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This salad is a specialty of Nice in the south of France. A tasty blend of young greens and with a few slivers of parmesan cheese or pine nuts, walnuts, black olives and if you are lucky enough to purchase some truffles, are a fabulous addition to this simple salad finished with a vinaigrette dressing!
What Is A Mesclun Salad?
It is a blend of young tender greens before they grow into mature plants.
At one time it was only found in Nice France. However, today it is found in most places and accompanies an assortment of dishes in good restaurants. It is often included as part of the Hors d'oeuvres.
Most people have heard of a Salad Niçoise (Salad Nice) with its fresh array of vegetable and protein ingredients, but this one is just a fresh green salad made with Provencal herbs and plants.
It consists of a mixture of young shoots, harvested especially for their delicate flavors such as rocket, watercress, dandelion leaves, and oak leaf lettuce.
The inhabitants of Nice used to pick their own fresh herbs and plants for this salad and indeed some still do to this day.
You too can pick your own, especially dandelion leaves when they are young but do make sure that no weed killers have been sprayed on the area!
Many chefs and home cooks now add many delicious food items like pecans, cashews, goat cheese, tomatoes, that create a tasty alternative to this classic salad.
If you choose this salad in a restaurant these days it is one of the most expensive of salads.
More Excellent Salads
Print📖 Recipe
Mesclun Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A lovely delicate French salad to enjoy with your meal.
Ingredients
- Any combination of fresh young salad leaves such as:
- 1 handful of watercress
- 1 handful of rocket (arugula)
- 1 handful of parsley
- 1 handful of dandelion leaves
- 1 handful sorrel
- 1 handful oak leaf lettuce
- 1 garlic clove
- Vinaigrette dressing
Instructions
- Wash the fresh salad leaves in cold water and dry them on a kitchen towel.
- Rub the garlic clove around the bowl.
- Arrange leaves in a salad bowl.
- Toss in a light vinaigrette dressing just before serving.
- It is delicious served with a few slivers of parmesan cheese or pine nuts, walnuts, black olives and if you are lucky enough to purchase some truffles these would be a fabulous addition.
Bon Appétit
Notes
Helpful Tips
The Lemon & Olive Oil vinaigrette sauce you will discover in the link above is my favourite dressing for this salad. But, make a couple and experiment with small portions of salad until you have come up with your favourite for this lovely light salad.
Visit my Pinterest boards.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Wash & Mix
- Cuisine: French
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