Salads can be a starter, side or star attraction, simple or complex, hot or cold. Every cuisine has them and they’re always versatile, a great way to experiment with what’s on hand. Here are some of my favourite salad recipes from around the world.
Gado Gado Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Indonesian cooking class! Indonesia’s popular salad, gado gado, is made with the same delicious peanut sauce as satay (see video below). Gado gado translates as ‘jumbled’ and can be as simple or elaborate as you like, so add some lontong (compressed rice), boiled potato, boiled eggs, […]
Prawn Salad with Mustard Fruits Like this recipe? Visit Modena with me on my small group food & wine tour of Northern Italy. This is the pescatarian version of a simple, delicious chicken salad I had in Modena. It’s the mustard fruit, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar that make it special. Of course you could […]
Insalata di Radicchio e Crostini Like this recipe? Eat radicchio e bruciatini in Ravenna on my small group food & wine tour of Northern Italy. Insalata di radicchio e bruciatini is a classic salad from Romagna, the eastern half of Emilia-Romagna. The name ‘bruciatini’ means burned and refers to the colour of the cubes of […]
Grilled Prawns with Pear & Walnut Salad Grilled prawns with pear and walnut salad is the perfect dish for entertaining as most of the preparation can be done ahead of time, and cooking the prawns only on the shell side ensures they’ll be the juiciest you’ve ever tasted. Prawns oxidise quickly once they’re caught or […]
Insalata Caprese https://youtu.be/g7VFea_c67s Insalata Caprese is a classic Italian mozzarella and tomato salad from the Isle of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Indian water buffalo were introduced to the swampy plains near Naples as draft animals around the 6th or 7th century, and today this area is famous for one of Italy’s most delicious […]
Lemon-cured Tuna with Herb Salad One of my favourite Vietnamese dishes is bo tai chanh, a salad of beef cured in lemon juice, and the same method works just as well with tuna. Whatever protein you use, it’s a very quick dish to prepare once you have all the ingredients on hand, and it’s great […]
Salmon with Fregola Salad This baked salmon with fregola salad is a great dinner party dish as it’s both easy and impressive. The fregola salad was taught to me by chef Giovanni Pilu, from Pilu at Freshwater, who usually serves it with lamb (see video below). Fregola is a reminder of the Arabic influence in […]
Guangxi-Style Smoked Trout Salad This Guangxi-style smoked trout salad is inspired by a versatile pork salad by Spice Temple chef Andy Evans. It’s more a concept than a recipe; Andy usually makes it with char siu (see video below) and it’s just as delicious with cooked prawns, barbecued squid or even sashimi salmon or tuna. […]
Cucumber, Fetta & Tomato Salad I love the salty tang of fetta-style cheeses, especially combined with cooling cucumber. Traditional Greek Feta is made from sheep milk, sometimes with a little goat milk added. It has PDO status, meaning only cheese produced to specific criteria within a certain part of Greece can be called Feta (note […]
Swiss Cucumber Salad Discover more delicious Swiss dishes on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! This easy Swiss cucumber salad is a refreshing side dish for almost any main course. The yoghurt dressing adds a touch of acid which cuts through the richness of creamy or fried dishes. A good natural pot-set […]
