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📍Introduction
A balanced salad has about six to eight ingredients - for example, two lettuces, two veggies, one dressing, and 1-2 toppings. A salad with too few components can be a bit meh (especially if it’s a main course salad). Too many ingredients become a jumble of flavors that can be overwhelming & confusing. Also, your chance of mixing ingredients that don’t mesh well together (e.g., cranberries and anchovies) increases.
The Four Layers of a Balanced Salad:
1 - Base (Lettuce/Greens) (pick 1-2):
Soft: butter, spinach, arugula
Crunchy: kale, romaine, cabbage, iceberg
2 - Body (Vegetables) (pick 1-3):
Soft root: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets (roasted), onions
Tender veg: tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms
Crunchy root: carrots, radishes, beets (raw)
Crunchy veg: cucumbers, fennel, celery, peppers
3 - Dressing (base + flavorings):
Oil: Olive oil, walnut, avocado, sesame
Acid/vinegar: lemon, balsamic, white/red/champagne/rice, apple cider
Creamy: yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, tahini, peanut butter
Seasoning: salt (e.g., kosher, flakes) & pepper (white, peppercorn)
Allium: shallot, garlic, chives, onion
4 - Toppings (pick 0-2):
Crunchy: croutons, breadcrumbs, nuts, seeds, sprouts
Salty: olives, parmesan, feta
Creamy: cheese, avocado
Umami: olives, parmesan, tahini, anchovies
Sweet: sun-dried tomatoes, pears, apples, oranges, dried fruit
Protein: beans (e.g., lentils, chickpeas, black), eggs (e.g., poached/medium boiled), tofu, chicken, tinned or smoked fish, salmon, shrimp, steak
Starch: sweet potatoes, potatoes, pasta, quinoa, brown rice, farro, barley
📓 Notes, Tips & Tricks:
Some veggies are best cooked (e.g., asparagus, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, edamame, peas, string beans)
Cut round veggies & fruits (e.g., tomatoes, grapes) in half if you have time - this makes spearing them with a fork easier
If you have a mandoline or grater, put it to work! Some veggies are a bit overpowering in taste or feel if not cut thin (e.g., radish, carrot, fennel, onions, celery, zucchini)
Stick with 1-2 proteins max to avoid overkill
Add soft, flaky items (e.g., tofu, fish) at the end to ensure they hold together
Chop or tear large pieces of protein for easier eating (e.g., poached/roasted chicken)
📓 Salad Toppings Reference Guide
🎓 Further Study
📺 The Big Salad (Seinfeld)
A Composed Salad Is a Meal Unto Itself [NYTimes]
Seasonal Winter Salads [Serious Eats]
37 Best Salad Recipes [Love & Lemons]
22 Filling Vegetarian Salads That Are Standalone Meals [NYTimes]
Satisfying Main Course Salads [NYTimes]
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Building a Balanced Salad ⚖️🥗