Quick Spanish Green Salad Recipe

Sometimes less is more, and Spanish salads are proof of that, being both easy to make and flavourful.

Still, one of them stands out among the different salads from Spain, and that is the Spanish green salad.

This salad is super simple to make, it only takes 10 minutes, and just calls for a few easy-to-find ingredients, so keep scrolling down this article to learn more about it.

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Background of the Dish

The history of Spanish green salad dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, where it was served during the summer thanks to being a refreshing and nutritious dish.

With the arrival of the Romans to Andalusia, lettuce was introduced and began to be combined with local ingredients from popular Spanish salad recipes such as onion, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.

The Spanish green salad is famous all around the world, and thanks to its versatility you can add a wide variety of toppings, including tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and creative dressings.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Green Salad

The ensalada verde ingredientes are lettuce, onion, garlic clove, vinegar, and olive oil.

You don’t need any equipment more than a large and a small bowl to prepare the Spanish green salad.

Ingredients

• 1 iceberg lettuce (large)
• 1 onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove

How to Make Spanish Green Salad – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this Spanish green salad recipe you have to wash and dry the lettuce.

2. After that, cut the lettuce into pieces or separate the leaves into smaller pieces with your hands.

3. Now peel and cut the onion into thin slices. If you don’t like the strong taste of raw onion, you can soak it in boiling water for a few minutes and then drain it before using it in the Spanish salad.

4. Then grab a small bowl to make the Spanish salad dressing and add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. You can start with a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper and adjust to your preference.
6. For the next step, peel the garlic clove and mince it. Put it in the dressing, if you want it to have a milder flavor you can cook it for 5 minutes in a saucepan.

7. Now grab a large bowl and place the lettuce and the chopped onion. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and onion and mix gently to distribute evenly.

8. Once the ensalada verde is well mixed, taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt, pepper, or vinegar according to your taste.

9. Finally, you can serve the Spanish lettuce salad immediately or leave it in the fridge for a few minutes. Since this is a fast recipe, it isn’t mandatory to leave it cooling in the fridge.

Substitution of Ingredients

The recipe for Spanish green salad is one of the easiest that you can find, and the only main ingredient is the lettuce with the dressing. 

However, there are a few changes that you can make to take this Spanish salad to the next level.

For example, you can do something similar to the ensalada mixta española, and add other vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, or boiled egg.

If you don’t like the classic Spanish dressing, then you can use ranch sauce, balsamic vinegar, Italian dressing, or your favorite one.

You can take inspiration from other traditional Spanish salads and add proteins like on the ensalada de pollo or the ensalada de cangrejo.

Tips on Serving Spanish Green Salad

As well as other Spanish style salads, the ensalada verde is the perfect side dish, but it can work as a main dish.

For a side dish, just serve a small portion on each plate and complete it with a protein, like grilled cod, roasted chicken, or a small chickpea stew.

If you want to serve the Spanish green salad as a main dish, then you should serve a large portion, plus some other ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, shredded chicken, lentils, chickpeas, etc.

Lastly, you can serve it with other Spanish salads, especially the ensalada de repollo or the Spanish mixed green salad (since they don’t overshadow each other).

Try other delicious salads from Spain, like Murcia salad or Spanish summer salad, tasty and nutritious salads just perfect for a light lunch.

How to Store Spanish Green Salad

The Spanish green salad is one of the most popular salad recipes from Spain due to how fast and easy it is to make.

With that being said, it isn’t recommended to store it for any longer than 2 hours.

You can try and make other easy Spanish salad recipes that can be stored for a bit longer, like the ensalada de pepino or the ensalada de zanahoria.

Recipe Card: Spanish Green Salad

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