Name: Green Coral Salad – fresh, simple, delish!
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 150 grams coral lettuce ((approximately 1 small head - 5.30z)); 350 grams radishes ((approximately 1 bunch - 12oz)); 240 grams Lebanese or Persian cucumbers ((approximately 2 small - 8.5oz)); 1 small French shallot ((approximately 25g - 0.88oz)); ⅓ cup capers; Sea salt and cracked black pepper; 3 tbsps red wine vinegar; 2 tbsps olive oil

Our Green Coral Salad is the easiest side dish that goes perfectly with just about anything! With pretty curls, a handful of ingredients and a simple vinaigrette you will love its delicious simplicity.

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GREEN CORAL SALAD IN A BLACK BOWL WITH CURLY LETTUCE ON THE SIDE

I put this salad together to make use of all the wonderful curly, coral lettuce that we had growing in the garden. I have kept things simple with just a handful of ingredients, that have all been quickly prepared using my handy mandoline v-slicer for a quick dinner side.

What is Coral Lettuce?

Coral Lettuce can come in either green and red, it is also referred to as Lollo Bianca/Bionda for the green and Lollo Rosso for the red. As you may have guessed by the name this lettuce variety originated in Italy and has curly green or red-purplish leaves that are tender with a slightly bitter taste.

It is a hydroponic lettuce variety that you will usually find at the supermarket or green grocer with the roots attached. I love them because they are just so decorative, colourful and the crimped leaves will trap the vinaigrette in their folds for a much tastier salad.

How to choose and store coral lettuce

Look for bright, crisp leaves that are not damaged or wilted. Check the base as well to ensure the roots are not rotted. As they can be quite delicate, you need to store coral lettuce carefully, it is best kept in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper on top of anything else.

You can prepare and use the whole lettuce in the one salad or you can also just cut off a few leaves at a time and use them as you need them in wraps or sandwiches.

Some serving suggestions

This is a simple and refreshing green salad that you can pair with everything. Great with pasta, grilled meats and poultry, fish and seafood. Try it with grilled whole fish, lasagna, a chicken traybake or with a simple fish stew.

Make it a Meal

Green coral salad can easily be transformed into the main event by simply adding some protein, such as:

Grilled chicken tenders
Seared steak
Flaked salmon or smoked salmon
Canned beans or chickpeas
Fried haloumi cheese or crumbled feta
Sliced avocado for healthy fats
Add some toasted nuts, seeds or crispy bacon

You will need

LABELLED INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE GREEN CORALS SALAD

How to make this salad

1PREPARE LETTUCE
To prepare cut off the roots, separate the leaves and wash gently in a colander under cold running water.
Then either gently pat dry or spin dry in a salad spinner and gently shred lettuce.

CHOPPING ROOT ENDS FROM BUTTER LETTUCE WITH A KNIFE ON WOODEN BOARD — CUT OFF THE ROOT

WASHING CURLY LETTUCE IN A COLANDER UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER IN THE SINK — CUT OFF THE ROOT

2THINLY SLICE VEG
Wash and trim your radishes and cucumbers, pat dry then thinly slice into rounds using a mandoline/v-slicer or with a a sharp knife.
Trim and remove the papery skin from your shallot and thinly slice.

THINLY SLICING CUCUMBERS WITH A V-SLICER/MANDOLINE — THINLY SLICE CUCUMBERS WITH V-SLICER

THINLY SLICING FRENCH SHALLOTS WITH A MANDOLINE SLICER ON A WOODEN BOARD — THINLY SLICE CUCUMBERS WITH V-SLICER

3ASSEMBLE SALAD
Drain and rinse the capers, then in a large mixing bowl add all the salad ingredients, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pour over the red wine vinegar and oil and toss well to combine.
Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking, arrange in a salad bowl, then serve immediately once dressed.

GREEN CORAL SALAD INGREDIENTS IN A MIXING BOWL — ADD ALL INGREDIENTS TO BOWL

TOSSING GREEN CORAL SALAD IN A WHITE BOWL WITH TONGS — ADD ALL INGREDIENTS TO BOWL

Can I make it ahead?

As with most green salads as soon as it is tossed with the vinaigrette you will need to eat it straight away. But, this salad can be prepared a few hours ahead of time and tossed together with the vinaigrette just before serving it.

Prepare the salad and vinaigrette and keep them separately in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Then just before serving - season and toss the salad with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Some more green saLad recipes to try