It’s not that you don’t like salad; it’s that you’re not making it right. First off, you’re thinking about it wrong. You’re thinking of it as a bunch of raw, gross vegetables tossed together and forcing yourself to eat it in the name of “health.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. A salad should be a vessel to carry the flavors and ingredients you love.
The first element is to consider your general vision for the salad. Are you choosing to follow a classic recipe, like a Caesar salad? Or would you rather model off of an existing dish? This could mean making a “cheeseburger” salad and mixing together romaine lettuce, ground beef, cheddar cheese, pickles, tomatoes, onions, and Big Mac sauce. Lastly, if you don’t have anything specific in mind or want to use up certain ingredients, try to use inspiration from a particular culture. For example, if you have cucumbers getting close to being past their prime, you could pair them with tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and hummus for a Mediterranean-inspired salad.
Once you have your vision, it's time to gather an ingredient from each of these main categories: greens, grains, toppings, seasoning, and dressing. Of course, you don’t need to fulfill every group in order to call your creation a salad, but I highly recommend it.
Greens? Sure, you could go with the usual suspects, like lettuce or spinach. But you could also spice things up with shredded broccoli, shaved Brussels sprouts, or a different green vegetable. Keep in mind that whichever green you choose will have its own best flavor pairings; arugula is peppery and best when paired with something sweet like apples; kale is bitter, but this bitterness can be toned down when it is massaged with lemon juice.
When choosing your grain, consider which cuisine and flavor profile you are aiming for. If you are aiming for Mexican flavors or basing your salad off of your favorite burrito, consider using cilantro-lime rice as your grain. Also consider temperature. Want a warm and cozy salad for a cold day? Toss your grains in olive oil and toast them in the oven.
Protein is the unsung hero of salads. It's what turns a side dish into a meal. Not only does it make the salad more filling, but it also provides another opportunity to bring flavor in. You could utilize meat, soy, high-protein grains, cheese, nuts, or seeds. Remember that ingredient categories can overlap, and using something like chickpeas as your protein does not mean you also need a grain. To add flavor through protein, you could make a sauce for it or use a certain seasoning mix. For example, chicken for an Italian salad could be marinated with lemon juice, rosemary, basil, and oregano. Tofu for a Thai salad could be coated with sweet chili sauce.
As for toppings, go crazy! Choose from cheeses, starches, vegetables, fruits, crispy carbs (like croutons or tortilla strips), nuts, seeds—anything your mind dreams of. Consider texture; would this element add more to the salad if it were cooked or raw? Size matters. Is the topping too bulky to fit in your mouth with the other elements? Would it integrate better if it were shredded, diced, or cut into matchsticks? Keep in mind that each ingredient should be prepared in such a way that it tastes good on its own. If you wouldn’t eat plain sweet potatoes, then don’t put them in your salad.
So you’ve gathered your ingredients; the last step is to dress for success. When choosing your dressing and seasonings, make sure that they harmonize with the rest of your salad. If you are intimidated by cooking and not sure what to use, you can never go wrong with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. But please use something; your salad is begging for it!
Now that we’ve covered the basics of salad-making, there are a few general tips to know. First off, taste as you go. This way, you can adjust your ratios and detect right away if something is off. Second, make sure you’ve included something salty to enhance your flavors, something acidic to provide complexity and tanginess, and something fatty to help you detect the variety of tastes. Something salty could be cheese, cured meat, anchovies, olives, or anything else that adds salt. For acidic, you could add tomatoes, pickles, cheese, vinegar, or citrus. Fat in a salad is most commonly found in the dressing. However, if you don’t like dressing, you can add other creamy indulgences such as avocado, nuts, seeds, and fatty meat.
You can learn to craft an irresistible salad by first creating a vision, then choosing high-quality ingredients to complement the flavor profile. Consider temperature, size, and texture, and ensure you’ve used salt, acid, and fat. Salad preparation may seem complex at first, but don’t be scared! The learning process should be fun, and you should focus more on enjoying it than on making perfect salads at first. Mistakes are essential for growth and not something to fear. I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t once make a salad so salty that my family didn’t eat it. The important part is to take these mistakes and learn from them. So go out there, leaf your worries behind, and start making salads you like!
Further reading:
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/no-more-sad-salads-how-to-hack-the-salad-bar
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/31-salads-to-celebrate-national-salad-month-this-may
https://spoonuniversity.com/recipe/my-favorite-fall-salad-recipe-perfect-for-busy-college-students