Name: Spring Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons crème fraîche; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons honey; 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives; 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint; 2 teaspoons minced fresh chervil; 1 lemon; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper; 1 head Buttercrunch lettuce ((torn into bite-sized pieces)); 3 green onions ((sliced thin)); 4 radishes sliced thin; 1 cup snap peas ((sliced thin)); ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley; ¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves; ¼ cup crumbled feta; ¼ cup pepitas

This simple spring salad recipe features the very best of the season: tender lettuce, crisp radishes, and snap peas all held together in a creamy, herb-flecked dressing. Best of all? It only takes about 10 minutes to make.

spring salad with lettuce, radishes, snap peas, and creamy herb dressing

After all the heaviness of winter, the lightness of spring vegetables seems to sing. The sun lingers longer, the days warm up and the farmer's market suddenly fills up with green things: mint and parsley, lettuce, young root vegetables and peas of all varieties.

They all seem to find their way to this salad. It's one I make on repeat all spring long - endlessly versatile. Use whichever lettuces, peas and root vegetable look best at the market, and you'll find you never get bored. Sometimes I add edible flowers, which are often abundant in the spring - snapdragons, borage flowers, and dandelion petals are my favorite.

I often partner it with a heavier main course like a springtime risotto or salmon chowder to round out the meal.

The creamy dressing uses a base of crème fraîche - a sort of French-style cultured creamy that's thicker than sour cream (although sour cream makes a fine substitute. To that you'll add lemon - both the zest and the juice.

Lemon zest brings an aromatic quality to the dressing, and, subsequently, the salad. While the juice adds much-needed acidity. Plenty of herbs add flavor, while the lightest touch of honey brings balance.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Buttercrunch lettuce is my favorite for spring salads. Its tender leaves form beautiful deep cups that cling onto the dressing. And its mild flavor works partners well with just about any vegetables.

If you can't fund Buttercrunch lettuce, any variety of butterhead lettuce makes a nice substitute. Green leaf lettuce also works well in this recipe.

Green onions lend a sharp bite to the salad, balancing the milder flavors of snap peas and lettuce. You can also swap in very thinly sliced shallot or any sweet onion, such as Walla Walla or Vidalia.

Spring vegetables include snap peas and radishes. You can also include shelled English peas or even thinly sliced snow peas. I typically use little round Cherry Belle radishes. But, both French radishes and watermelon radishes look nice in the salad and give the salad a beautiful crunch, but you might also add young Hakurei salad turnips, too.

Fresh herbs include chives, mint and chervil in the dressing as well as mint and parsley in the salad. Chervil has a delicate licorice-like flavor, and you can swap in anise fronds if you prefer. Dill can also be a nice addition to the salad.

Feta adds creaminess and a punch of salt. It helps balance the milder flavors of the vegetable and pairs well the salad's fresh herbs. You can swap in any salty, creamy cheese for the feta - ricotta salata and goat cheese are nice.

Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) add crunch. Toasted almonds is a nice swap.

How to Make It a Meal

When the weather begins to warm and we're looking for lighter meals, I'll often partner this salad with thinly sliced grilled chicken or roasted salmon. Leftover roasted chicken is also a nice addition for a quick meal.

Rate this Recipe

5 from 4 votes

6 servings

Spring Salad Recipe

Delicate Butter lettuce pairs beautifully with creamy dressings like this one made of crème fraîche, herbs and lemon. Other hallmarks of spring, fresh herbs, and green peas. Radishes add color while creamy feta provides salty notes and pepitas bring a little bit of crunch.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Print Save Recipe Click to Remove Ads

Ingredients

For the Creamy Herb Dressing

3 tablespoons crème fraîche
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons minced fresh chervil
1 lemon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

For the Salad

1 head Buttercrunch lettuce (torn into bite-sized pieces)
3 green onions (sliced thin)
4 radishes sliced thin
1 cup snap peas (sliced thin)
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
¼ cup crumbled feta
¼ cup pepitas

Instructions

Spoon the crème fraiche into a mixing bowl, whisk in the olive oil, honey, chives, mint and chervil. Grate the lemon peel very finely into the bowl with the crème fraîche.
Cut the lemon cross-wise, and then squeeze its juice into a bowl or small pitcher. Strain the juice to remove the pulp and pips, and pour the juice into a mixing bowl. Whisk the lemon juice, salt and white pepper into the dressing, and set it aside until you're ready to dress the salad.
Toss lettuce, green onions, radishes, snap peas, parsley, mint, feta and pepitas together. Dress with the at the table.

Tried this recipe?Please consider !

Love this recipe? There's more.

Join Nourished Kitchen+ for ad-free browsing, nourishing monthly meal plans, live workshops, and access to all our premium downloads.

Join Now