How To Make The Best Accompaniment Salad (recipe)
Looking for the best tossed salad recipe? A recipe and a method that turns a good salad into a great salad? Learn how to make a restaurant quality accompaniment salad step by step, one that's well balanced, well dressed and remarkable in flavor and texture.
Servings 6
Calories 142kcal
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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2060IU | Vitamin C: 35.9mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 0.7mg
