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Expert guide > Guide to salads
Guide to salads
From choosing the right mix of leaves to creating your own
classic dressings, food editor Michelle Southan's useful guide
has all the tips and tricks for turning a simple salad into a standout.
Once upon a time in Australia, a typical salad
was little more than iceberg lettuce, under-ripe tomatoes and
a dressing with too much vinegar. Then, immigrants arrived from around the world, bringing thousands of years of combined culinary history and demands for the tastes of home. By the end of the 1980s, mesclun salad
and peppery rocket adorned salad plates across the country. Nowadays when you visit the fresh produce section of Woolworths, traditional
iceberg sits alongside many exotic lettuce varieties, such as witlof, treviso and curly endive.
What you need
A colander for washing and draining salad leaves.
A salad spinner or clean tea towel for drying leaves.
Measuring spoons and a measuring jug for measuring dressing ingredients, such as olive oil and vinegar.
A small jug and small whisk for making vinaigrette.
A glass or ceramic bowl or a small food processor for making mayonnaise.
A clean tea towel to help keep the bowl still as
you whisk mayonnaise if you're making it by hand.
How to make mayonnaise by hand
For each egg yolk, you'll need
125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil. Whisk the egg yolk, 1 teaspoon mustard and
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a glass or ceramic bowl, on a tea towel (this stops the bowl from slipping), to combine. Gradually add oil a few drops at a time to combine. Continue adding the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture thickens.
How to make mayonnaise in a food processor
If you're short on time, make homemade mayonnaise using
your food processor. Simply place the egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard and a pinch of salt
in the bowl of a food processor
and process until combined. With the motor running, gradually add
oil in a thin steady stream until
the mixture is thick and pale.
How to make vinaigrette
Vinaigrette is an emulsion of oil and an acidic liquid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, with seasonings, such as mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. As a guide, use three parts oil to one part acidic liquid. Feel free to add a little more oil or acidic liquid, if desired. Use a fork or balloon whisk to gradually whisk oil into vinegar
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or lemon juice in a small bowl until well combined. Add seasonings.
Try these classic dressings
Once you know how to make basic mayonnaise and vinaigrette, the possibilities are endless. Try these delicious dressing ideas.
Aοoli (garlic mayonnaise)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Combine 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise and 3 garlic cloves, crushed, in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Blue cheese dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise, 80g blue cheese, crumbled, 1 tbs white wine vinegar and 2 tsp chopped chives in a bowl.
French dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 2 tbs white wine vinegar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp caster sugar in a jug. Gradually add 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Golden goddess dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise,
1 garlic clove, crushed, 3 drained anchovy fillets, finely chopped, 2 shallots, ends trimmed, finely chopped, 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley, 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon and 1 tsp white wine vinegar in a bowl.
Italian dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil, 2 tbs red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, crushed, 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano, 3 tsp chopped fresh basil, 2 tsp chopped fresh dill and 1/2 tsp sugar in a jug. Season with salt and pepper.
Top dressing tips
Avoid adding the dressing
to pasta salads until just before serving, as pasta absorbs it quickly.
If your mayonnaise splits (when the egg stops absorbing oil), whisk a fresh egg yolk in a clean, dry bowl, and gradually whisk the mayonnaise mixture into the whisked egg yolk.
Experiment with different oils for varied flavours. For example, extra virgin olive oil tastes fruitier than ordinary olive oil. Try using a nut oil, such as macadamia, in a dressing.
Buying & storing salad leaves
Look for salad greens that
have a fresh even colour, without any discolouration.
Store whole lettuces, unwashed, in a lettuce keeper, airtight container or sealable plastic bag in the fridge for
up to five days.
Buy packaged loose lettuce leaves on the day you want to serve them. Otherwise, store the leaves in the bag in the fridge for up to two days.
classic dressings, food editor Michelle Southan's useful guide
has all the tips and tricks for turning a simple salad into a standout.
Once upon a time in Australia, a typical salad
was little more than iceberg lettuce, under-ripe tomatoes and
a dressing with too much vinegar. Then, immigrants arrived from around the world, bringing thousands of years of combined culinary history and demands for the tastes of home. By the end of the 1980s, mesclun salad
and peppery rocket adorned salad plates across the country. Nowadays when you visit the fresh produce section of Woolworths, traditional
iceberg sits alongside many exotic lettuce varieties, such as witlof, treviso and curly endive.
What you need
A colander for washing and draining salad leaves.
A salad spinner or clean tea towel for drying leaves.
Measuring spoons and a measuring jug for measuring dressing ingredients, such as olive oil and vinegar.
A small jug and small whisk for making vinaigrette.
A glass or ceramic bowl or a small food processor for making mayonnaise.
A clean tea towel to help keep the bowl still as
you whisk mayonnaise if you're making it by hand.
How to make mayonnaise by hand
For each egg yolk, you'll need
125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil. Whisk the egg yolk, 1 teaspoon mustard and
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a glass or ceramic bowl, on a tea towel (this stops the bowl from slipping), to combine. Gradually add oil a few drops at a time to combine. Continue adding the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture thickens.
How to make mayonnaise in a food processor
If you're short on time, make homemade mayonnaise using
your food processor. Simply place the egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard and a pinch of salt
in the bowl of a food processor
and process until combined. With the motor running, gradually add
oil in a thin steady stream until
the mixture is thick and pale.
How to make vinaigrette
Vinaigrette is an emulsion of oil and an acidic liquid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, with seasonings, such as mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. As a guide, use three parts oil to one part acidic liquid. Feel free to add a little more oil or acidic liquid, if desired. Use a fork or balloon whisk to gradually whisk oil into vinegar
read on below advertisement
or lemon juice in a small bowl until well combined. Add seasonings.
Try these classic dressings
Once you know how to make basic mayonnaise and vinaigrette, the possibilities are endless. Try these delicious dressing ideas.
Aοoli (garlic mayonnaise)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Combine 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise and 3 garlic cloves, crushed, in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Blue cheese dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise, 80g blue cheese, crumbled, 1 tbs white wine vinegar and 2 tsp chopped chives in a bowl.
French dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 2 tbs white wine vinegar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp caster sugar in a jug. Gradually add 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Golden goddess dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 235g (1 cup) whole egg mayonnaise,
1 garlic clove, crushed, 3 drained anchovy fillets, finely chopped, 2 shallots, ends trimmed, finely chopped, 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley, 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon and 1 tsp white wine vinegar in a bowl.
Italian dressing
HOW TO MAKE IT
Whisk together 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil, 2 tbs red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, crushed, 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano, 3 tsp chopped fresh basil, 2 tsp chopped fresh dill and 1/2 tsp sugar in a jug. Season with salt and pepper.
Top dressing tips
Avoid adding the dressing
to pasta salads until just before serving, as pasta absorbs it quickly.
If your mayonnaise splits (when the egg stops absorbing oil), whisk a fresh egg yolk in a clean, dry bowl, and gradually whisk the mayonnaise mixture into the whisked egg yolk.
Experiment with different oils for varied flavours. For example, extra virgin olive oil tastes fruitier than ordinary olive oil. Try using a nut oil, such as macadamia, in a dressing.
Buying & storing salad leaves
Look for salad greens that
have a fresh even colour, without any discolouration.
Store whole lettuces, unwashed, in a lettuce keeper, airtight container or sealable plastic bag in the fridge for
up to five days.
Buy packaged loose lettuce leaves on the day you want to serve them. Otherwise, store the leaves in the bag in the fridge for up to two days.
Recipes Michelle Southan Photography Rob Palmer & Ben Dearnley Styling Saskia Hay
