The best green goddess salad
Martha Collison's salad is akin to a Caesar salad dressing, but is lighter in body and bolstered by fresh herbs, peppery watercress and creamy avocado to complement the umami undertones. It’s herbaceous, zingy, and has undergone a resurgence in popularity, thanks to viral recipes. Chop the salad small to serve with tortilla chips, or enjoy as a side with grilled chicken or baked salmon.
- Serves2 as a main, or 4 as a side
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare20 mins
- Cook-
- Total time20 mins
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 extra large ripe avocado, half roughly chopped, half reserved for the salad
- 75g Greek-style yogurt
- 1 salad onion, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 anchovy fillets
- ⅓ x 20g pack tarragon, leaves chopped
- ½ x 25g pack basil
- ½ x 25g flat leaf fresh parsley
- 30g watercress
- ½ lemon, juice
For the salad
- 1 courgette
- 50g watercress
- 1 little gem lettuce
- ½ x 160g baby sugar snap peas
- 50g French breakfast radishes
- 1 ripe avocado
Method
Make the dressing. In a blender or small powerful food processor, combine half the avocado, the yogurt, salad onion, rice vinegar, olive oil, garlic and anchovies. Blitz until smooth, then add the tarragon, basil, parsley and watercress.
Add the lemon juice and a good grind of freshly cracked black pepper. Blend until smooth and vibrantly green. Add salt to taste, if liked, and adjust the texture with 2-3 tbsp water, if needed, for a drizzling consistency. Set aside.
For the salad, cut the top and bottom off the courgette and use a flat peeler or mandoline to peel long ribbons. Remove any large cumbersome stems from the watercress, and pull the leaves from the lettuce base, slicing any larger ones into manageable strips. Wash and dry all the leaves, making sure minimal water remains so the dressing clings well, and add to a large bowl with the courgette.
Slice the sugar snaps in half lengthways, discarding any woody stems, then add to the bowl. Add three-quarters of the dressing and toss together until everything is well coated.
Finely slice the radishes and avocado, including the reserved half from the dressing. Divide the salad between 2 bowls, then scatter over the radish rounds and arrange the avocado slices. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.
Cook’s tip
Make it vegetarian
Anchovies bring a depth of flavour and deep umami flavour that’s central to this dressing, and the fishiness you may be afraid of becomes indistinguishable. If you’re looking to make a vegetarian version, try substituting for 1 tsp rinsed salted capers instead.
Make ahead
Once the salad is dressed, serve straightaway. If you want to make the dressing in advance, omit the avocado (as this will cause the dressing to brown when stored), then chill for up to three days. Blitz the avocado into the premade dressing just before serving or omit entirely.
Dressing as a dip
This dressing is so moreish, and is lighttextured and creamy, thanks to the Greek yogurt and avocado. I serve it (without watering down) as a dip for crudités or pitta strips.
Washing leaves
The dressing won’t cling to wet leaves, so make sure all the salad vegetables are dried thoroughly after washing.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 1,996kJ/ 483kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 41.7g |
Saturated Fat | 9.8g |
Carbohydrates | 10.3g |
Sugars | 7g |
Fibre | 10.5g |
Protein | 11.4g |
Salt | 0.9g |