Arugula Salad With Charred Lemon Dressing

By
Julia Levy
Julia Levy wearing a chef's coat standing in front of a blue background
Julia Levy
Julia Levy is an eater, maker and dabbler in all things food. She has nearly a decade of work experience, has tested over 1,000 recipes, and has developed hundreds of recipes for a wide range of food brands, including Southern Living and Real Simple.
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and
Sharon Hsu
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Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu is an enthusiastic recipe and technique developer best known for her expertise in crafting visually appealing cafe and bakery-style treats. She thrives on exploring new concepts in the culinary world, seamlessly blending traditional baking methods with innovative flavors and techniques to create culturally rich creations. She appreciates how food has consistently been at the heart of countless cherished memories and aims to inspire others to bake and cook for their loved ones as an expression of love.
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Published on 02/20/24
Tested by
Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
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Tested by Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios, home of the Spruce Eats Test Kitchen, is housed in a 40,000-square-foot facility based in Dotdash Meredith’s Birmingham office, is a hub for food content creation for the nation’s top food and lifestyle publications.
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A large bowl of arugula salad, topped with shaved parmesan cheese and served with lemon vinaigrette

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 3 mins
Total: 13 mins
Servings: 4
Yield: 5 cups

Even on the most exhausting days where my brain is starting to melt, assembling this salad is a breeze for me. Using just five ingredients and taking less than 15 minutes to make, it's faster than waiting for delivery! 

Have you ever tried charring a lemon? After learning how this simple technique brings out the natural sweetness of lemons, I ran to my kitchen to experiment. Whoever came up with this idea must have been a culinary genius or bored, but I'm forever grateful for stumbling upon this nugget of information. Long live charred lemons! 

Why You Should Start Charring Your Lemons

I typically steer clear of lemon dressings because they’re overly sour but a quick singe before juicing has changed my mind completely. This technique softens the lemon's acidity, naturally coaxing out a gentle sweetness and smoky flavor. The tartness from the lemon juice helps brighten up this salad, providing a refreshing contrast to the earthy, peppery bite of arugula and savory parmesan cheese. It's a deliciously balanced salad.

Customize It

This salad is perfect as is while also being endlessly customizable. For texture, consider toasting your favorite nuts to add in or seeds like pine nuts or pumpkin seeds. Grilled proteins like chicken, salmon, or seafood would be another great addition if you want to turn this salad into a meal.

Recipe Tips

  • Pressing the lemon into the skillet will make sure the whole surface of the lemon is in contact with the heat to get an even sear. 
  • Charring lemons sweetens the juice, eliminating the need for added sugar.
  • Be careful not to overdress your salad—you want the leaves to glisten, not drip, with dressing. 
  • Skip pepper in the dressing since the arugula is naturally peppery enough.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium lemon, halved crosswise

  • 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula (4 packed cups)

  • 1/2 cup (3/4 ounce) parmesan cheese, shaved

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make arugula salad

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

  2. Heat a small stainless steel skillet over medium-high. Rub cut sides of 1 medium lemon, halved crosswise with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place lemon halves, cut side down, in the hot skillet. Press into the skillet with the back of a spatula for full contact. Cook, pressing down, until charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

    A small skillet with two charred lemon halves

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

  3. Juice the charred lemon halves to yield 3 tablespoons juice. Whisk together the lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, and the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl until creamy. Set dressing aside.

    A small bowl of charred lemon juice-olive oil dressing

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

  4. Toss 1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula (4 packed cups) and 1/4 cup of the dressing in a large bowl until coated. Add more dressing, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired level of dressing is reached.

    A large platter of arugula tossed in lemon dressing

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

  5. Add 1/2 cup (3/4 ounce) parmesan cheese, shaved and toss gently. Serve immediately with remaining dressing on the side.

    A large platter of arugula salad, topped with shaved parmesan

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

How to Store

Once dressed, the salad will not save. The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Swap the citrus—Use lime juice instead of lemon.
  • Add a touch of sweetness—Don't char the lemon, and add a smidge of honey to the dressing.
  • Grill the lemon—If you’ve already got the grill going for something else, instead of charring the lemon in a skillet, you can grill it.
  • The dressing does double duty—You can use the salad dressing from this recipe as a marinade for chicken.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
112 Calories
11g Fat
2g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 112
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 371mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 6mg 31%
Calcium 103mg 8%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 147mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)