A few weeks back I made chicken pot pie for a group of friends on a Sunday. After they left, the texts started coming in. Not about the pot pie — too complicated, they said. About the salad.
It’s the side salad I reach for when I want dinner to feel put-together without actually being put-together. Two people or ten, it works the same way: a big bowl of good greens, a handful of dill, and a drizzle of white wine vinegar and olive oil. Real time: 20 minutes, all of it hands-on.
The secret is a little dill
The extra-special part of this salad is a handful of dill, roughly chopped or torn into the bowl with your fingers. Skeptical? Dill is one of the main herbs in ranch dressing, and it gives the whole thing that quiet “special” note — the kind that makes the vegetables disappear on a weeknight, or that has dinner guests eating greens as happily as the main course.
The friends I made it for last month got exactly that reaction. They didn’t want the pot pie recipe. They wanted the salad.
How it comes together
You don’t make a dressing. You don’t need to. Once the vegetables are in the bowl — just enough to look special, not so many it feels like a chore — a good swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, a few lighter swirls of white wine vinegar, and a few pinches of flaky sea salt are the whole job. Toss it right before you serve.
Here’s a small thing I learned along the way: I cut my radishes and cucumbers into wedges, not paper-thin shaves. Wedges are easier to grab with a fork, they keep their crunch in every bite, and they don’t get soggy as fast — which matters when you’re feeding a larger table and need the salad to wait ten extra minutes while you finish the rest.
What I actually use
Greens: the easiest version is a box of spring mix, and honestly it’s great. But I like something with more snap — crisp green leaf lettuce, the baby kind in the prewashed boxes. Romaine or iceberg if you want more of that refreshing crunch. Red leaf, radicchio, and frisée are all good for color. Arugula adds a nice peppery kick, and watercress works too.
Vinegar: I stick with white wine vinegar because this is a side salad, not the main event — I want something mild and light, not sharp. Red wine vinegar works similarly. Apple cider is fine, though it’s a bit more acidic. Balsamic is great too, just bolder, so use it with a lighter hand.
The recipe
Makes 6 servings. Real time: 20 minutes. Hands-on: 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (285g) salad greens of your choice
- 2 small/medium carrots (about 120g), thinly sliced
- 6–7 radishes (about 110g), cut into wedges
- 1 large shallot (about 90g), thinly sliced
- 10 cherry tomatoes (about 170g), halved
- 2 Persian cucumbers (or ½ of an English cucumber, about 200g), sliced
- ⅓ cup (about 15g) dill, lightly packed, roughly chopped or hand torn
- 3–4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- A few pinches of flaky sea salt
Method
- Pile your greens into a large salad bowl. Pile the carrots, radishes, shallot, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dill on top in big blocks of color, or scatter them over the greens in layers.
- Drizzle the white wine vinegar over the salad, then the olive oil. If you’re eyeballing it, I do a few good swirls of oil around the bowl and a few lighter swirls of vinegar.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, crushing it between your fingers as you go. Toss well and season with more salt and/or vinegar to taste.
A note on the salt: any good flaky sea salt works here. Crush it between your fingers as you sprinkle — it lands better that way.
Want it to be the whole meal? Well-drained chickpeas or cannellini beans fold in nicely, or just pile the salad under a salmon fillet, sliced chicken, or grilled shrimp.
Make it yours: swap in whatever’s at the end of the week — shredded carrot instead of sliced, a handful of fresh peas in spring, or a spoonful of capers if you like something briny. The structure stays the same: good greens, a little dill, a little acid, a little oil, a little salt.
Happy cooking,
Maya