Easy Spanish Side Salad Recipe

Every main dish needs a sidekick, and with the help of Spanish recipes, you will find a diverse variety of delicious options to complement your meal.

The Spanish side salad showcases the fresh regional vegetables, all blended with a delicious salad dressing that should be an Andalusian trademark by now.

To learn how to make Spanish salad from scratch, with some of the best tips for storing, serving, and customizing the ingredients, you just have to scroll down this article.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish salad recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Spanish potato salad with olives

• Ensalada de bacalao 

• Ensalada de cangrejo

Background of the Dish

The Spanish side salad has been the queen of the easy Spanish salad recipes category almost since its creation, providing a quick and simple complement to a larger meal.

Most of the Spanish salads have the dressing in common, where the combination of vinegar and olive oil never fails to provide an amazing background that enhances the flavors of the ingredients.

Today, this recipe shares the spotlight with other Andalusian fresh stars, such as the ensalada de pepino or the ensalada campera, but it remains a timeless favorite for its simplicity and deliciousness.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Side Salad

To prepare this delicious and refreshing Spanish side salad, you will need lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, sherry vinegar, and olive oil as the main ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 head of iceberg or romaine lettuce (or your favorite one)
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika or chili flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Spanish Side Salad – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this Spanish summer salad, you have to wash the head of lettuce under plenty of cold water, making sure to remove any dirt or part of the leaf that might be damaged or wilted, and then drain. Tear the leaves apart with your hands, and place them in a large bowl.

2. Now, wash and chop the tomatoes into small squares. Wash, peel, and cut the red onion julienne style. Wash and peel the cucumber, then slice it. Pour all of them into the bowl.

3. After that, if you are using paprika or chili flakes, then now is the time to mix it with the olive oil. Grab a small bowl and combine the oil with the vinegar.

4. For the next step in this Spanish side salad recipe, sprinkle salt and pepper in the bowl with the salad ingredients. Add the dressing and toss the salad to get everything completely covered.

5. To finish this recipe, do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the Spanish side salad with your favorite main dish or as a tapa and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

The key to nailing this Spanish side salad recipe is to make it using fresh vegetables, which gives you some room to play with the kind of veggies that you use and the dressing of the salad.

For example, you can prepare the Spanish side salad with any kind of lettuce, or switch it for another leafy green like spinach, arugula or kale. 

If you can’t find good-quality fresh vegetables near you, then there are some other Spanish salad recipes that you can make, such as the grilled veggie salad, which uses roasted or grilled vegetables that maintain their flavor and texture even when they’re not fresh.

Besides that, if you are in doubt about this Spanish salad dressing then you can copy other Spanish salad ideas, such as a garlic-infused olive oil dressing or a simple lemon and olive oil dressing for a zesty touch. 

To make this dish more hearty, you can copy other easy Spanish side dishes, like the Spanish lentil salad or the Spanish seafood salad, and add cooked beans, lentils, or shrimp and mussels to this salad.

Tips on Serving Spanish Side Salad

With this easy recipe, you will have a dish ready to be served as a side or as a Spanish tapas salad perfect for sharing at gatherings. 

Still, you can play with the flavor and texture profile of this Spanish side salad by topping it with toasted nuts, grated parmesan or manchego cheese, and toasted bread croutons.

Do you need to make a salad that can be served as a main dish? Then we have the perfect Spanish salads recipes for you, like the hearty Spanish octopus salad and the timeless classic ensalada de coditos.

If you have a gathering or party at your home and you want to impress all of your guests, then you can make a tapas table filled with salads from Spain, including the most colorful and refreshing ones such as the ensalada de mango and the ensalada de gambas.

How to Store Spanish Side Salad

The Spanish side salad, similar to other salad recipes from Spain, is meant to be as fresh as you can, preferably the same day as you make it.

If you want to prepare some steps ahead, then you can wash and cut the vegetables, keep them stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge, and dress and season the salad only when you are ready to serve.

If you like to do meal prep, then there are some Andalusian recipes that you can make and store in the fridge or freezer -without losing their original flavor and texture- such as the Spanish potato soup and the Spanish rice salad.

Recipe Card: Spanish Side Salad

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