How to make amazing summer salads on a budget
Say goodbye to limp lettuce and expensive shop-bought dressing. And say hello to exciting salads that pack a flavour punch…
Along with strawberries and cream, barbecued sausages and seaside ice creams, we in the UK really embrace the summer salad. But we also throw away a LOT of bagged leaves that lose their potential after a day or two, and our salad dreams fade. The spirit is willing but the leaves are limp.
Cookery writer Elena Silcock, author of Salads are More Than Leaves, shares her secrets to making delicious, filling salads "outside the bag", and without spending a fortune on ingredients…
The secret formula to make every salad great
“When I was growing up, my mum would make those big American-style chopped salads, and they were the whole meal. That’s what inspired my love of salads," explains Elena. From a soy-glazed salmon salad with crisp Chinese cabbage and kohlrabi, to a Waldorf-style chicken salad with sweet red apples and walnuts, salads are no longer a bit of green on the side.
If you don't know where to start, Elena's tips can give you a foundation. “There’s a basic formula that I give people as a guide,” she says.
Spotlight on the hero
“You want a key ingredient that is the star of the show. This could be your central vegetable – such as butternut squash or fish or meat.” This gives you a chance to play with temperature as well, making an interesting and satisfying contrast in a warm chicken salad with cold fresh vegetables.
Bulk up with satisfying carbs
“Use things like beans lentils, rice, couscous or potatoes, to give it bulk. This will make it feel like it’s a meal, not a side.” Cooking beans or lentils from dry and storing them in the freezer makes it easy to use just a little at a time, as you need it, without wasting half a tin.
Leaves and more
“While salads are much more than leaves, I still love to have them in there.” The range of leaves is far greater than your usual lettuce. Rocket, pea shoots, baby beetroot or spinach leaves can all be easily grown at home, too, for a fraction of the cost of buying a bag (especially if you throw half of it away). "From this point you want to start building it up with extra veggies and loads of herbs.” Fresh mint, parsley and basil are easy to grow on a windowsill and pack a punch for their size.
Getting to the crunch
“This could be seeds, nuts, croutons or toasted pitta chips – I even have a couple of recipes where I crunch up nachos and add them over the top!” Contrasts in textures between soft and crisp, little bursts of salty or nutty flavour among the fresh juicy veg, will make your salad more satisfying and filling too.
Sharpen up
“It’s easy to underestimate how much dressing you need and also how much acidity is required to make all of the other ingredients really sing.” Basic white wine vinegar isn't your only option. Lemon or lime juice, flavoured or sherry vinegars, fresh grapefruit, all bring sharpness. If you want a creamy balance to the acidity, opt for dairy. “You want something that’s going to add a creamy and salty element, it could be a yoghurt dressing or adding some Parmesan or blue cheese.”
Related recipes
Great summer flavours that you can buy on a budget
“Raw broccoli and raw courgette are both pretty cheap ingredients that are amazing in salad,” says Elena.
“In summer I make a salad with courgette ribbons and frozen peas. You put the frozen peas straight into salad bowl and then you add in cooked grains.” The frozen peas act as a chiller to cool down the salad as they defrost. “You get a really fresh, crunchy salad but it's also really cold which is delicious.”
“I'm really obsessed with tomatoes and cucumbers too. They’re simple but don’t be put off because they’re associated with old-school style salads. They can be transformed into something amazing…”
“The key is to salt them which will intensify the flavour…” Elena explains that salting the chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and leaving them for 20-30 minutes will make the least inspiring vegetables tastier. “This draws out the water and the flavour of the tomato is intensified. When you’ve done it once, you’ll never go back to not salting them.”
The technique makes the perfect Greek salad, too. “Keep it simple. Get good key ingredients, salt your tomatoes and your cucumbers and serve it up with some really good bread or pitta.”
Quick tips for storing your salad veg to last longer, plus ideas for using it up.
Make salads in advance without wilting
If you want to enjoy a salad over several meals, the key is to keep your ‘crunch’ and dressing separate until serving, says Elena. “I can remember watching Mary Berry, who showed in her foolproof green salad how to layer ingredients by weight. So your heaviest ingredients are at the bottom – like your roasted veg and grains and then your lightest ingredients – such as your leaves are on the top. This means you can make salad in advance and when you come to serve it, it feels fresh because you're tossing up the layers, adding in the dressing and scattering on the crunch and maybe grating some fresh cheese over the top as well.”
To fruit or not to fruit?
Fruit in salads is divisive. “They need to be dressed well and balanced out with salty elements, so it doesn't feel like a fruit salad or a salad with fruit.”
Elena suggests the following summer combinations:
- Peaches or nectarines with soft cheeses such as burrata and mozzarella – “you can char the fruit if you have time but fresh is just as good.” (Try the Hairy Bikers' Mesquite chicken salad with peaches and burrata.)
- Strawberries and hazelnuts – “With a really salty cheese, it's so delicious!”
- Mango, cheddar and broccoli salad – “with a really spicy chilli dressing and covered peanuts”
Top tips for dressings
Up the acidity
“You’re going to want a little bit more acidity than you think you do. Once you put the dressing on the salad, taste it and if it does need more acidity, squeeze over half a lemon and taste it again.
Take it easy with the garlic
Elena’s a big fan of old-school Caesar salad, too but advises some caution. “I think the flavour of raw garlic overwhelms Caesar salad dressings. I’d suggest either roasting garlic and then blending it in with your dressing or omit the garlic entirely. Also use an entire tin of anchovies – they are the best part. The most important thing to remember with Caesars though is not to scrimp on the dressing and use whole leaves, don’t over chop!”
Keep it simple
“Don’t overly complicate dressings. I have a group of dressings in my locker, and they mix from tahini dressing that's just a few ingredients to a miso dressing which has five or six different ingredients. I probably stick to lemon, olive oil, honey and mustard most of the time with loads of salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll toast off some spice seeds and chuck them in.”
Originally published July 2022
