Simple Green Salad with Sherry Shallot Dressing

Sometimes the only thing you need to top off a great meal is a simple salad. This green salad with sherry shallot dressing goes with everything from cozy braised stews to casual pizza nights. With lemon, honey, and Dijon, this dressing is tangy, citrusy, and has just a hint of sweetness. Save this recipe for dinner parties, holidays, or cozy weeknight dinners!

I am so ready for warm weather and dinner parties on the patio. I’ve been eyeing my grill and the little stubborn patch of snow in my yard that just won’t melt. But it’s almost time, I can feel it.

With lots of spring and summer holidays coming up, my first plan of action is to get everyone together to sip beers, sit around the fire pit, and bust out some yard games. I’ve even planned the menu. Smoked tri-tip, antipasto tortellini salad, watermelon, and this basic (but super flavorful!) little side salad.

Of course, this salad isn’t just fit for warm weather, it’s also amazing with cozy dishes like brisket beef stew and garlic butter dinner rolls in the winter and fall. Tuck this recipe away for your next dinner party or get-together. It’s the easiest side dish but still pretty and elegant!

My favorite dinner party salad

Back when I was in culinary school, we were taught that the best salad dressing ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. But honestly? I like a 2:1 ratio for a punchier, more flavorful dressing. But don’t worry, this vinaigrette isn’t too tangy thanks to the caramelized notes in sherry vinegar!

• This salad is beyond easy and comes together in just a few minutes.
• The dressing is tangy, lemony, and has a delicate shallot flavor.
• It goes with everything from stews and steaks to pizza and BBQ.
• Serve this salad for elegant dinner parties or weeknight meals. It’s so versatile!

The ingredients

For the salad

• Lettuce – for the best flavors and textures, use a mix of different lettuces. I like butter lettuce and green leaf lettuce but any of your favorites will work.
• Sunflower seeds – to add a bit of crunchy nuttiness to the salad.
• Parmesan – a sprinkle of parmesan gives this salad saltiness and umami. Make sure you’re using freshly-grated parmesan cheese!
• Cucumbers – for a little extra crunch, I like adding slices of English cucumber to the mix.

For the dressing

• Shallots – the shallots give this dressing a delicate, sweet oniony flavor. Red onion also works but will give this dressing a stronger onion flavor.
• Sherry vinegar – vinegar is essential in salad dressing for flavor and acidity. The sherry vinegar in this dressing is balanced, a tad sweet, and has lovely caramelized notes.
• Dijon mustard – a spoonful of mustard adds tang and helps thicken the dressing.
• Honey – to offset the tart flavors in this dressing, I like adding a small amount of honey. It gives the dressing a little extra sweetness.
• Lemon zest – you don’t have to add lemon zest to this recipe, but it’s so good!
• Oil – this recipe uses a mix of olive oil and avocado oil. I like using this combo because olive oil adds flavor but avocado oil helps the dressing emulsify for a smoother texture.
• Salt & pepper – I use Morton’s Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

If you can’t find sherry vinegar, feel free to use red wine vinegar instead. Or apple cider vinegar for a tangier dressing!

More topping ideas

• Nuts/seeds – this salad would be delicious with toasted almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, pepitas, or even hazelnuts.
• Cheese – try sharp white cheddar, gouda, blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese.
• Veggies – top this salad with any veggies you like. Carrots, cherry tomatoes, beets, onions, peppers, fennel, radishes, etc.

How to make this salad

To make the dressing

1. Place the shallots in a small bowl, cover with cold water, and let them sit for 10-30 minutes. The water will remove some of the pungent, sharp flavors in the shallots.
2. After 10-30 minutes, drain the shallots and add them to a blender or food processor along with the sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
3. Then, while the blender is running, slowly drizzle the olive oil and avocado oil into the dressing until it’s nice and smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

To make the salad

1. First, combine the butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, sunflower seeds, parmesan, and cucumbers in a large salad bowl.
2. Then, drizzle about 1/3 of the dressing over the salad. Toss to combine.
3. Lastly, taste the salad and add more dressing if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Making this dressing by hand

If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can also make this dressing by hand. But it will have small chunks of shallots, just a head’s up! To make it, you’ll want to finely dice the shallots as small as possible. Then, drizzle the oil into the dressing while whisking rapidly to help it emulsify.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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xo Sara Lynn

Song of the day – Campus by Vampire Weekend