The ingredients for a signature house salad are limited only by imagination and availability.
A house salad typically means any helping of lettuces and accompanying toppings served in a restaurant. When one thinks of a traditional house salad, the image of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and croutons comes to mind. The toppings for a house salad are not limited to these simple items, and many restaurants develop a signature combination, as you can from ingredients of your choosing. Gathering all ingredients prior to putting the salad together makes preparation smoother and faster.
Instructions
1. Wash lettuces with cool water and pat dry with paper towels or run through a salad spinner. Use a mix of fresh salad greens like red and green leaf lettuces, romaine, spinach and arugula. Place the lettuces into the mixing bowl.
2. Add your choice of ingredients into the mixing bowl. A variety like beets or carrots, nuts seeds, grated or crumbled cheeses, bacon bits, egg slices or thinly sliced red onion are typical toppings. Combinations should complement each other and not overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. For example, red onion is a strong flavor and should be used sparingly.
3. Toss the salad and ingredients together with a long handled tossing fork and spoon. Be gentle so as not to bruise the greens. This step isn't completely necessary as some cooks prefer to layer additional ingredients on top of the salad for presentation.
4. Present the salad in chilled bowl or atop chilled plates. A warm bowl straight out of the dishwasher can wilt the greens before serving.
5. Serve with a selection of salad dressings. Many house salads absorb typical dressings such as ranch, thousand island, blue cheese or vinaigrette. Specialty dressings such as sweet onion, poppy seed, cilantro and lime or other combination can also be offered. In some restaurants, the dressing is the signature flavor that identifies their house salad.
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