About summer salads. There is no restriction on the season to savor a delicious salad but, let’s face it, summer is an ideal time to enjoy fresh lettuce and all the ingredients that compose a great salad.

A memorable salad

What does it take to create a memorable salad that goes beyond the pre-washed packaged greens with ready-made-off-the-shelf dressing that may tempt you at your local supermarket?

First, it’s about having the freshest ingredients. This does not mean that you have to splurge on organic brands. Yes, they claim to be healthier but I find that the current selection in many produce sections are as flavorful. Of course, nothing can beat a local farmers’ market!

Second, trust your instincts and invent a combination of flavors by including items that you favor or would like to experiment with. While failure is always an option, I believe that you cannot go wrong with this recommendation. While the list of items to be included in any salad is unlimited, you will slowly narrow your repertoire through experience as  you prepare and enhance your favorite choices.

Finally, and this is not to be taken lightly, there is an important aesthetic side to getting your appetite working. With a balance of fresh ingredients, instinct and experimentation, and an eye toward aesthetics, you will have a successful salad. So, let’s start!

I remember my parents’ generation placing all ingredients along with the salad dressing in a wooden bowl and promptly mixing everything together. I have come to favor not mixing any of the ingredients before setting them on the plate. I like to compose and build up the dish through layers, scale, color, shape, and texture, thus letting me choose which ones I wish to taste first. This allows for a more personalized and beautiful salad.

Also keep in mind that if you top your salad with crumbled feta, shaved Parmesan or, perhaps, grilled goat cheese (the latter being a traditional French salad called Salade de Chèvre Chaud), mixing your salad would send these ingredients to the bottom of the bowl, thus risking an uneven mix of some of the savory tastes and textures in a served portion.

Here is how I do it

As a first layer, I select greens as a base for the overall flavor and texture of the dish. After deciding if the salad is to be eaten as a main dish or as an accompaniment, I choose either Bibb lettuce for its creamy flavor and crunchiness (also called Boston or butterhead), endives, fresh spinach, fennel, or Romaine leaves (either broken off or thinly sliced).

The second layer includes ingredients to enhance or complement the lettuce by adding one or several items. For example: cherry tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, corn, or sweet yellow, red, or orange peppers, always with an eye on size, texture, flavor, and color. Cutting them in different shapes and lengths will enhance the overall pleasure of tasting the salad.

To create a salad as a main dish for your meal, you may choose to include a protein for the third layer: poached or smoked salmon, grilled chicken or shrimp, slices of beef. Often, I use protein left over from a previous meal.Finally, the fourth layer is similar to the cherry on top. Be creative by adding strong cheese flavors such as cheddar, gruyere, goat, shaved Parmesan or crumbled feta. A sliced hard-boiled egg is welcome before the final touches of either sliced apple, chopped dates, fresh dill, chives, parsley, or sliced green onions.

Perhaps consider a sprinkling of cardamom, caraway or pomegranate seeds? If you do not have nut allergies, top with one of the following: cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, slivered almonds, or caramelized walnuts. It is your choice whether or not to lightly toast the nuts before adding them.

For the final touch, drizzle some of your favorite salad dressing and adjust to taste. Hopefully you will have achieved a salad that is pleasing to your palate and visually stunning. Be mindful that you always build your salad from the larger ingredients to the smallest while keeping an eye on the overall symphony of tastes that you wish to create. Bon Appetit!

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