Leafy Herb Salad
- Total Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4cups spicy greens, such as arugula, mizuna or torn mustard greens
- Leaves and tender stems from 1 bunch parsley
- Leaves and tender stems from 1 bunch cilantro
- 1bunch chives, coarsely chopped
- 1 to 2cups mint or dill leaves (optional)
- 1lemon
- Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Preparation
- Step 1
Combine greens in a large bowl, along with parsley, cilantro and chives. Add mint or dill leaves, if you have them on hand. (It’s fine if you don’t, but the more the merrier.)
- Step 2
Zest lemon over the greens, then halve and squeeze lemon juice all over everything. Season with flaky salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and finish with a good drizzle of olive oil. The salad should be lightly oiled, and heavy on the flaky salt and lemon juice.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I recommend one tweak that makes a big difference: instead of first adding lemon juice and next, olive oil, I FIRST add the olive oil, tossing and very lightly coating the greens with my hands. THEN I squeeze the lemon juice (or sometimes scatter droplets of vinegar. Flaky salt goes last. This way, the greens don't get saturated with the acid (lemon juice, vinegar, whatever). James Beard wrote about this method of dressing a salad, and it stands the test of time.
I went half arugula, half spring mix, got lots of compliments. It really does balance out the rich food!
Looks FAR more appealing than the typical, horrid green bean casserole!
I don't think the instructions mention finely chopping any of the ingredients. Large greens are torn; herbs leaves are left whole.
I added clementine pieces, pomegranate seeds, and chopped toasted walnuts. I used dill, not mint. I zested the lemon over the greens but put the lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oi, and a dash of Siracusa lemon balsamic vinegar in a jar to toss on the salad right before we ate. A superbly light salad to balance Thanksgiving dinner!
Don’t miss this salad—and not just for Thanksgiving. Delicious as described, and a nice lunch main with addition of sliced almonds and dried cranberries. Really wakes up a sleepy palate during these cold months.
Love this when serving a heavy meal. Be careful with the salt, as the lemon juice and zest already add a lot of zang.
Love this salad! It’s so flexible - what a great way to use up all the leftover herbs in your fridge.
Use can use shallots in you don't have scallions
The more dill the better. I added toasted pine nuts and it was fantastic. A splash of champagne vinegar was also a good add.
Late Spring is a perfect time to make this salad with all of the fresh greens and herbs available from local farmers in my area. Delicious. A note: the reason to follow Alison's instruction to add the lemon juice and zest to the greens first is it allows their acid and flavors to cling to the greens before they are kissed with olive oil. If you add oil first, as was suggested by another cook, it coats the greens and the lemon juice can't 'stick' in the same way.
We are a cilantro-hating family. Will the salad still be fabulous without it?
This is delicious, unusual and quick. Plus it adds a spark of freshness on the table. I used really fresh and crisp parsley, without any other leafy vegetable. Thank you!
This was excellent! Best NYT salad recipe I’ve tried. My garden produces a ton of herbs and this is a great way to use them.
Lovely. Try w half spring mix half arugula. Toss with oil before adding lemon juice
So delicious and flavorful. I added halloumi and dill, and it knocked our socks off!
So good.
So good!!! Perfect side dish and easy to recreate and eyeball for a single serving. I’d never used dill in a salad before and it’s such a nice touch. 10/10
Perfect side dish to a rich Thanksgiving meal. And so easy!!! Kept going back for more. Alison Roman is a genius!
Use can use shallots in you don't have scallions
A crowd pleaser! Everyone loves the party in the mouth from the herbs and lemon juice and it’s a great chance to use up all those fancy salts you have been collecting.
Love this salad! It’s so flexible - what a great way to use up all the leftover herbs in your fridge.
I really enjoyed this salad, it was delicious. I will definitely make it again.
The more dill the better. I added toasted pine nuts and it was fantastic. A splash of champagne vinegar was also a good add.
I recommend one tweak that makes a big difference: instead of first adding lemon juice and next, olive oil, I FIRST add the olive oil, tossing and very lightly coating the greens with my hands. THEN I squeeze the lemon juice (or sometimes scatter droplets of vinegar. Flaky salt goes last. This way, the greens don't get saturated with the acid (lemon juice, vinegar, whatever). James Beard wrote about this method of dressing a salad, and it stands the test of time.
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