Salads get a pretty bad rep. And why wouldn’t they? Bitter greens, leafy unhappiness – that overwhelming sense of unfulfillment as you force the last mouthful. Well, I’m going to level with you here. Salads can actually taste amazing. Forget about those bland ingredients that taste like as-I mean grass. With a few simple steps, you can create something genuinely mouth-watering.
Where do people go wrong when creating a salad?
- They use big, chunky ingredients. Huge pieces of onion, tomato and lettuce don’t taste amazing (unless they’re wedged between two burgers buns and a stunning piece of meat.)
- They create the blandest salad known to man. How many times have you seen a side salad prepared with no herbs, sauces or dressings? This sort of monstrosity can often be seen accompanying a delicious, carb-y main. Maybe it’s to create the illusion of health? Conspiracy music plays.
- They throw together a bunch of ingredients without consideration. This usually happens in a desperate attempt to get fit and healthy (or maybe you’re running low on food and grocery shopping feels like an exhausting experience.) It’s a sure-fire way to reinforce the idea that salad is, you know, disgusting.
Here’s a few tips to create a salad that tastes incredible.
- Chop your ingredients finely. You want as many flavours in your mouth as possible. Not only does it add texture, it’s going to prevent the dreaded bite of pure kale.
- It’s okay to add naughty ingredients – in fact, you should. Do you salivate at the sight of fried chicken and bacon? Well, chop them up and add them in. You were going to eat them anyway – may as well create a healthier version.
- Herbs and dressings are your new best friends. If it wasn’t already obvious, we’re quite fond of adding a little fire to our food. Try fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano and thyme for a blast of flavour. We recommend adding a bit of chilli and lime sauce to add an extra pop.
- Toss your salad. Grab that sucker and give it a good shake. We want those ingredients to blend together beautifully.
- Remember to add texture. Crispy fried onions, chia seeds, sesame seeds, bacon bits – we want variety.
