How to Use Fresh Herbs in Salads
Fresh herbs are awesome in both salads and salad dressings. A large variety of herbs exists to enhance a dull, everyday salad. Fresh salads make an exhilarating meal in the hot summer and enable you to avoid heating up the house with the stove. It is especially rewarding to make salads from herbs that you have grown yourself. Herbs also make a delightful garnish for the top of your salad.
Basil works well in salads composed of pepper, onions and tomatoes, whereas dill and chives work great salads, containing cucumbers. Lemon Balm, peppermint, cilantro, marjoram, chervil or tarragon go well in a large, green leafy salad.
It is easy to dress up any basic lettuce and tomato salad and turn it into an elegant meal with just a few basic fresh herbs.
Things you'll need:
- Assortment of fresh herbs
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Anything you desire to throw in your salad
- Salad dressing
- Fill the sink with water and wash the herbs piece by piece to ensure all the dirt is removed. Let the water out and rinse the sink thoroughly before refilling it. Wash the herbs three times to be sure all the pesticides and dirt have been removed.
- Shake off the extra water and then dry each piece of herb with a paper towel. Allow them to set and air-dry completely. This is step is important, because you do not want even a drop of water from cleaning the herbs to get into your salad. It will cause the salad to wilt as well as water down its flavor.
- Crush the leaves of your herbs to bring out their natural flavor. Snip the crushed leaves in tiny pieces using kitchen scissors.
- Be sure to tongue test a few sprigs of each herb before adding it to your salad. You might discover that you have an allergic reaction to some of the herbs. Some people are highly allergic to mints, for example, while others are not. Another reason to tongue taste your herbs is because have a strong taste that you might find unpleasant.