A fancier “house salad” might have included cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and croutons.
Luckily, those times are over.
And I couldn’t be more thrilled.
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Plus eating salads frequently can help you get your five servings of produce a day, deliciously.
Here are 13 types of salad greens worth seeking out, plus recipes to use them in.
But that’s pretty unfair, since classics are classics for a reason!
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These inner leaves are well-suited to be used as lettuce cups.
(Romaine hearts contain only the crunchier inner leaves.)
This easily separable structure also makes them ideal for using as lettuce boats forchicken salador tuna salad.
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Romaine is also sturdy enough to hold up on thegrill.
Within this variety of lettuce, you’ll find Boston, Bibb and butter lettuces.
These leaves are smooth with a soft crunch that stays uniform throughout.
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Bibb tends to be a bit lighter and more compact.
you could also find the leaves already separated and trimmed in clamshells.
For the most part, you might use Little Gem any way you would romaine.
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Some people toss the smaller heads whole into a salad.
Or, use the leaves as carriers for chicken oregg salad.
Each head and leaf is fan-shaped and floats out from the central stalk in flowing ruffled leaves.
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Loose leaf lettuces are a little nutty, with a hint of earthiness that underpins their refreshing notes.
Their texture is tender through the leaf, chewy at the frills, and crisper toward the center.
Hand-tearing it is the best way to break it down for salads.
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Traditional mesclun typically had chervil, arugula and various baby lettuce leaves and endives or young frisee.
Specifically, baby arugula, as this is what’s most often used for salads.
Neves describes it as “light with a delicate peppery, lemon-like finish.”
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Sprinkle a few leaves over eggs to add some greenery and spice to your breakfast."
Rather, baby spinach is usually sold in bags or plastic clamshells alongside arugula and mesclun.
The flavor is mildly earthy and vegetal, with hints of sweetness and nuttiness.
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Try baby spinach in these recipes:
Radicchio
Radicchiocomes in two shapesspherical or torpedo.
It’s often in salad greens blends, yet it’s never green.
It is dramatically hued with variegated dark burgundy leaves that extend from contrasting white ribs.
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Tightly layered as they are, these leaves are easily separated into smooth, structured cups with ridged edges.
Like any chicory, radicchio is bitter.
However, it also has a velvety quality to it that balances out its natural spiciness.
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Endive
This extremely diverse group of chicories includes Belgian endive, curly endive and frisee.
Curly endive is what you’ll often find in salad greens.
Now here’s where it gets twisty: when frisee enters the chat.
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(And in the U.K., it’s just called endive.)
No matter what it’s called, frisee is fantastic, slightly bitter but milder than its relatives.
Heads of escarole look similar to loose leaf lettuce.
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The darker the hue, the more bitter you’re able to expect that bite to be.
These sprout from ultra-thin, tender, green stems.
Mache is bright to dark green.
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No matter how it looks, mache tastes grassy and herbaceous with nutty and tangy hints.
Buy it with the rosettes still intact if you might, as that will protect the leaves from damage.
When you rinse them, do it gently and under cold water lest they wilt.
And when it comes time to eat these greens, add mache to a salad right before dressing it.
While that may not sound particularly pleasant on paper or in a salad, don’t be deterred.
When it comes to picking your lettuce, always go for the brightest, most vibrant greens.
You’ll also want your Belgian endives and radicchio to be tightly furled.
Loose leaf lettuces and escarole should be crisp and sturdy, not overly floppy.
Avoid any with soft spots.
Baby greens should be bold in color and dry.
If any leaves look soggy, their days are numbered.
For most salad greens, moisture is not your friend.
For baby greens, layering paper towels throughout the container can help absorb leaf-destroying moisture.
Or branch out and experiment with arugula, mache and more.
