Butter Lettuce Salad with Pine Nuts and Herbs
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Once you have this salad down, the possibilities are endless. Use it as is or as the base to make a variety of salads.
Step-by-Step Photos
Butter Lettuce Salad with Pine Nuts and Herbs
To a small skillet over medium heat, add ¼ cup pine nuts.
Cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
This is what the pine nuts look like when they’re done. Transfer to a small bowl (you don’t want them to burn by leaving them in the hot skillet.)
In a small bowl, combine 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper (12 turns on pepper mill).
Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper until emulsified.
Separate the leaves from 1 head of butter lettuce; discard the core. Wash and dry the lettuce (we prefer to use a salad spinner for this.)
Tear the large leaves into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups) and place into a large bowl.
Pull the fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves from the stem until you have ¼ cup. Add to the large bowl.
Use scissors to cut fresh tarragon into small pieces. You need 2 tablespoons. Add to the large bowl.
Sprinkle the pine nuts over the lettuce, parsley and tarragon.
Whisk the vinaigrette again and drizzle over the salad.
Toss until all of the lettuce leaves are coated with the vinaigrette.
Enjoy.
ingredients
- 1/4 cup
- pine nuts
- 1 ½ teaspoons
- Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon
- red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons
- extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon
- kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head
- butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
- ¼ cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons
- fresh tarragon, snipped with scissors
directions
Place the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper (12 turns on pepper mill).
Wash and dry the lettuce.
In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, parsley, tarragon, pine nuts, and vinaigrette.
helpful hints
- If you don’t have a salad spinner to dry your lettuce, place the washed lettuce pieces on a large, clean dish towel and gently roll up
- Using scissors is a quick and easy way to cut tarragon leaves. You can also chop the leaves with a chef’s knife
tools needed
Small skillet, 2 small bowls, large bowl, whisk, measuring spoons, measuring cups, salad servers, scissors
5 comments, add yours below
Charmaine on April 6, 2011 at 4:15PM wrote:
YAY - I was hoping that a basic salad recipe would make it on here!
Desiree @ chic coastal living on April 20, 2011 at 12:50PM wrote:
This is a nice change of a salad. We were stuck eating the same kind of salad every day and this looks like something that my family would love!
Mary on September 22, 2011 at 5:54PM wrote:
To experienced cooks who want to write impressive cookbooks, the simple recipes seem like they aren’t even worth printing. But to those of us who are really helpless in the kitchen, the basics, like this recipe, are so very helpful. Thank you.
Fernnie on November 25, 2011 at 6:21PM wrote:
I would always see butter lettuce at the produce department did not know how to prepare it did not buy saw you on the Anderson Cooper show saw that you have a cook book looked it up first recipe I saw was the butter lettuce salad yay. Simple and looks wonderful. Thanks
halcion on February 14, 2012 at 3:19AM wrote:
This is my first time I visit here. I found so many interesting stuffs in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles,
