablespoons parsley fresh, fine chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cut into slivers
- ½ cup red onion cut into slivers
- ½ cup olives halved
- ¼ cup goat cheese small chunks
- ½ – 1 avocado chopped into small chunks
- 1 pinch oregano dried, for sprinkling at the end
Instructions
- Chill salad plates in either refrigerator or freezer.
- Wash, rinse and dry lettuce: Wash each leaf under cold running water. Then place leaves in a large bowl filled with lukewarm water. Swish the leaves around and immediately place them in a colander to drain.
- Dry the leaves by wiping them with paper towels or using a salad spinner. Make sure to get as much as the moisture off as possible.
- Place the dried leaves on paper towels. Roll the leaves up jelly roll style or fold the paper towels over the leaves. Place them in the refrigerator to store until you’re ready to construct the salad. If you want to store them a day in advance, place the paper towel stored leaves in a plastic bag.
- Fine dice or press the garlic clove through a garlic press. Rub the garlic on the side of your salad bowl.
- Add the olive oil to the bowl.
- Remove the lettuce from the refrigerator and with your clean hands, tear into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the torn lettuce leaves on top of the olive oil.
- With clean hands, or salad tossers, toss the lettuce gently but vigerously until each leaf glistens with olive oil.
- Squeeze on the juice of ½ lemon. Remove any seeds that landed in the bowl.
- In a small bowl mix together the mustard, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Add the salt, Worcestershire sauce mixture, red bell pepper strips slivered red onion, olives and fresh parsley to the salad greens. Mix well.
- Top with chunks of avocado and goat cheese. I also like to sprinkle on just a touch of dried oregano at the end. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Purchase a good quality olive oil. An easy to find mass produced brand is Pompeian. Add four tablespoons of good fruity aromatic olive oil to that garlicky salad bowl. Looking to learn more about olive oils, I like this article from Food Network, Top 12 Best Olive Oils For Cooking.
- Use a wooden salad bowl and rub chopped garlic over it’s interior surface before making your salad.
Nutrition
How To Make A Professional Accompaniment Salad … It’s a skill to learn.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
What a great article! I’ve always commented to my Husband how good the salads taste in a restaurant when they are served on a chilled plate, yet I’ve rarely do it at home, I tried your recipe today and I just love that super simply yet complex dressing! I live a ketogenic lifestyle so mixing up the salad dressings/vinaigrettes makes a huge difference from all the thick and heavy homemade varieties. It’s a keeper for sure!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Tracy. And I’m glad you liked thqt simple classic vinaigrette recipe. Thanks so much for your note.