Spicy herb salad with ginger-lime dressing

For me, a salad should pop with flavours and 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 with lots of herbs and flavour. However, the fresh dressing sets this salad apart from anything I have had. You can use any combination of fresh herbs that you can find or seek out; the magic of this salad is that it changes 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 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, and this genius chef's recipes are unique in putting together flavours and dishes. All the recipes pop with flavours, 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 chilli, 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 in the fridge for at least 1 hour or for up to 2 days.

For the salad:

4 loaded handfuls of fresh herbs, including cilantro, mint, basil, `parsley, dill, thyme, chives, and anything you can find. Don’t worry about the proportions or 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.

NOTE: Do not toss the salad beforehand, 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. For the same reason, it is also advisable to consume this salad at the meal or the same day.