Fresh Spanish Mixed Green Salad Recipe

A fresh salad is always a great meal, but it’s even more enjoyable during warm spring and summer days.

In this article, we will talk about the Spanish mixed green salad, one of the most popular salad recipes that exist.

Continue reading to learn how to make this ensalada at home, the required ingredients, and some additional tips to help you perfect this Spanish salad recipe.

You, dear reader, support this blog. If you purchase through a link, we earn a small commission. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Background of the Dish

It is difficult to determine the exact date of the creation of the Spanish mixed green salad since there are similar recipes that have existed for hundreds of years.

This recipe has a strong influence from the Mediterranean and coastal region of southern Spain, because the vegetables for this salad are harvested there, and the dressing used is typical of the area.

Today you can find this simple green salad in any restaurant in Andalusia, and it is also a staple dish in many households.

Pin for later!

Things You’ll Need for Spanish Mixed Green Salad

For this Spanish mixed green salad, you just need a mix of lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, tomato, onion, and salad dressing.

You don’t need any fancy or expensive kitchen equipment, so everyone can make it at home.

Ingredients

• 1 iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove (minced – optional)
• 1/2 cup (120gr) green olives
• 2 potatoes
• 1 tomato
• 4 white asparagus
• 4 eggs
• Vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

How to Make Spanish Mixed Green Salad – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this simple green salad recipe you have to put water in a pot over medium heat. When it starts to boil, introduce the eggs and cook them for 15 minutes. Drain and let them cool.

2. After that, wash the lettuce leaves well, and drain them to remove any excess water (you don’t want to end up with a watery salad). Then cut them with your hands or with a knife, and distribute them at the base of a platter or large salad plate.

3. Now peel the boiled eggs (they should be cold by now) and cut them into quarters. Chop the tomato into small pieces and put it with the rest of the vegetables.

4. Then add the olives (pitted) and the white asparagus. Slice the onion and add it to the other ingredients. You can pass the onion slices through hot water so they don’t have a strong taste, but that’s optional.

5. For the final step of this ensalada recipe, you just have to dress the salad with oil, vinegar, and salt once you are ready to serve it. Optionally, you can add the minced garlic at this point.

Substitution of Ingredients

As well as in other Spanish salad recipes, there are dozens of changes that you can make to the ingredients.

The lettuces listed are head romaine and iceberg because they are the ones used on the classic Andalusian version, but you can use any green mix that you have.

Some people even add other greens to this ensalada mixta, such as arugula or endive, but keep in mind that they are a little bit bitter.

Besides that, some people add ingredients like potatoes and tuna to this Spanish mixed green salad, but if you do that you will have something more similar to a Spanish tuna salad (still great, but not the same as this recipe).

For the dressing of the salad, we recommend using vinegar, olive oil, and salt, but if you like to use others you can (like caesar, ranch, tahini, balsamic, or any salad dressing).

You can also add other textures to your salad, like your favorite nuts, crispy bacon, and some feta cheese or any other type of cheese really.

The Spanish mango salad and the Spanish seafood salad are also two delicious and easy salads that you can make if you want an authentic Spanish dish.

Tips on Serving Spanish Mixed Green Salad 

What we love the most about this Spanish mixed green salad is that depending on the size of the portion you can serve it for different purposes.

For example, if you serve the ensalada verde mixta in a small bowl you can serve it as an appetizer.

You can also serve it in a bowl or large platter and use it as a side dish, letting everyone grab as much as they want.

Technically, the Spanish green salad could also work as the main dish if you serve a large portion, but you might have to add another protein such as canned tuna, chopped grilled chicken, etc.

Try the ensalada de cangrejo or the ensalada de pepino, two delicious and easy-to-make Spanish salads that you’ll absolutely love.

How to Store Spanish Mixed Green Salad 

It is better to eat this Spanish mixed green salad right away, and once you dress it you can’t store it for more than 2 hours in the fridge.

This is because the vinegar might ruin the taste of the vegetables after some time, and they get a soggy and unpleasant texture.

Some Spanish salads that can be stored for longer are the Spanish octopus salad and the ensaladilla rusa.

Recipe Card: Spanish Mixed Green Salad

---

---