Salads

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Cucumber, Pineapple and Peanut Rojak with Tamarind Dressing

Crisp cucumber, juicy pineapple, crunchy roasted peanuts and a sweet fruity dressing – what’s not to like? This is a Singaporean salad from the cookbook ‘Agak Agak’. It’s delicious alongside so many things – a recipe to remember!

*to roast the peanuts simply put the fresh peanuts in a single layer on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for about 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

1 large cucumber

250g pineapple, peeled, seeds and eyes removed

½ small red onion, very finely chopped

50g of freshly roasted peanuts, crushed (*see note above)

Handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

For the Dressing:

4 tablespoons tamarind paste

4 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped

1. Combine the ingredients for the dressing, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
2. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, cut out the seedy middle then cut into 1cm pieces. Cut the pineapple into similar-sized pieces.
3. Mix the cucumber, pineapple and onion together with the dressing. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. When ready to serve, add the peanuts and mint and toss to combine.

Brown Rice Salad (Serves 4)

This is a super healthy side dish and what’s more it’s delicious!

165g cooked, long-grained brown rice

75g carrots, chopped

75g cucumber, seeds removed and chopped

75g radishes, sliced

65g celery, chopped

50g red onion, chopped

100g peas (thawed if frozen)

Bunch of basil, chopped

Bunch of mint, chopped

Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the Dressing:

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon red chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. First of all, whisk together the ingredients of the dressing.
2. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss gently with the dressing (you may not need it all).
3. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.

Shiraz Salad (Serves 4-6)

Taking its name from the city of Shiraz in Iran, this is a popular Iranian salad. It’s the perfect accompaniment for spiced meat and fish dishes.

1 cucumber, finely diced

6 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored, deseeded and finely diced

1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly into ‘half moons’

Olive oil

3 good pinches of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 heaped teaspoons of sumac

200g pomegranate seeds

1. Place the cucumber, tomato and red onion in a bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and pour over the lemon juice then give everything a good mix. Finally, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and sumac and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, as it’s best served chilled. 

Chickpea Salad (Serves 4)

This is a lovely fresh salad, perfect with chicken or fish. I found the recipe in the ‘Moro Cookbook’ by Sam Clark.

2 x 400g tins cooked chickpeas

1 clove garlic

1 large green chilli, finally chopped

½ red onion, finely diced

A squeeze of lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium cucumber, peeled and finely diced

10 cherry tomatoes, halved, seeded and finally diced

1 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt to form a paste, then put it into a bowl with the chilli, onion, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Stir well, then add the rest of the ingredients – the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint and coriander. Taste for seasoning and chill (for a fresher taste) until needed. So easy and so good!

Artichoke, Fennel & Pecorino Salad (Serves 4-6)

Just three main ingredients, but wow, they really sing together! Using artichokes preserved in oil makes this recipe a year-round option – it’s great with chicken!

10 baby artichokes in oil

1 fennel bulb

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A handful parsley leaves

100g pecorino cheese or parmesan cheese, shaved

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Quarter the artichokes. Remove the fennel fronds and save to dress the salad. Finely slice the fennel bulb.
2. Put the artichokes and sliced fennel into a salad bowl, squeeze over the juice of the lemon and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss, then add the parsley leaves, season with salt and pepper and toss again.
3. Top with shavings of pecorino and the reserved fennel fronds.

Avocado Salsa (Serves 4)

This a cross between a salad and a sauce. It is great as a side dish for fish, particularly with the recipe for Salmon in Sweet, Smoky Tamarind Sauce (here), or simply served with some tortilla chips!

1 ripe, but firm avocado, diced

5 cherry tomatoes, deseeded and diced

½ red onion, diced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 rounded tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped

A few drops of Tabasco sauce

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Simply combine the ingredients together in a bowl, adding seasoning to taste. Cover with cling film and leave to one side for an hour to allow the flavours to develop.

Easy Guacamole

I’ve tried a few recipes for guacamole over the years, some have the addition of garlic and tomatoes, but I always return to this easy recipe from Sally Clarke – the flavours are simple so don’t overpower the avocado.

3 ripe avocados, peeled
Juice of 3 large limes
1-2 small chillies, very finely chopped
Salt
2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves

1. With a fork, mash the avocados in a bowl until almost smooth – a few lumps are fine.
2. Stir in the lime juice and add the chillies and salt. Stir in the coriander and adjust to taste by adding more chillies, lime juice or salt.

Melon, Artichoke & Walnut Salad (Serves 4)

This is a great salad a meal in itself! The vinaigrette is really tasty and worth remembering for other salads. I discovered this recipe in Gino D’Acampo’s cookbook ‘Gino’s Islands in the Sun’, which concentrates on recipes from Sardinia and Sicily, offering Italian cooking with a twist from these islands. It is a good choice for a picnic, if you are, thinking of taking this salad out and about, carry the prepared ingredients separately (the vinaigrette in a small jar, the melon, artichokes, rocket and walnuts in separate containers) and combine when ready to serve.

1 cantaloupe melon

175g chargrilled artichoke hearts in oil, drained and roughly chopped

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

70g rocket leaves

For the vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

4 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Whisk together the ingredients of the vinaigrette.
2. Cut the melon into wedges and remove the seeds, cut each wedge into 2cm chunks.
3. Place the melon in a large bowl, add the rocket leaves, artichoke pieces and walnuts.
4. Pour over the vinaigrette and toss together to mix.

Beetroot and Mint Salad (Serves 4)

This is my new favourite salad, it is particularly good during the winter months with its jewel like colours (especially if you manage to get hold of a mix of coloured beetroot). It is incredibly easy to make and will happily sit in the fridge for a day or two. I came across this recipe recently in Sky McAlpine’s brilliant new cookbook, ‘A Table For Friends’, which I would definitely recommend. This salad is a beautiful accompaniment for ‘Rotisserie-Style Roast Chicken’ (recipe here).

2 teaspoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

500g cooked beetroots, finely sliced (a mix of colours if available)

A small bunch of mint leaves

Sea salt flakes

1. Whisk the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil with a generous pinch of salt.
2. Put the beetroot in a bowl. Roughly chop half of the bunch of mint and add to the beetroot and pour over the dressing, gently stir and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour to intensify the flavours.
3. To serve: bring to room temperature then arrange the beetroot on a plate with the remaining mint scattered over and drizzled with some of the marinade.

Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing

100g rocket

150g radishes, halved

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten free if required)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1. Place the rocket and radishes in a serving bowl.
2. Whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil together and, just before serving, pour over the salad and toss to combine.

Cucumber Pickle

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free if required)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 teaspoons sugar

3cm knob ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

Sea salt

1. Slice the cucumber into half-moon slices, toss together with a large pinch of salt.
2. Mix the other ingredients together and add the cucumber. Leave to marinate for half an hour before serving.

Spiced Cucumber Salad (Serves 4)

This is a lovely side salad for Asian flavoured dishes such as Prawn Stir Fry with Basil and Chilli (recipe here)

1 cucumber

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon of caster sugar

1-2 teaspoons mild chilli powder (according to your taste)

4 spring onions, finely sliced

2 teaspoons of sesame oil (optional)

Black sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cut the cucumber into wafer thin slices
2. Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chilli powder in a bowl (depending on how spicy you would like it, you can add more or less chilli)
3. Toss the cucumber into the bowl along with the spring onions, and if using, also add the sesame oil and seeds.