We’ve gotten through most of winter, and we’re ready for spring. And when I think spring, I think radishes and lettuces. This recipe is for the side salad I put together when I don’t have much time, but I need something fresh to go with the main dish. It’s simple. It’s fresh. It’s delicious. This salad is going to be on rotation in your home. The best thing about this salad is that it looks beautiful, yet it’s so easy—it’s kind of the surprise star of your dinner.
Serving Platter
How to Make the Honey Mustard Dressing
The dressing for the salad has just four ingredients, but it tastes better than anything you’ll get in the bottled salad dressing section at the grocery store. You’ll just whisk together a little bit of mayonnaise (I’m using Vegenaise to make it egg-free), a coarse-grain mustard, lemon—zest and juice—and honey.
I like to use any local honey in this dressing, and usually, if I see a darker honey, I go for that one. There are studies that show it has more antioxidants and nutritional value, plus I like the bolder flavor. So yeah, whisk it up and that’s all you need to do!
Prep the Salad Ingredients
Baby gem lettuce is sold in a package as a pack. They are the smaller internal leaves of the tender lettuces. You can harvest them yourself from larger heads of lettuce, but you’ll just end up with really big leaves and really tiny leaves. These are already a great size—you don’t even have to chop it.
In fact, think of this salad as a knife-and-fork salad. You’re not going to look cool if you try to put a whole leaf in your mouth. So yes, it’s not an “all-in-one” chopped salad. But it wins best supporting actor, every time.
To punch through the sweetness of the dressing, I add a shallot and radishes to the lettuce. I use my Microplane Mandoline for this, but you could also thinly slice them. I feel like it should just always be said that you need to be careful when using a mandoline, but if you can get the slices that paper-thin, they beautifully melt in the salad in a way that is so satisfying.
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How to Assemble the Salad
The final touch? Finely shaved macadamia nut plays the role of parmesan (I use the fine side of a cheese grater or microplane). If you’re not dairy-free, go ahead and use regular Parmigiano-reggiano (not the pre-shredded kind, please!). The macadamias bring this wonderful nuttiness and fattiness that echoes a really fine aged cheese.
I used raw macadamias here but you could use roasted ones or roast your own for even more flavor.
What to Serve with Baby Gem Salad
This light salad will go with anything: roast chicken, seared steaks, baked salmon, pork tenderloins. It’s a chameleon salad.
The salad dressing is just a little bit sweet and punchy. It’s not even creamy, it’s so lightly dressed. That’s what makes this so special. Then you have the crunch of the lettuces and that bright green. The radishes and shallots melt into every other bite and it’s just so delicious. It’s more than the sum of its parts. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
