Serious Eats: Recipes - Salads

Grilled Asparagus, Zucchini, and Bread Salad with Olive-Caper Dressing

2012-05-11T16:55:00Z

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Special equipment: grill, wooden or metal skewers

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 45 minutes, total time 45 minutes

2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium), split in half lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1 loaf Italian bread (about 12 ounces), split in half lengthwise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives (such as kalamata)
1/4 cup capers, drained, rinsed, dried, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Procedures

Place onion slices flat on cutting board thread two wooden skewers through each onion slices to keep them flat as they grill. Place onions, zucchini, asparagus, and bread on two large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle evenly with 1/4 cup olive oil and rub with hands to coat all the vegetables and bread evenly. Season everything with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over half of the coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. If using a gas grill, preheat half the grill to high.
When fire is ready, place bread over cool side of grill. Place onions in center of grill. Place zucchini cut-side-down over hot side. Cook, turning once until well charred on both sides and just starting to become tender, about 4 minutes total. Return to baking sheet. Check bread and flip and rotate to make sure it's drying evenly. Check onions and flip if necessary.
Add asparagus to hot side of grill and cook, turning occasionally until well charred and barely tender, about 3 minutes total. Return to baking sheet. Continue cooking onions until charred and tender throughout, about 10 minutes total. Return to baking sheet.
When bread is mostly dry, transfer to hot side of grill and cook, turning occasionally, until well toasted and lightly charred, about 1 minute total. Return to baking sheet. Split lemon and place on grill cut-side-down. Grill until lightly charred and warm about 4 minutes.
Combine olives, capers, parsley, vinegar, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut zucchini, asparagus, bread, and onions into rough chunks and add to bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss everything well to combine, adding extra olive oil to taste if desired.
Transfer salad to a bowl and serve with charred lemon halves.

Serious Salads: Patricia Wells's Warm Potato Salad with Capers, Scallions & Mint

2012-05-09T20:00:00Z

This warm potato salad, adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main Dish Salads for Every Season by Patricia Wells, is a welcome change from the typical American-style potato salad loaded with mayonnaise.

Wells dresses steamed potatoes in a sharp and tangy mustard vinaigrette studded with scallions and briny capers from her Provence garden. I have to caution that it's not for the faint of heart—the dressing is very assertive and there are a lot of capers. If you want to tone it down, cut back on the mustard and capers or add a few teaspoons of honey.

About the author: Jennifer Segal is the chef behind the popular food blog, Once Upon a Chef.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 20 minutes, total time 30 minutes

1 quart water
1 pound firm, yellow-fleshed potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), scrubbed but not peeled
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 scallions, white part only, finely sliced (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup capers in vinegar, drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Procedures

Bring the water to a simmer in the bottom of a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Place the potatoes on the steaming rack over simmering water, cover and steam until cooked, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking constantly. Add the scallions and capers, and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, slice crosswise into thin slices. Add to dressing and toss to coat. Add the mint and toss again. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Mindy Fox's Red Quinoa, Raw Asparagus and Endive Salad with Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

2012-05-07T19:25:00Z

[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]

Adapted from Mindy Fox's Salads: Beyond the Bowl.

Why I Picked This Recipe: Because so many of the recipes looked great, it was hard to figure out where to even begin with this cookbook. But considering it is spring and all, it seemed like I should go for the asparagus recipe.

What Worked: The red quinoa cooked up in just 15 minutes, and combined beautifully with the rest of the ingredients. Though I worried it would simply dilute the flavor of the crunchy vegetables, the quinoa actually added an earthiness to each bite, which worked as an effective counterpoint to the crisp and sweet fresh vegetables.

What Didn't: I just used my standard extra-virgin olive oil for this, but I can see how a really nice olive oil would have worked even better. Also, I wouldn't be against adding just a little more lemon juice.

About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is the editor of Serious Eats: Chicago. He loves tacos and spicy food. You can follow him as @nickdk on Twitter.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 20 minutes, total time 30 minutes

1 cup red quinoa, pre-washed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1/2 pound Belgian endive
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or pairing knife
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt

Procedures

Pour two cups of water into a medium-sized saucepan. Add quinoa. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cook until the quinoa absorbs the water, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, set a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, and add the pine nuts. Toast the pine nuts, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pine nuts to a plate when done, and turn off the heat.
Cut off the tips of the asparagus, and then quarter the tips lengthwise. Thinly slice the asparagus stalks crosswise at a slight diagonal. Cut the endive crosswise at a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Discard the bases of the endive.
When the quinoa is done, spread it out on a large baking sheet set over a wire rack (that way the bottom cools quickly). Let the quinoa cool, about five to ten minutes.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, plus a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and gently toss. Divide the salad between four plates and serve, seasoning with more salt to taste.

Mindy Fox's Peanut Soba, Cabbage, and Chicken Salad

2012-05-02T18:50:00Z

Flipping through Mindy Fox's most recent cookbook Salads: Beyond the Bowl, it's clear that Fox, who is the food editor at La Cucina Italiana magazine, is trying to stretch the definition of what a salad can be. It's also refreshing that her range of flavors goes way beyond Italian food, like in this twist on Asian sesame noodles.

Why I Picked This Recipe: I absolutely love sesame noodles, which are fast and easy to prepare and a welcome break from more familiar noodle dishes. But the idea of taking them not as the entire meal, but as the base of a salad with simply dressed shredded cabbage and poached chicken breast, sounded like an interesting and still-quick dinner idea.

What Worked: The cabbage and radish salad against the noodles turned out to be the perfect way to bring lightness and crunch to a dish that does tend to have a monotonous texture. The chicken cooking technique--it's simmered briefly then left to sit off the heat to finish cooking in the warm broth--resulted in exceptionally moist chicken.

What Didn't: It may have been my fault, but the recipe didn't call for rinsing the noodles after cooking, so I didn't. As a result, when I mixed them together with the peanut sauce, the texture ended up rather gummy. I would consider this best as a cold salad and highly suggest rinsing the noodles before tossing them with sauce.

Suggested Tweaks: Rather than salting the chicken before putting into a pot of simmering water, season the water first with salt until it's pleasantly salty. This way the chicken will be seasoned all the way through while it cooks.

Adapted from Salads: Beyond the Bowl.

About the author: Blake Royer is a food writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago; he has been writing for Serious Eats since 2007. You can follow him on Twitter @blakeroyer.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) sambal, Sriracha, or other chili sauce
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 pound Savoy cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup radishes, thinly sliced by hand or on a mandoline
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons juice from 2 limes
3/4 pound soba noodles (or substitute another Asian-style noodle)
3 large scallions, julienned

Procedures

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the chicken breasts to the pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 6 minutes. Cover, turn off the heat, and allow to slowly poach until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Remove, allow to cool, and thinly slice.
In the meantime, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, chile sauce and half the sesame oil in a blender or small food processor. Blend (or process) until smooth. If needed, add up to 1/2 cup water to achieve a loose texture for coating noodles.
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, radishes, most of the cilantro, the grapeseed oil, lime juice and the remaining sesame oil. Season to taste with salt.
Cook the noodles in abundant water until just al dente, then drain and rinse to remove excess starch. Dress with the peanut sauce and arrange in 4 shallow bowls.
Top the noodles with the cabbage salad, the remaining cilantro, the scallions, and the sliced chicken. Serve with more lime wedges if desired.

April Bloomfield's Fried Pig's Ear Salad

2012-04-27T14:56:33Z

[Photograph: David Loftus]

What Worked: This salad is all about perfectly balanced contrasts—bitter endive and radicchio dressed with a bracingly tart dressing that cuts through the chewy fattiness of the pig's ear.

What Didn't: If you're big into the nasty bit, this salad is for you. If not, well then you probably weren't going to make it anyway.

Suggested Tweaks: If a whole pig's ear on a plate of greens is a little too much for your delicate sensibilities, try slicing it up before frying for a less graphic presentation.

Special equipment: Deep fryer with a lid; parchment paper

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 45 minutes, total time 4 hours 45 minutes

4 pig’s ears (about 3 ounces each)
About 6 cups rendered duck fat, gently warmed until liquid
1 medium head Treviso, radicchio, or two red endives
Lemon Caper Dressing (recipe follows), chilled
Lemon Caper Dressing
2 medium lemons
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons drained capers, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Maldon or other flaky sea salt
1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Procedures

Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Make sure your pig’s ears are free of hair. remove any that you spot with a
sharp knife or razor. put the ears in an ovenproof saucepan with a lid that holds
them snugly, then add enough duck fat to cover them. Cut out a circle of parchment paper that’ll cover the ears, put it on top of them, and top it with a saucer to weigh them down. Cover the pan, put it in the oven, and cook just until the ears are so tender that when you give them a firm pinch, your fingers meet, about 4 hours.
Make the Lemon Caper Dressing: Segment the lemons. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into a separate bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well. Add the lemon segments and toss gently to coat them without breaking them up. Use straightaway or chill in the fridge covered, for up to 1 hour.
Remove the ears from the oven and let them cool submerged in the fat. once the ears are cool, remove them from the fat, wipe them off, and pat them dry. (Strain and reserve the duck fat for another use.)
Meanwhile, separate the leaves of the endives and treviso or radicchio. put
them in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put the bowl in the fridge. (I love the contrast between the cool leaves and the hot pig’s ear.)
Pour the peanut oil into a deep fryer and heat to 350°F. (the amount of oil will depend on your fryer’s capacity.) I don’t recommend doing this in a fryer without a lid, because the oil will pop, spit, and spatter like mad. Try not to be alarmed. Gently add 1 ear (or 2 if you have a larger fryer), immediately close the lid, and fry until deliciously golden brown, about 8 minutes. transfer to paper towels to drain and season right away on both sides with salt. Keep the ear(s) somewhere warm, like a toasty spot near the stove, while you fry the rest.
Take the bowl of endive from the fridge. Sprinkle 5 tablespoons or so of the chilled dressing over the leaves, making sure it gets into all the curves. add the arugula and mix gently but thoroughly with your fingers, so the lemon segments in the dressing stay more or less whole but every leaf gets some dressing. Put the greens on a platter, top it off with the warm, crispy ears, and add a little more dressing, if you fancy.

Serious Salads: Grilled Salmon with Thai Cucumber Basil Salad

2012-04-25T21:00:00Z

Warm grilled salmon topped with a punchy Thai cucumber salad makes a refreshing and light main course. The dressing, made from fresh lime juice, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar, has that classic sweet-sour-salty Thai flavor; use it as a sauce to spoon liberally around the fish.

About the author: Jennifer Segal is the chef behind the popular food blog, Once Upon a Chef.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

For the Salad:
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, from 2-3 limes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
1 large English cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
For the Salmon:
4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

Combine garlic, lime juice, oil, fish sauce, coriander, and sugar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and set aside. Combine cucumbers and basil in a large bowl and set aside in refrigerator.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
Rub salmon fillets lightly with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Place fillets skin side down on grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes (resist the urge to peek or flip early; when fillets are nicely seared on the first side, they should release easily). Flip the fillets over and continue grilling until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of filet registers 125°F for medium rare or 130°F for medium, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a large plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest for five minutes.
Meanwhile, toss cucumber and basil with half of dressing. Remove the skin from the salmon if desired. Spoon salad on top and drizzle remaining dressing on and around salmon. Serve immediately.

Zak Pelaccio's Crispy Pork and Watermelon Salad

2012-04-20T16:40:00Z

[Photograph: Michael Schrom]

There's a reason this Crispy Pork and Watermelon Salad is the signature dish at Zakary Pelaccio's Fatty Crab restaurants. It highlights the best of Pelaccio's cooking style, combining his love of Southeast Asian flavors with an irreverent American lean.

Not too many so-called salad recipes begin with slow braising pork belly, but that's kind of the best part of this one. Cool cubes of watermelon and pickled watermelon rind are tossed with deep fried chunks of pork belly, and finished off with torn leaves of Thai basil and Vietnamese mint. It's sweet and summery while having a round, porky richness that makes the salad totally irresistible. Oh, and take this salad outside, add a glass or two of off-dry Riesling and the cool sounds of Coltrane and you really can't go wrong.

Recommended playlist and drinks pairing:

Listen: Coltrane, Blue Train—the whole album; it never gets old.

Drink: Selbach-Oster Riesling Auslese 2005

What Worked: There's a reason this salad has been on the menu at Fatty Crab forever, it's a classic.

What Didn't: Pelaccio isn't shy with the chiles and if you subscribe to the same school of thought you might want to add sliced Thai chile or two to up the heat factor.

Suggested Tweaks: We could see this salad working equally well with mellow cantaloupe or even citrus segments.

Ingredients

serves serves 4 to 6, active time 1 hour, total time 1 hour plus one day

For the Watermelon Salad
2 cups rice vinegar
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 fresh Thai bird chilies, thinly sliced
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1½ ounces palm sugar (1 round gula jawa) or 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
One 5-pound watermelon
For the Dressing
3 ounces palm sugar (2 rounds gula jawa) or ¼ cup light brown sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup fresh lime juice
4 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 fresh cilantro roots with 1 inch of stems, rinsed, scraped, and rinsed again, or 24 cilantro stems
2 garlic cloves, chopped
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Pork
About 3 cups rendered leaf lard or neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
2 pounds Braised Pork Belly (recipe follows), cut into 1-inch chunks while still cold
1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt
To finish the dish
1 cup fresh Vietnamese mint (rou ram) leaves
1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
3 scallions, sliced
¼ cup sesame seeds
Braised Pork Belly
For the Brine
¼ cup coriander seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
4 cups sea salt
2 cups sugar
10 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
10 fresh long red chilies, such as Anaheim or Hungarian Wax, thinly sliced
5 medium shallots, sliced
3 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 cup packed daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves)
2 to 3 pounds fresh pork belly
For the Braise
2 tablespoons rendered leaf lard or olive oil (the best you can afford)
1 yellow onion, cut into sixths
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
2 shallots, halved lengthwise
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Procedures

Brine the Pork Belly:Toast the coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, swirling and shaking them until they crackle lightly and release their aroma, about 3 minutes.

Set aside.
Combine the toasted seeds with the salt, sugar, garlic, chilies, shallots, peppercorns, daun salam, and 3 gallons water in a stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and allow the brine to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the brine from the heat and let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate it. When it’s completely cool, pour it over the belly and refrigerate, covered, for at least 24 and up to 48 hours.
Braise the Pork Belly: Preheat the oven to 225°F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your roasting pan.
Remove the belly from the brine, rinse with cold water, and pat dry. Set aside.
In the roasting pan straddling two burners over medium-high, heat the leaf lard until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, garlic, and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the stock to the pan and deglaze, scraping up any bits with a wooden spoon.
When the stock comes to a boil, add the belly to the roasting pan and remove it from the heat. Top the pan with the parchment paper and cover with a tight lid or foil.
Braise the belly in the oven until it is tender (when you press the tip of a pairing knife into it, there should be no resistance). Start checking it after 2. hours, though it could take up to 4 hours.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Using two big spatulas or your hands, transfer the belly from the pan to a large plate or sheet tray and let it cool to room temperature. Strain the braising liquid and reserve for future use. The liquid can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Wrap the belly tightly in plastic wrap. Press it between two flat pans (such as sheet trays) and put a weight on the top (a few cans of tomatoes will do the trick). Refrigerate, pressed, for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
After the belly has been cooked and pressed, it’s ready for any of the following recipes or any other culinary purpose. It keeps in the fridge, wrapped tightly, for about 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months. To use frozen belly in a recipe, thaw it completely in the fridge first. Also, I like to cut my belly into portions prior to freezing so I don’t have to thaw the whole megillah at once.
Make the Watermelon Salad: Combine everything for the salad except the watermelon in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup water, bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Meanwhile, cut the rind from the watermelon flesh, reserving both the rind and the flesh. Use a sharp knife to pare away the outer, darker green skin, leaving the inner, whiter fleshy rind. Discard the darker green peel. Cut the white rind into ¼-inch cubes and put them in a bowl. Strain the seasoned rice vinegar liquid over the diced rind. Let the mixture cool, then chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Cut the flesh of the watermelon into 1-inch pieces (discarding whatever seeds you can). Chill it until you’re ready to use it.
Make the Dressing: Roughly crush the palm sugar using a mortar and pestle or a plastic bag and a rolling pin. Pulse the sugar with the vinegar, lime juice, ginger, cilantro roots, garlic, and salt in a food processor until smooth and well combined.

Fry the Pork In a large, straight-sided sauté pan or wok, heat 3 inches of lard to 375°F (measured on a deep-frying thermometer).

Toss the cubed pork belly in the flour and shake off any excess. Working in batches, fry the pork belly until very crisp and a deep golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pork with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined tray to drain and season with salt. return the fat to 375°F between batches.

Finish the Salad: Tear the mint and basil leaves. In a mixing bowl, toss the pickled watermelon rind and the chilled watermelon flesh with the sliced scallions, mint, and basil. Add just enough dressing to coat. Divide the pork among the plates. Top with the salad and garnish each dish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Spring Salad of Asparagus, Ramps, Snap Peas, and Peas, with Poached Egg and Lemon Zest Vinaigrette

2012-04-19T12:10:00Z

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Note: Feel free to use whatever fresh green vegetables you can find. Young broccoli stalks, brussels sprouts, fava beans, or fiddleheads would all work fine.

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 1 hour, total time 1 hour

For the Vinaigrette:

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons juice from 1 or 2 lemons

2 teaspoons grated zest from 1 lemon, plus a few extra thin threads of zest for garnish

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley leaves

1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad

1 cup fresh shelled English peas or 1 cup defrosted frozen peas

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the bias

1 pound asparagus, stalks trimmed, tips removed, tips and stalks reserved separately

2 to 3 tabespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large very fresh eggs

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

8 to 12 whole ramps, ends trimmed and cleaned

2 cups tender pea or snow pea shoots, thick stalks trimmed and discarded

Procedures

For the Dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and shallots together in a small sealable container. Mix together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the Vegetables: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch peas in water, boiling until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath with a wire mesh strainer. Add snap peas to blanching water and cook until bright green and just tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to ice bath with a wire mesh strainer. Add asparagus tips (not the stalks) to blanching water and cook until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath with a wire mesh strainer. Remove all vegetables from ice bath and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to dry. Set vegetables aside.

For the Asparagus: Transfer asparagus stalks to blanching water and cook until completely tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer hot stalks to the jar of a blender. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Start blender at slow speed and gradually increase to high. Blend until asparagus purée is completely smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of blanching water and scraping down sides as necessary. Season purée to taste with salt and pepper and more olive oil if desired, then set aside to cool slightly. Discard blanching water.

For the Eggs: In a large saucepan, bring three inches of water to a simmer over high heat. Add vinegar and season with salt. Reduce heat until water is just barely quivering. Break one egg into a small bowl. Swirl water in pot with a wooden spoon, then carefully lower egg into the water. Repeat until all four eggs are in the water. Cook, gently swirling the water and turning the eggs occasionally, until whites are set but yolks are still liquid, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove eggs and transfer to a bowl filled with warm tap water. Set aside.

For the Ramps: Heat canola or vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until smoking. Add ramps and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring and tossing occasionally until browned and lightly crisped. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer ramps to a plate lined with a paper towel.

To Assemble the Salad:: Spread asparagus purée along the bottoms of four wide, shallow bowls or plates. Toss the peas, snow peas, snow pea greens, and asparagus tips with 3/4 of the dressing in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad evenly amongst the four bowls. Top each salad with sautéed ramps and a poached egg. Spoon remaining dressing over the egg and season the egg with salt. Serve immediately.

Nigel Slater's Grilled Beef Vietnamese Salad

2012-04-18T18:55:00Z

Adapted from The Kitchen Diaries.

[Photograph: Blake Royer]

Why I Picked This Recipe: Though I've ordered this type of salad at restaurants before, I've never tried it at home, and I was eager to play with Slater's proportions in the dressing: fish sauce for savory pungency, lime juice to brighten things up, sweet chile sauce for spiciness, and sugar to soften the edges. It's never made much sense to me at all how the flavor of that mixture can taste so round and balanced (though it's definitely pretty funky, so be warned). The list of ingredients, besides kaffir lime leaves, which can be omitted, was also not too difficult to procure.

What Worked: The dressing worked, big time. I also liked Slater's use of peppery watercress to significantly bulk out the vegetable component, while still keeping the fragrant mint and cilantro for authenticity.

What Didn't: The recipe called for sirloin steaks, and I was glad I went against that advice in favor of much fattier hanger steak; the dressing is strong and tart on its own, and I realized that the salad succeeds when the fat from the steak balances that out. So I would definitely suggest skirt, hanger, or a portion of chuck that's well-marbled. It doesn't need to be expensive, since it'll be sliced thinly against the grain after cooking.

Suggested Tweaks: The recipe calls for cucumber and tomato, but I didn't feel it added much, so leaving them out would be fine. And keep in mind that the dressing can be tinkered with quite a bit, so tweaking the proportions of ingredients to your taste is worth doing.

About the author: Blake Royer is a food writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago; he has been writing for Serious Eats since 2007. You can follow him on Twitter @blakeroyer.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 15 minutes, total time 25 minutes

3 tablespoons juice from 2 limes

4 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce

1 to 2 tablespoon sweet chile sauce, or another chile paste such as sambal

2 teaspoons sugar

2 fresh red Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 pound hanger, skirt, or other well-marbled steaks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable

2 bunches watercress, tough stems removed

8 to 10 kaffir lime leaves, center stem removed, very thinly shredded (optional)

1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1/2 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

1 (4-inch) piece cucumber, cut into matchsticks

2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into thin wedges

Procedures

Preheat a grill or broiler for the steaks.

While the grill or broiler heats up, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, chile sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, then add the minced red chile. Taste and adjust the levels of each ingredient as desired. It should be tart, sweet, and funky.

Season the steak generously with salt and pepper and rub with the oil. Grill, turning once, until well-charred but still rosy pink within, 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness. Allow them to rest at least 5 minutes after cooking, then slice against the grain into thin pieces.

While the steaks are grilling, combine the watercress, cilantro, mint leaves, cucumber, cucumber, carrot, and tomatoes.

When the steaks are done and sliced, add them to the salad and toss everything together with the dressing. Serve immediately while the steak is still hot.

Zak Pelaccio's Asparagus Kerabu

2012-04-17T19:25:00Z

[Photograph: Michael Schrom]

Spring is here and with it comes many stalks of wonderfully green asparagus, and while we love them simply steamed, drowned with hollandaise, or topped off with a wobbly poached egg, we're thinking this Asparagus Kerabu from Zak Pelaccio's Eat with Your Hands might just be our new asparagus go-to for the season.

This take on a Malaysian salad soaks the stalks in a bath of lime juice and fish sauce before splitting the tips and stems for a raw/charred asparagus experience. The stalks are shaved thin and the tips are charred in a searing hot pan before getting tossed with ginger, bean sprouts, mint, onion, chiles, and ginger. The last, balancing touch is kerisik, or pan toasted coconut, that brings both sweetness and a crunchy-chewiness to the salad.

Recommended playlist and drinks pairing:

Listen: Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On?"--the melancholy soul vibe that moves you in more ways than a naked chiropractor.

Drink: Ezio Voyat Chambave "La Gazzella" 2004, a unique moscato that I can't seem to drink enough of.

What Worked: This Asparagus Kerabu is a prime example of the bitter-sour-salty-sweet profile that makes Southeast Asian food so satisfying. The bitterness of the asparagus is complemented and accentuated by salty fish sauce, tart lime, and sweet, toasty coconut.

What Didn't: We couldn't possibly find a point of contention with this spring salad.

Suggested Tweaks: If you're not jazzed about shaving asparagus stems, charring them on the grill or in a cast-iron pan would be a time-saver.

Reprinted with permission from Eat with Your Hands by Zakary Pelaccio. Copyright © 2012. Published by Ecco. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

serves serves 4 to 6, active time 30 minutes, total time 45 minutes

28 green asparagus stalks, trimmed

Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste

2 tablespoons fish sauce, or more to taste

½ cup roughly chopped fresh

Vietnamese mint (rau ram) leaves

1 cup bean sprouts

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

2 fresh thai bird chilies, julienned

1 tablespoon julienned peeled young fresh ginger

1 cup Kerisik (recipe follows)

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Kerisik

1 cup shredded fresh coconut, from about 1 mature coconut (you might need another to reach 1 cup), or store-bought unsweetened shredded coconut

Procedures

For the Kerisik: If you’re shredding your own coconut, use an old cleaver, machete, hammer, or other instrument of destruction to crack open the fruit. then use a paring knife to cut and pry the white flesh away from the hard shell. Remove the thin brown skin left on the meat with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the fresh coconut flesh.

Sprinkle the grated coconut in no more than a ½-inch-deep layer (work in
batches if necessary) in a large pan over medium heat. toss the coconut every 30 seconds. once the coconut starts to color lightly, start tossing more often. When most flakes have turned a golden brown color, give the pan a few shakes over the heat, then a couple more tosses and a few shakes again, like some superstitious ritual that keeps the coconut-burning gods at bay while stealing a few more precious moments of cooking time. Pull the pan from the heat and toss it nervously just to prevent those burning gods from following you out of the fire. Spread the toasted coconut on a platter or cookie sheet to cool.

For the Asparagus Kerabu: Cut off the tops of the asparagus approximately ½ inch below the tip and set the tips aside. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, slice the asparagus stems lengthwise into long, thin ribbons. toss them in a bowl with the lime juice and fish sauce and set the mixture aside for at least 15 minutes.

Heat a dry cast-iron pan or griddle over high heat and char the asparagus tips on all sides, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. then transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Once the tips have cooled, add the mint, bean sprouts, onion, chilies, and ginger and toss well. then add the asparagus stems with their liquid and the kerisik, toss well, and season to taste with more lime juice and fish sauce. transfer the salad to a bowl and sprinkle on the cilantro leaves.

Zak Pelaccio's Hanger Steak Salad

2012-04-16T16:55:38Z

[Photograph: Michael Schrom]

This Hanger Steak Salad from Zak Pelaccio's Eat with Your Hands isn't much of a salad at all. It's really slices of beefy hanger steak dressed roaring hot with a Southeast Asian dressing and a handful of basil and cilantro. But there's no need to argue semantics when a steak or salad or whatever you want to call it, is this good. The real takeaway here is steak plus fish sauce and chiles equals awesome.

And as far as Pelaccio's pairings go, spot on. The salad is hot in a way that necessitates the cooling effects of icy lager and a mellowed out playlist.

Recommended playlist and drinks pairing:

Listen: How about some chill-wave—that is the new psychdelia of Tame Impala, Innerspeaker?

Drink: Beer, whatever you've got, icy cold.

What Worked: If you're a fan of the beef salad from your local Thai joint, this one will make you real happy. Just imagine the one that you order for take-out, intensify the sweet-salty-hot and add a really good cut of beef.

What Didn't: If you're shy about heat, you might want to tone the chiles. This salad is hot, very, very hot.

Suggested Tweaks: This is the sort recipe that can act as a template for any sort of protein you've got on hand. We're thinking that next time seared duck breast might need to be involved.

Reprinted with permission from Eat with Your Hands by Zakary Pelaccio. Copyright © 2012. Published by Ecco. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

serves serves 2, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

3 tablespoons palm or brown sugar, or more to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce, or more to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste

Two 1-inch thick hanger steaks (about 7 ounces each)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, or more to taste

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

6 fresh Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced

2 fresh long red or green chiles, such as Anaheim or Hungarian Wax, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Procedures

In a small bowl, stir together the palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Taste the mixture. Do you want it sweeter, saltier, or more acidic? It's up to you.

Generously season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until it's smoking. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the steaks. Cook until beautifully brown on one side, about 6 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 more minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the Shaoxing wine, scrape up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles, and cook for 30 seconds, remove the skillet from the heat.

Slice the steaks against the grain. Add them to the bowl and top with the pan liquid. Then add the fish-sauce-lime dressing, the onion, and the herbs. Toss and serve.

Seared Rare Niçoise Tuna Lettuce Cups

2012-04-12T20:25:00Z

[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

This isn't your typical Salade Niçoise! This is a chunky mix of herbes de Provence-seared rare tuna steak and marinated white anchovies, tossed with crisp haricots verts, juicy baby tomatoes, hearty potatoes, briny black olives and capers, sweet basil, and a lemon-thyme-honey citronette with that Provençal perennial: extra virgin olive oil. Spooned into lettuce cups and devoured like tacos, this is a hearty, bright, light-hearted take on a seaside classic.

About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 10 minutes, total time 10 minutes

1/2 pound fresh tuna steak

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, plus 1/4 cup

1 1/4 teaspoons herbes de Provence

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium clove of garlic, halved

2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon honey

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked and cooled, cut into twelve pieces each

6 tablespoons blanched and cooled haricots verts or green beans, cut into 1/2-inch lengths

1/2 cup halved baby grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped Niçoise olives

3 tablespoons slivered red onion

1 tablespoon capers

6 marinated white anchovies

8 small leaves red leaf, romaine lettuce, or bibb lettuce

Procedures

Rub the tuna steak in 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the tuna for 45 seconds on each side, and immediately rub the hot fish with the cut side of the garlic. Set aside to cool for a few minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon zest and juice, the thyme, the mayonnaise, and the honey, and season with salt and pepper. Cube the tuna. Toss the tuna, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, olives, onions, capers, and anchovies with the lemon dressing in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the tuna salad in the lettuce cups and serve immediately.

Ripe's Cucumber Halloumi Salad with Licorice Notes

2012-04-12T15:25:00Z

[Photograph: Paulette Phlipot]

Crunchy slices of cucumber provide the background for this Cucumber Halloumi Salad with Licorice Notes from Cheryl Sternman Rule's Ripe, but it's really all about the cheese.

Halloumi advertises itself as the cheese that grills, and man, does it grill. Sliced and briefly seared, it browns and crisps on the surface and gets soft and squeaky in the center. And while it's great on its own, it's better when matched up with cucumbers and anise-y fennel seeds and tarragon leaves.

What Worked: The cooling and licoricey notes of this salad set of the saltiness of the Halloumi in a way that's really quite wonderful.

What Didn't: All clear, nothing to change here.

Suggested Tweaks: We could easily see tossing a few slices of honeydew or watermelon into this salad for a bit of complementary sweetness.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 30 minutes, total time 30 minutes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices Halloumi cheese, blotted dry

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

1/2 medium garlic clove, smashed and minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 English cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Procedures

In a small, dry nonstick skillet, toast the fennel seeds over medium heat, shaking the skillet a few times, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small dish. Crank the heat to medium high, add the Halloumi, and brown on both sides, turning once, about 4 minutes total. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the oil, vinegar, and garlic in a medium serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Run a small spoon (a serrated grapefruit spoon works well) along the length of each cucumber half, making a tunnel and scraping out the seedless membrane. Slice the cucumber into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. Add to the vinaigrette along with the tarragon and toasted fennel seeds. Tear the cheese into irregular pieces and toss on top.

Toss gently to coat. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve immediately.

Serious Salads: Pasta Salad with Peas and Pesto

2012-04-11T19:30:00Z

[Photograph: Jenniger Segal]

Fresh herb pesto makes a flavorful dressing for a springy pasta salad studded with green peas. Chopped walnuts add delicious crunch and fresh lemon juice brightens it up.

About the author: Jennifer Segal is the chef behind the popular food blog, Once Upon a Chef.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4 as a side dish, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

For the Pesto:

1 cup packed fresh basil or mint (or combination), plus more for garnish

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

3 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts or pinenuts, plus more for garnish

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1-2 lemons

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

1/2 pound (8 ounces) gemelli pasta, cooked, drained and cooled

8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) frozen green peas, thawed

Procedures

To make the pesto, combine the herbs, garlic, cheese, nuts, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse several times until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta and peas. Add the pesto little by little until salad is adequately dressed. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more lemon juice. Garnish salad with chopped nuts and chopped herbs, if desired.

Ripe's Honeydew Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

2012-04-11T15:45:00Z

[Photograph: Paulette Phlipot]

Equal parts salad salad and fruit salad, this Honeydew Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing from Cheryl Sternman Rule's Ripe is going to be seeing quite a lot of action over the spring and summer months.

As you can see from Paulette Phlipot's gorgeous photo, globes of honeydew, half moons of cucumber, and little halved grapes are dressed with a sweet and slightly tart dressing of honey, lime, and poppy seeds, and the combo is killer.

What Worked: Bringing three shades of pale green fruits and vegetables together and dappling them with poppy seeds makes for a salad that's not only lovely to behold but thrilling to taste.

What Didn't: Not a thing, this salad is just about perfect.

Suggested Tweaks: If monochromatic food isn't your thing, a few balls of watermelon would brighten things up quite nicely.

Reprinted with permission from Ripe by Cheryl Sternman Rule. Copyright © 2012. Published by Running Press. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

1/2 medium honeydew, seeded, flesh scooped with a melon baller

1/2 medium English cucumber, seed membrane scraped out, cut into half moons

1/2 pound seedless green grapes, cut in half (about 1 1/2 cups)

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 teaspoon canola or olive oil

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon honey

1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

4 large fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Procedures

In a large serving bowl, combine the honeydew, cucumber, and grapes.

Whisk the lime juice, oil, water, honey, and poppy seeds in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and pour over the honeydew mixture. (Scrape any stubborn poppy seeds onto the salad.) Top with mint, give a good stir, and serve immediately.

Tip: Serve this summery salad as a counterpoint to something spicy, like a curry.