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PX5YRR
PX5YRR Mexican black bean corn quinoa salad in clay bowl top view, copy space
By Annelise Kelly
How does your menu say “salads“? If it’s with words like “taco salad” and “fajita salad” that’s ok. But wouldn’t you like to turn ok into outstanding?
With spring here and summer just around the corner, it’s an ideal time to elevate your menu by planting fresh new selections on the salad side.
A Heap of Healthy
It’s no secret healthy eating and plant-based dining are trends on the upswing.
According to Nielsen data, 37 percent of Americans said they were following a specific diet in 2018, up from 35 percent in 2017 and 29 percent in 2016. Plant-based diets in particular were gaining steam: A 2017 Nielsen Homescan survey found that 39 percent of Americans were actively trying to eat more plant-based foods.
In addition, the number of consumers adopting vegetarian or vegan lifestyles is increasing, predominantly among young and diverse diners. In fact, ethnic and young consumers— key demographic groups—have expressed higher intentions to eat more plant-based foods. Hispanic consumers, for example, are 46 percent more likely than the average U.S. consumer to incorporate plant-based foods in their diets, Nielsen reports.
Produce obviously plays a big role in satisfying customers tuned in to plant-based diets. Since salads mesh so well with that trend, they can be important players on Mexican and Latin menus.
Beyond Basic Greens
Salad menus don’t have to be extensive to be exceptional. Del Sur Mexican Cantina in San Diego, California, features just one salad year-round.
The Cantina Salad is a hearty affair that incorporates romaine, cabbage, charred manchego, corn, tomato, black beans, jicama, cucumber, avocado, pickled onions, and tortilla strips tossed in a choice of dressing. Protein can be added to make it more entrée-worthy.
“Our Cantina Salad is probably the most popular appetizer for sharing, and it’s become a very popular entrée when people add a vegetarian option or a protein to it,” owner Kate Grimes says.
Special salads—including one with mixed greens, black beans, corn, avocado, cotija and pickled onions in a spicy chipotle vinaigrette—pop up throughout the year, depending on the season. “I think salads allow people that want to be healthy to go out and eat with people that aren’t as health conscious,” Grimes says.
At Verde Cocina in Portland, Oregon, salads and vegetables have always played a central role. The business’s roots are in the vibrant farmer’s market scene.
“We’re unique and fresh and we celebrate the Pacific Northwest regional bounty here with our Mexican flair. Fresh vegetables have set us apart,” Jocelyn SyCip, marketing manager, says.
That bounty is evident in the creative salads often featured at Verde’s three Portland outposts: Hillsdale Cafe, Verde Cocina en la Perla and Verde Café at Sylvan Highlands. For example, there’s the Muelle en Escabeche, a salad of pickled green beans, cucumber, jicama, pepitas and a hard-boiled egg over mixed greens tossed in an orange adobo vinaigrette; the Verde Salad of mixed greens, crisp cabbage, carrots, radish, cucumbers and apples tossed with a bit of EVO, salt and pepper (and a choice of dressing served on the side); and the Black Bean & Kale Salad with black beans, roasted sweet potato, tomato, kale and apple in a fresh lime tomatillo vinaigrette.
Creative salad interpretations also reign at Barrio, a popular Mexican spot in Chicago’s trendy River North neighborhood, where customers can enjoy a Hispanic spin on a classic Caesar with the Kale & Brussels Sprout Caesar tossed with cornbread croutons, cotija cheese, and charred jalapeño Caesar dressing.
Freshen with Fruit
Fruit is a natural way to incorporate flavor and color on most any salad you serve.
Verde Cocina relies on fresh fruit to freshen up salads—something the restaurant did to perfection during the 2018 spring and summer growing seasons. The seasonal offerings included a salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, strawberries, crumbled cotija and roasted pepitas with citrus vinaigrette and a blueberry, cucumber and jicama salad with crisp arugula and spring mix tossed in EVO blueberry vinaigrette.
Del Sur Mexican Cantina also turns to fresh fruit for its seasonal salads, including one made with spinach, arugula, manchego, strawberries and toasted pepitas in a citrus vinaigrette.
Go for the Grains
Ingredients like farro, quinoa and other ancient grains are becoming mainstays on restaurant menus— and the salad section is no exception.
Barrio reaches beyond the requisite taco salad and chopped salad (although those, too, are on the menu) with more unique offerings like the Roasted Beets Salad with queso fresco, quinoa, pepitas, sunflower seeds, pomegranate, citrus, pickled red onion and roasted poblano and hibiscus, and the Avocado Cucumber Salad with frisee, cherry tomato, radish, crispy ancient grains, shaved manchego, and charred lime vinaigrette.
Locally grown quinoa also stars in Verde Cocina salads. Examples include a summer salad of watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, sweet potato, strawberry, slices of apple, quinoa and mixed greens tossed in a strawberry-lime vinaigrette, and another of Oregon blackberries, sliced mango, sweet potato, cucumber, quinoa and mixed greens, all tossed in light red wine vinaigrette.
Locally sourced produce is the foundation of the chef driven menu at The Madera Group’s Tocaya Organica, a concept now boasting 14 locations in California and Arizona. Here, quinoa is featured front and center in the Shredded Kale & Quinoa salad made with white beans, avocado, chipotledusted almonds, lime pepitas, pico de gallo and red-wine vinaigrette.
Pick a Protein
Fruits and grains aren’t the only ingredients that can take salads from ok to outstanding. Proteins—in a variety of formats—are always an option.
Jackfruit, for example, is a popular meat substitute customers can order atop their salads at Del Sur Mexican Cantina. “We marinate [jackfruit] like our chicken, so it’s reallyl flavorful and has the same texture as meat. Even meat eaters order it,” Grimes
reports.
Protein options abound at Verde Cocina, as well. The Carne Asada Salad includes grilled, seasoned steak over mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, sweet potato, and apple tossed with a bit of EVO, salt and pepper (with a choice of dressing served on the side), and the Shrimp Salad features shredded red and green cabbage, lentils, avocado, tomatoes, fresh lime juice and chile oil.
And, in an interesting twist at Tocayo Organica, chef recommendations for added proteins appear beneath each salad selection (and are even labeled when they’re vegan and gluten free). For the Shredded Kale & Quinoa salad, the chef recommends adding adobo tofu + vegan chipotle jack (gluten-free, vegan). For the Tocaya Salad—brimming with shredded romaine lettuce, whole black beans, diced tomato, diced red onion, sliced jalapeños, tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado and spicy cilantro lime vinaigrette—cilantro lime vegan chicken + queso manchego (spicy, gluten-free, vegan) or achiote chicken + queso manchego are the suggested options.
An Argentinian Angle
Argentine steakhouse Ox Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, presents a deluxe interpretation of salads through a south-of-the equator lens. The Grilled Lamb Heart Salad with smoked potato, charred leek, oyster mushroom, arugula, hazelnut and crispy parmesan is featured on the
Entradas/Starters section of the menu. “It’s received really well,” says Greg Denton, chef and co-owner with his wife, Gabrielle Denton. On the Del Huerto/From the Garden section, salads comprise about a third of the ten vegetable side dish choices, which change seasonally. One salad contains gem lettuces, mozzarella Milanesa, anchovy vinaigrette, marcona almonds, Mama Lil’s Peppers, and avocado.
“It’s like an antipasto salad you would get at an Italian restaurant,” Grimes says. “It has those briny flavors, but then you’ve got this crispy, crunchy hot cheese on it.”
Even more adventurous: the Roasted Beet Salad, which includes tempura crispies, cucumber, shiso leaf, sweet onion, and smoked scallop bottarga.
“We smoke and dehydrate a scallop then we shave it over the top. That is served with a miso lemon dressing. It’s inspired by Caesar Salad. You’ve got the highly seasoned fish product, like an anchovy, you have the salty, citrusy dressing. Those two work really well with a blander base item, like a beet or a romaine lettuce. That’s always in our heads—getting inspired by those classics and then figuring out how we can make them ours.”
But it’s a steakhouse—are people really ordering the salads? Denton says customers generally rave more about the vegetable dishes than the meat. “That’s what they’re talking about when they leave, saying those salads and sides were just off the charts.”
Annelise Kelly is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to el Restaurante.
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