Samin Nosrat's Favorite Green Salad Relies On An Unlikely Dressing Ingredient

There are two types of salad people in the world: ones who prefer their leafy lettuce to be covered in flavorful toppings, cheeses, and thick dressing, and those who want the greens to be the star of the show. To figure out which one you are, ask yourself if you'd rather enjoy a Caesar salad towering with tender chicken slices, Parmesan cheese, and croutons to be drenched in the signature, tangy dressing that always seems to be best at restaurants, or a mixture of delicate greens with a light vinaigrette. Turns out, there's a salad that can appease both. Just ask Samin Nosrat, author of the cookbook "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking," who found herself captivated by a green salad at the Italian restaurant Via Carota in New York City.

The salad in question, while simple, employs a few special techniques that require one common yet unconventional ingredient. The dish uses water to bring out its bright and uncomplicated flavors. First, let's dive into the salad. According to Via Carota's menu, the salad consists of "leafy greens in sherry vinaigrette." Nosrat, who shared its recipe with The New York Times, writes that it includes five types of lettuce and a dressing made of shallots, sherry vinegar, olive oil, mustard seeds, thyme, honey, and more. So, where does the water come in? Turns out, it is used in two ways: to rinse the minced shallots and dilute the vinaigrette dressing. Water is not just essential for the dish's preparation, but, in fact, it is crucial to the recipe in ways that even took Nosrat by surprise.

Water has plenty of everyday uses when it comes to cooking. For instance, it is important to wash fresh greens to ensure they are free of bacteria. But the Via Carota recipe uses water for other reasons as well. One way it is used to make the delicious green salad is to give the minced shallots a cold shock. As Samin Nosrat wrote in The New York Times, this step ensures the shallots maintain their sharp flavor while also keeping them "from becoming too acidic, which could overwhelm the delicate lettuces." Warm water is also used in the vinaigrette to dilute the strong vinegar taste. Perfecting the dressing is crucial to the dish as Via Carota co-owner Jody Williams told Nosrat, "We want a salad dressing so savory and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it. We want you to be able to drink it!" (via The New York Times). Who knows? Maybe this vinaigrette will be the next Caesar salad martini. 

These simple steps can be applied to other salad dressing recipes to showcase simple flavors as well. For instance, there are many ways to prepare shallots to deliver different tastes. Some recipes call for the aromatic vegetable to be soaked in vinegar for a pickled finish. Once pickled, they develop a sour and tangy taste. Try swapping out the pickled shallots for a water-soaked shallot in recipes where you want the onion flavor to stand out. Additionally, water can be used to dilute other strong flavors in vinaigrettes, such as lemon juice or red wine. Even water in another form, ice, can help you achieve the best salad dressing.