USA · Salads
Iceberg Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese and Herbs
Iceberg gets dismissed as the lettuce with nothing to say, which misses the point entirely: it isn't there for flavour, it's there for cold and crunch.
Ingredients
- iceberg lettuce1 pcs
- blue cheese120 g
- buttermilk80 ml
- sour cream100 g
- mayonnaise60 g
- lemon1 pcs
- chives1 bunch
- dill1 bunch
- cherry tomatoes200 g
- red onion1 pcs
Method
- 1Make the dressing first so it has time to chill. Warm the blue cheese for 15 seconds in a microwave or a small pan until it just begins to soften — this lets it blend smoothly instead of staying in stubborn lumps.
- 2Mash two thirds of the softened cheese with the sour cream and mayonnaise, then loosen with the buttermilk until it pours thickly from a spoon. Season with lemon juice, salt, and plenty of black pepper, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- 3Pull off the limp outer leaves of the iceberg, then cut the head in half through the core and each half into two thick wedges. Leave the core attached — it is the only thing holding each wedge together.
- 4Rinse the wedges under cold water, shake them out, and pat them thoroughly dry. Any water left clinging will thin the dressing and slide it straight off the leaves.
- 5Chill the dry wedges in the fridge for 15 minutes while you halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the red onion paper-thin, and chop the chives and dill.
- 6Set each wedge cut-side up on a cold plate and spoon the dressing over so it runs down between the layers rather than sitting only on top.
- 7Scatter over the remaining crumbled blue cheese, the tomatoes, onion, and herbs, and finish with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately, while the lettuce is still cold.