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

FAQs

What is the secret to making a good salad? ›

Sprinkle in some protein

Nuts and seeds add wonderful flavour and texture to a salad, and pack a nutritional punch. Walnuts, pepitas and pistachios work beautifully in salads that feature soft cheese or sweet fruits, while toasted almonds, cashews and sesame seeds are best suited to salads with an Asian influence.

Season the greens & vegetables

This also creates layers of flavor, giving your salad depth. Another way to add layers is by adding prepared ingredients to your salad like pickles, marinated or grilled veggies, or anything brined, like olives or capers.

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

Caesar Salad

It is a popular choice in many American restaurants and is often served as a side dish or a main course. The Caesar Salad at Panera is a classic salad made with crisp romaine lettuce, tangy Caesar dressing, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, and crunchy croutons.

Iceberg lettuce may be the most popular of all the salad greens, but it's definitely not the healthiest base you can choose. While the low calorie count is comparable to other greens, the nutrient totals are not, according to the USDA.

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.

Restaurants salt their salads.

In the restaurant I worked in, I also noticed that cooks seasoned every element with a pinch of salt — even the lettuce. This resulted in every bite tasting vibrant and flavorful. "Season your salad just like you would anything else," Simpson said.

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.

What are two parts every salad needs? ›

First, start with fresh greens or lettuce. Don't wait until the lettuce or spring mix you bought starts to wilt or else you won't want to eat it; plan to use greens within two days of purchase. Second, every good salad needs a good dressing, and if you like store-bought dressings, then, by all means, use them.

One of the easiest ways to get some flavour in your salad is to mix up your leaves with bright herbs that pack a punch. Plants like parsley, dill, mint and coriander can really kick your salads up a notch and give them some (much needed) depth and can give a great dose of flavour in every bite.

The first recordings of people enjoying salad date back to Ancient Roman times. The salads of that time were not much different than the modern-day garden salads of today. They consisted of fresh, edible herbs, lettuce, and raw vegetables, and the dressing of the time was a simple mixture of oil and salt.

McCarthy Salad at The Beverly Hills Hotel: $1,912

And you'll get to take home a commemorative Bernardaud French porcelain bowl.

If you haven't heard of Health Nut, you probably known them more famously as the “Kardashian salads” that they are always eating/shaking around on their show (in case you aren't a fan of the show, the Kardashians' go-to order is the Chinese chicken salad and the mango iced greentini).