I should call this the secret salad instead of chopped green salad because I have been keeping it a secret for three years. It is a salad recipe that has been in the making since we were in lockdown. I became obsessed with watching the chefs Sarit and Itamar from Honey and Co in London, cooking from their apartment every day, and this recipe stuck with us.
Their rule with making their version of this salad was that it only had green vegetables used, with the exception of any color of radish. I loved the idea especially for cleaning out the fridge days. During lockdown it became a staple for us when we were tried of cooking as all that required was a lot of chopping of this and that.
Over the past three years the recipe has evolved for us, and we basically use the same ingredients along with what ever sort of radish is in season. Right now watermelon radishes are everywhere so I am using them. During rest of the year I use red, easter egg or french radishes. Really it depends on what looks good. The only changes I have made to their version, is that I use tahini in the dressing, and sometimes I had protein such as tinned fish, jammy six minute eggs, or roasted crispy chickpeas. With or without protein it is still a meal all by itself.
Tips:
Use fresh lemon juice, the kind squeezed from a lemon. If you can find Meyer Lemons, they are even better. I had a friend who made this recipe, and she used the kind in the little plastic lemon and wondered why it didn’t taste the same.
Use whatever green vegetables you want or like. These are our favorites but there really isn’t a right or wrong with this recipe. If we have cilantro on hand we toss that in, but if cilantro isn’t your jam then leave it out.
We love adding tinned fish to make the salad more “hearty”. Our favorite tinned fish is Fish Wife, and the smoked tuna or trout pairs wonderfully with these flavors.
More Salad Recipes:
Watermelon Radish and Fennel Salad
Chopped Green Salad
This chopped green salad is a great way to use all the leftover green vegetables in the fridge. I tend to use the same ingredients every time; romaine hearts, dill, mint, parsley, jalapeno, avocado, green onions and occasionally cilantro if I have it it gets tossed in. Radishes are a must as it brights up the salad. The dressing a lemon based dressing with olive oil and a touch of tahini for creaminess.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces romaine hearts, washed and dried
- 1 ounces parsley, finely minced
- 1 ounce mint, finely minced
- 1 ounce dill, finely minced
- 3 green onions, roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno (more or less depending on the heat you like)
- 1 avocado, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh meyer lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- maldon salt
- black pepper
- 1 large watermelon radish or 3 small ones - if using a watermelon radish peel it first and then slice. Other radishes only need to be washed and then sliced.
Instructions
- Chop the romaine and place into a salad bowl.
- Add the finely minced herbs, jalapeno, and lightly toss to mix ingredients.
- Drizzle with the olive oil and juice from half of the lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Toss lightly, and then taste. If you like more lemon add the other half. We usually end up using an entire lemon as the ones we buy are small.
- Add the chopped cucumber, avocado and radishes.
- Drizzle the tahini over the top of the salad. Sprinkle with a little more salt and black pepper to taste if needed.
Notes
Use fresh lemon juice from a lemon not a jar. It makes a HUGE difference with taste.