I call this dish my "ode to spring." This salad is full of all the goodness that comes with spring season - peas, ramps and radishes! If you haven't heard of a ramp before, they are a wild plant, similar to leeks or shallots. They are a special little treat to pop up, signaling that spring has arrived! There are a variety of ways you can use them in cooking, here I use the leaves to make a powder to add to my ranch seasoning mix as well as a few chopped up pickled ramp bulbs. Other ways to use ramps include: pestos, pickles, grilling them, powders, ramp butter or sautéing them like you would garlic or shallots for a dish.
This salad is super flavorful as well as light and refreshing with all the spring veggies. The lemon breadcrumbs give the salad a nice little crunch, saltiness and zing with the lemon flavor. I also like to add a few sprigs of fresh dill onto to later mix into the salad to add some more freshness. I add all these veggies onto of a crunchy leafy green mix and then toss with the homemade ranch, top with the lemon bradcrumbs and dill and serve. It is a beautiful salad to serve as a side for a BBQ or a dinner with friends on the back porch.
You can add a variety of vegetables to this salad, whatever you have on hand really! These were just some ingredients I had picked up from the farmers market. Who doesn't love fresh veggies and ranch?!
If you have a mandoline, you can use it to get paper thin slices of radishes to cut your. chopping time in half! You get perfectly neat and thin little radish coins.
I also like to cut my sugar snap peas into little slices as well, that way you can get a bite of lettuce, radish, and snap pea all in one!
Let's get to the recipe!
Comments