Make a fresh salad with the best spring produce you can find at the farmers’ market. A springtime salad is the perfect weeknight meal or accompaniment to more significant celebrations like Easter.
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What Is Spring Salad?
A spring salad is a green salad mix typically comprising seasonal produce on a bed of tender baby lettuces. A spring salad mix often features baby arugula and baby spinach greens. Toss the ingredients with vinegar or lemon juice vinaigrette to make a spring salad. You can serve a spring salad as a side dish or add grains or protein to make a main dish. Jump to recipe.
Popular Ingredients for Spring Salads
Unlike a Caesar salad, there is no official ingredient list for a spring salad, so you can mix and match as you please. A refreshing spring salad can feature a mixture of vegetables, fruit, grains, and cheese:
- 1. Cheese: You can add mild cheese to a spring salad, giving it some creaminess and saltiness. Popular cheeses include feta cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
- 2. Fruit: Popular in-season fruit for spring salads include cucumber, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, and sweet strawberries.
- 3. Grains: Homemade croutons or legumes like chickpeas, beans, and lentils are another great way to bulk out a spring salad. Add a sprinkle of roasted nuts like pecans or walnuts for protein and flavor.
- 4. Greens: The base of a spring salad is a mix of tender greens, such as arugula, baby spinach, and crispy romaine lettuce. You can buy a spring greens mix for various colors and textures. Spring mix, also known as mesclun, is a mix of young salad greens.
- 5. Herbs: Garnish a spring salad with fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, mint, and chives for flavor and texture.
- 6. Vegetables: Veggies popular for spring salads include avocados, crunch radishes, asparagus, green beans, red onion, zucchini, sugar snap peas, and marinated artichoke.
Asparagus Spring Salad Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
21 mincook time
1 minIngredients
For the lemon vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, finely grated
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
1 small bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup snap peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise
5 ounces mixed greens, such as baby spinach, arugula, and butter lettuce
½ avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 packed cup fresh herb leaves like basil, mint, and cilantro
½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
¼ cup toasted pecans
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
- 1
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and set up a medium bowl of ice water.
- 2
Once the water is boiling, blanch the asparagus until it is bright green and tender, about 1 minute.
- 3
Immediately transfer the asparagus to the prepared bowl of ice water to cool. Drain the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels.
- 4
Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- 5
In a medium bowl, toss asparagus, radishes, and snap peas with half the lemon dressing.
- 6
Spread the salad greens on a serving platter, then top with the asparagus salad mixture, avocado, herbs, feta cheese, and pecans.
- 7
Drizzle the salad with the remaining vinaigrette and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.
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