A colourful salad is the perfect summer lunch or side dish and is easy to pack full of flavour and nutrients. The main components of a salad are the base, body, dressing, and garnish, which are open to interpretation beyond the classics; salad Niçoise, Caprese, Ceaser, Waldorf, and Cobb. As for the chopped salad, its origins date back to 1956, when La Scala, a restaurant in Los Angeles, introduced this standout dish that wowed Beverly Hills' upscale and celebrity clientele.
Naturally, as with many recipes, the chopped salad probably existed well before chef Jean Leon at La Scala popularised it. And it's a favourite of Rick Stein's for good reason: "I'm a great fan of the chopped salad. It's all about the variety of the ingredients that you add, and I like the way everything is a uniform size", said Rick.
Beyond being delicious, Rick says the recipe is "pleasingly American-like chopped liver, it says what it is".
This fresh and meaty salad requires no cooking and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. It is ideal for a quick lunch.
Alternatively, you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few hours to serve with your favourite dish - just forgo the salami if you wish.
Chickpeas in salads offer numerous health benefits due to their rich nutritional profile. They are a great source of protein, fibre, and various vitamins and minerals.
These nutty legumes are rich in dietary fibre, especially a soluble fibre called raffinose. The good bacteria in your gut break this down so your colon can digest it slowly.
Chopped salad recipe
For the salad
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- One iceberg lettuce, chopped
- Half a romaine lettuce, chopped
- 120g/4½oz Italian salami, cut into thin strips roughly 5cm/1¾in long
- 200g/7oz mozzarella, roughly chopped
- Three tomatoes, roughly chopped
- Half a cucumber, roughly chopped
- Small handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
- Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- Four tbsp olive oil
- One tbsp red wine vinegar
- Half tsp mustard powder
- Half tsp caster sugar
Making this salad is quick and simple, but the key is mixing everything up well to ensure maximum colour and flavour.
First, mix the chickpeas with 1 teaspoon of salt, then toss with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, adding half a teaspoon of salt and 12 turns of the black pepper mill.
Drizzle the delicious dressing over the salad and toss well, then serve immediately.
