Spicy herb salad with ginger-lime dressing

For me a salad should pop with flavors, it should be unique and different. For years I refused to eat a salad because of the boring wedge or Caesar that has taken over the world. This changed a few years ago when I started eating salads at nicer restaurants, ones that made salads that were interesting and flavorful. As a result I started cooking and making my own salads. Today, I have half a bookshelf dedicated to beautiful salads. Check out the many wonderful salad recipes on this site. This super simple salad is light, the herbs create a commotion of flavors on your palate. It can be likened to some Persian salads, lots of herbs and lots of flavor. However, the fresh dressing sets this salad apart from anything I have had before. You can use any combination of fresh herbs that you can find or seek out, the magic of this salad is that it is changing every time you make it, depending on the season or what you like to put in the salad. As a tip, I only dress the salad right before I serve it, the dressing is acidic and tends to wilt the leaves if left on for a long time. In addition, make enough, or dress enough, just for the meal. I also choose to add a few lettuce leaves to the salad to temper the herbs, though these are optional.

I waited a long time before I decided to buy this book, and then regretted that decision. This is a beautiful book, the recipes are very unique in how this genius chef put together flavors and dishes. All the recipes pop with flavors, beautifully laid out dishes, and wonderful food. This restaurant is definitely on my bucket list the next time I am in Venice, California.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook click here.

For the spicy ginger-lime dressing:

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 medium-hot green or red chili, deseeded and minced finely

1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, grated to a fine paste

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced, or pressed through a garlic press

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust for salt and ginger. This dressing should have a strong ginger influence. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or for up to 2 days in the fridge.

For the salad:

4 loaded handfuls fresh herbs including, cilantro, mint, basil, `parsley, dill, thyme, chives, at anything you can find. Don’t worry about the proportions either, about an equal mix of all. 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 small cucumbers, partially peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch cubes

Salt and pepper to taste.

Lettuce of your choice (optional)

Arrange the lettuces (if using), tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs in a bowl. Toss with the dressing right before serving. ‘Do not toss the salad before hand, but right before you are ready to serve it. This dressing has a lot of acid, and it tends to wilt the herbs and leaves over time. It is also advisable to consume this salad at the meal or same day for the same reason.