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!
Ingredients
Sherry Shallot Dressing
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped (3 Tablespoons/24 grams)
- 3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (40 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 grams)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (42 grams)
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil (42 grams)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Simple Green Salad
- 1 pound red butter lettuce (453 grams)
- 4.5 ounces green leaf lettuce (128 grams)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted (38 grams)
- 1/3 cup freshly-grated parmesan (20 grams)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumbers (110 grams)
Equipment
- Blender (or food processor)
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Box grater
- Large salad bowl + tongs
Instructions
Sherry Shallot Dressing
- Place the diced shallots in a small bowl and cover them with cold water. Let the shallots sit for 10-30 minutes. (This will remove any sharp, pungent flavors.) Drain the shallots.
- Then, place the shallots, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon zest in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula halfway through.
- With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle the olive oil and avocado oil into the dressing until it's smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Simple Green Salad
- In a large salad bowl, combine the red butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, sunflower seeds, parmesan, and cucumbers.
- Add about 1/3 of the dressing to the salad and toss well. Taste and add more dressing, salt, and pepper if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Shallots can vary quite a bit in strength. Some are much stronger than others, so I would add the shallots to taste. If you want a stronger flavor, add more diced shallots. If you have a very strong shallot, use less.
For smooth, consistent dressing, dribble the oil into the blender nice and slowly. Once the dressing is done, it should be fully emulsified. If you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will separate.
For a creamy dressing, add 1-2 Tablespoons of whole milk Greek yogurt. You can also use mayo!
If you don't have a salad spinner, wash the lettuce well in a colander. Then, lay the lettuce on a clean towel and use another clean towel to gently pat the leaves dry.
Be gentle with the butter lettuce! It's fairly delicate so if you handle it too much, it will bruise or wilt.
There is a fine line between salad that's perfectly dressed, salad that's underdressed, and salad that's overdressed. You'll want to add around 1/3 of the dressing to start. The salad should be thoroughly coated and have no dry spots or a puddle of dressing at the bottom of the bowl. When in doubt, start with less dressing and add more to taste!
Toss this butter lettuce salad right before serving. Otherwise, the lettuce will get soggy.
The oil in the salad dressing may solidify in the fridge. If it does, just let it warm on the counter for 30 minutes-1 hour until the oil melts. Then, give it a good shake to make sure everything is well-combined.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 114kcal, Carbohydrates: 4.7g, Protein: 2.8g, Fat: 9.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 88mg, Potassium: 111mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2.1g, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2mg
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