The new salad rules

If you want to step up your salad making read on as I’ve pulled together my top salad rules. Think of them as building blocks – when you’re making a salad check that you have the right elements to make it a perfectly rounded and balanced dish. Before long this will become instinctive. Until then, maybe print this off, pin it on your fridge door and use it as a checklist. Here are some links to my favourite salad recipes to help you be a rule follower!

Ditch the bowl – Use a platter so that everyone gets a bit of everything. Bowls mean everything good falls to the bottom.

Vary your veg prep to add texture – Chop, rip, squish, grate , shave or peel.

Stay inspired – Clean out your fridge and use that as inspiration. Keep a notebook of your successes

Layer your salad like nachos – greens at the bottom, dressing, then shaved, chopped or ripped veg, more dressing, then the fat and protein, more dressing then the herbs. Finish with the then the crunch.

You don’t always need to make a dressing! Just scatter the leaves with lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper for a bright simple salad

Try new greens:

• Lettuce – try some different varieties
• Herbs as salad leaves
• Shaved or shredded cruciferous veg – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale

Give it some body:

• Grains – quinoa, bulgur, faro, brown rice
• Roots – roasted carrot, butternut squash, celery root or sweet potato
• Cruciferous – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale
• Beans/lentils/Legumes

Work the textures:

• Raw/crisp – ribbons or thinly sliced raw veggies – fennel, radish, cucumber, beans, pickled veg
• Crunch – nuts, seeds, roast garbanzo [chickpeas], chicken crackling, crispy bacon, croutons, dukkah
• Squidge – avocado, roasted root veg, soft cheese
• Pops – tomato, pomegranate seeds, citrus segments

Add fat for mouth feel as well as nutrition:

• Avocado, oil, good cheese, egg

Balance in all things – but especially flavour

• Sweet – roasted root veg, tomatoes, honey, maple syrup
• Salt – pickles, fish sauce, bacon, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00017028M” localize=”y”]Maldon salt, tamari, cheese
• Sour (acid) – citrus juice, vinegar, pickled veg
• Bitter – citrus zest, bitter greens
• Umami – Fish sauce, tamari, bacon, Parmesan, meat juices instead of oil in dressing

Mix the temperatures:

Most flavour dies at cold temperatures. Always serve your salads at room temperature for the best flavour. My ultimate salads always have a mixture of temperatures – maybe some hot roasted veggies, cold crisp leaves and other room temperature ingredients.

• Room temperature (most elements)
• Hot (usually the crunchy elements)
• Cold (usually only the greens)

Equipment

You can now buy the equipment I use in this recipe through my shop. I’ve spent years testing my favourite bits of equipment so rest-assured that whatever I recommend is the best tool for the job and will give you great results without cluttering your kitchen with unused tools. I receive a small affiliate fee from Amazon if you buy via my link. The products don’t cost you any more. These small fees help me keep creating all the free content I share.