Lots of colorful ingredients and a good dressing turn a simple head salad into a feast

The great thing about salads is that they taste different for everyone. The secret lies in the salad dressing. You can do it if you follow a few basic rules (see below) and get a small supply of different oils, vinegars and spices. And then just let your imagination run wild when combining and mixing. So that the green leaves don’t feel so lonely, we have a few more suggestions for you.

The oil

With good vegetable oils you collect health points and influence the taste: nut and poppy seed oil give you a finer note, it gets stronger with pumpkin seed or olive oil.

The cheese

Sheep and goat cheeses are topping classics. The salty, strong taste spices up neutral leaves like icebergs. Blue cheese and parmesan shavings taste even more intense.

The fruits

Strawberries, melons, mango slices or raspberries go well with the bitter substances in rocket or radicchio. Tip: mix in some of the fruit as a dressing ingredient.

The meat

Grilled strips of chicken breast or turkey are the favourite accompaniment to frisée, radicchio or a simple green salad. Already done, the light main meal!

The fish

Even briefly fried fish fillets like to lie on the bed of lettuce. Pikeperch and trout, salmon or cod love lemon vinaigrettes or – also very fine – a tarragon and mustard dressing.

The nuts

Roasted walnuts with blue cheese and grapes are unbeatable flavor enhancers. Hazelnuts and raisins turn cauliflower into a small gourmet dish.

The vegetable

Tomatoes always go. If you don’t get any ripe, sweet ones, there are delicious alternatives: celery, fennel or freshly cooked beans, which even go straight through as a salad.

The croutons

Fine gluten free bread cubes, roasted in a pan with a little fat and garlic, provide more bite and variety. Chips or nachos go well with avocados in a salad.

The sharpness

Whether onion rings on top or a little horseradish, Dijon mustard, ginger or chilli strips in the dressing: Those who like to eat spicy are spoiled for choice. Dose as desired.

The pestos

Pestos, which you can make yourself with good vegetable oil, are more intense than a dressing: two parts seeds, three parts oil, one part acid, spices and herbs. Off to the blender. Complete.

The seeds

Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower or Mediterranean pine nuts crown every salad. Important: roast the seeds briefly beforehand. Only then does its full aroma unfold.

The cut

Only slices are boring. Carrots, apples, celery sticks and zucchini taste refined differently and also take on more dressing.

The herbs

In addition to the classic salad herbs, chives, dill and parsley, there is much more: coriander or mint, thyme or tarragon give the salad that certain something.

The station wagons

Confidently break new ground in terms of taste and combine beetroot with apple, tomatoes with peaches, cauliflower with avocados or cucumber with radishes.

The spices

A salad dressing made from sesame oil, lemon and ginger turns the local cucumber and radish salad into an Asian version. Also try soy sauce, wasabi and rice vinegar.

Tips for the salad dressing

Shake it

So that oil and acid combine: Take a glass to shake, a whisk or hand blender. It gets creamier with boiled eggs, mustard and pureed garlic.

Sweet, the sauce

The acidity of the vinegar or lemon juice always needs sweetness to balance. Honey, maple syrup, apple, pear and agave syrup or simply sugar ensure harmony.

3-to-1 rule

Dressings that combine 1 part acid with 3 parts oil have a balanced taste. You can mix in the oil with the spices – the order does not matter.

Salad sauces: recipes for five classics all information for four people

1. Honey mustard
Ingredients: 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar), 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 tsp mild mustard, 3 tsp honey, salt, and colored pepper from the mill

If you like: a handful of seasonal herbs

Goes with: all leaf salads and salads with fish and meat

2. Caesar’s
Ingredients: 1 clove of garlic, 4 anchovies (or anchovy fillets), 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 egg (raw), 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 20 g parmesan, grated, 6 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil, pepper

Goes with: romaine lettuce. Also with pasta salads

3. Italian
Ingredients: 1 clove of garlic, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of granular mustard, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 stalks of oregano, 2 stalks of basil

Goes with: rocket and tomato salad

4. Thousand Islands
Ingredients: 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 shallot and 1 pickle, all finely diced; 100 g salad mayonnaise, 50 g yogurt, 3 tbsp tomato ketchup, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

Goes well with: all leaf salads, especially salads with shrimp or avocados

5. French
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons crème fraîche or cream yogurt (10% fat), 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon mustard, herb salt, pepper

At will: garlic, freshly squeezed, and herbs

Goes with: cucumber and other raw vegetable salads made from cabbage or carrots, green salad, layered salad