Sometimes the perfect finish to a meal is a simple, well-made salad. This green salad with sherry-shallot dressing pairs equally well with a cozy braise or a casual pizza night. Bright lemon, tangy Dijon, and a touch of honey balance the sherry vinegar’s caramel notes, creating a vinaigrette that’s citrusy, slightly sweet, and full of flavor. Keep this recipe handy for dinner parties, holidays, or weeknight dinners.
I’m ready for warm weather and patio dinners. With spring and summer gatherings on the horizon, I’ve been planning menus and dreaming about evenings around a fire pit with yard games. This salad is a favorite no-fuss side: it’s pretty, flavorful, and comes together quickly.
It’s versatile too. Serve it with grilled or smoked meats for a backyard meal, or alongside heartier winter dishes like brisket stew and garlic butter dinner rolls. The dressing’s balance of acidity and subtle sweetness keeps the salad lively without overwhelming delicate lettuces.
Sherry vinegar
Vinegar provides the acidity and backbone for any vinaigrette. Sherry vinegar is my go-to here because it’s well-balanced, slightly sweet, and offers subtle caramelized flavors. If you don’t have it, apple cider or red wine vinegar are acceptable substitutes. For the dressing you’ll need shallots, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon zest, olive oil, avocado oil, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
For the salad itself, use tender lettuces (butter lettuce and green leaf work beautifully), toasted sunflower seeds, freshly grated Parmesan, and thinly sliced English cucumbers. Freshly grated Parmesan makes a noticeable difference in flavor and texture.
More topping ideas
- Nuts and seeds: toasted almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, pepitas, or hazelnuts all add crunch and depth.
- Cheese: try sharp white cheddar, gouda, blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese for different flavor profiles.
- Veggies: add carrots, cherry tomatoes, roasted beets, thinly sliced fennel, radishes, or peppers for color and texture.
Blend the dressing
To achieve a smooth, creamy emulsion, add the oils slowly while blending. If you pour the oil too quickly the dressing may separate.
Make the salad
Start with approximately one-third of the dressing so you don’t overdress the greens. The salad should be evenly coated with no puddles of dressing at the bottom. Add more dressing sparingly to taste.
Making this dressing by hand
You can make the dressing without a blender, but expect small bits of shallot in the finished vinaigrette. Finely mince the shallot, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, then whisk while slowly adding the oils until the dressing comes together.
Make-ahead dressing
Store leftover dressing in a sealed jar and refrigerate for up to one week. You can prepare the dressing up to a week ahead, but avoid assembling the salad in advance—butter lettuce wilts quickly. Toss the greens right before serving.
If the oil solidifies in the refrigerator, let the jar sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes, then shake well to recombine before using.
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Simple Green Salad with Sherry Shallot Dressing
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Ingredients
Sherry Shallot Dressing
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped (3 Tablespoons/24 grams)
- 3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (42 milliliters)
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 grams)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (42 milliliters)
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil (42 milliliters)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Simple Green Salad
- 1 pound red butter lettuce (454 grams)
- 4.5 ounces green leaf lettuce (128 grams)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted (40 grams)
- 1/3 cup freshly-grated parmesan (25 grams)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumbers (110 grams)
Equipment
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Blender or food processor
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Chef’s knife
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Cutting board
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Box grater
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Large salad bowl and tongs
Instructions
Sherry shallot dressing
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Place the diced shallot in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit 10–30 minutes to mellow the sharp flavor, then drain.
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Combine the drained shallot, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon zest in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
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With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and avocado oil until the dressing is emulsified and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Simple green salad
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In a large bowl, combine the red butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, and sliced cucumbers.
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Just before serving, add about one-third of the dressing, toss to coat, then taste and add more dressing, salt, or pepper as desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
For a creamier dressing, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of whole-milk Greek yogurt or a small amount of mayonnaise.
If you don’t have a salad spinner, wash the lettuce in a colander, then lay the leaves on a clean towel and blot dry with another towel.
Be gentle with butter lettuce; it’s delicate and bruises easily.
Start with about one-third of the dressing when tossing the salad. The greens should be evenly coated with no pooling at the bottom. Add more dressing gradually to taste.
If refrigerated, the oil may solidify. Let the dressing sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes and shake well before using.