How to Make a Better Salad, According to Professional Chefs

Let’s face it — there are too many sub-par salads in the world. It’s no wonder that many of us resort to one of the billion overpriced, fast-casual salad bars at our disposal when we’re craving a quick lunch or a fresh, flavorful dinner.

But according to professional chefs, making a restaurant-quality salad is a lot easier than you might think. Better yet, it doesn’t require fancy ingredients, special equipment, or even a lot of time. Here are seven strategies that Food & Wine Best New Chefs use to level up their salads.

Start with a flavorful dressing

An excellent salad requires “great dressing, made from scratch,” says 2023 F&W Best New Chef Nando Chang. It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be, but chefs stress using high-quality ingredients — like great extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, and fresh lemon zest — and always considering balance. 2011 F&W Best New Chef Jamie Bissonnette suggests making the dressing in advance, so it doesn’t become an afterthought during the hustle of vegetable prep. To make sure the dressing is to your liking, “taste it on some lettuce,” says Bissonnette. That way, you can adjust the seasoning before tossing it into your salad.

Think beyond lettuce

“I like making salads with ingredients that are usually cooked, highlighting them charred or in their raw form,” says 2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss. “Think brussels sprouts, fennel root, and napa cabbage.” In large chunks, these types of vegetables can be too dense to eat, but shredded, finely chopped, or shaved on a mandoline, they’re delightfully crunchy. At Pascual in Washington, D.C., Coss makes a salad where chayote is the main character. “I grew up eating boiled chayotes — that was the only way my mom knew how to prepare them. Now, I serve them raw with Asian pears and sunflower seed dressing.”

Use fresh herbs

Chopped herbs are an easy flavor booster for just about any salad. “I always add fresh herbs to my salads at home,” says 2022 F&W Best New Chef Calvin Eng. “I tear up soft herbs and toss them with the lettuce mix or other vegetables I’m working with. It’s usually hand-torn parsley, dill, cilantro, or mint — sometimes a combo, depending on what flavor profile I’m going for.” 

Season as you go

You might have heard the phrase “season as you go” when it comes to making soup or salting meat. But this rule applies to salads, too. “Season the salad itself, not just the dressing,” says Eng. When he makes a salad, he’ll dress it, mix it, season it with salt, sugar, MSG, and pepper, mix, then taste it again. Season it some more, if you’d like. “Salt and pepper are keys to a good salad,” agrees Bissonnette. It’s a simple, often overlooked addition that will only elevate the other flavors.”

Pull unexpected ingredients from your pantry

If you’re getting tired of salads, consider switching up your ingredients. “I think people need to go beyond the typical greens and vinaigrette,” says 2021 F&W Best New Chef Carlo Lamagna. “They need to look outward to other countries for flavor inspiration.” Lamagna loves incorporating Southeast Asian ingredients, like fish sauce or fermented fish paste. Same goes for 2008 F&W Best New Chef Gerard Craft, who dips into his spice pantry for La Boîte’s Izak harissa spice blend, which he adds to a simple vinaigrette. 

Layer contrasting textures

A good salad should not only have a variety of flavors, but also a variety of textures. 2016 F&W Best New Chef Michael Gulotta loves piling on chewy dried fruit, as well as crunchy nuts, seeds, and homemade croutons. “I like to fry good bread in either olive oil or bacon fat so the croutons are crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside.” Lamagna likes to coax out different textures by using multiple cooking techniques — one salad could contain something raw, something grilled, something roasted, and even something poached. 

Dress evenly

“Make sure every bit of the greens are dressed,” says 2017 F&W Best New Chef Diego Galicia. “There’s nothing worse than eating a forkful of clumped dressing.” In order to ensure your dressing evenly and perfectly coats every last leaf, 2011 F&W Best New Chef Carlo Mirarchi uses an overly large, stainless steel mixing bowl. “You should have plenty of room to get your hands in there and gently mix all your ingredients,” he says. For tough greens like kale, use your hands to gently massage the leaves with the dressing, softening them so they’re easier to chew.