As soon as the weather warms up, I start to brainstorm all kinds of bright dishes to make. After a trip to the farmers market, I always crave a crunchy salad. When it comes to adding a gorgeous pop of color to a dish, radishes are my go-to ingredient. Once Springtime comes around, I’ll find any excuse to incorporate beautiful watermelon radishes.
My butter lettuce salad screams Spring with avocado, four types of radishes, creamy farmers cheese, and a sweet and tangy herbed vinaigrette. And don’t be shy with the tarragon, it’s the key ingredient to elevating this entire dish.
Print Recipe
Springtime Butter Lettuce Salad with Radishes, Avocado, and a Honey Tarragon Vinaigrette
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Salad:
- 2 heads butter lettuce trimmed, cleaned, and larger pieces of lettuce ripped in half
- 1 medium-sized watermelon radish cleaned, trimmed
- 2 medium-sized red radishes cleaned, trimmed
- 1 medium-sized black radish cleaned, trimmed
- 1 medium-sized purple daikon radish cleaned, trimmed
- 1 avocado sliced thin lengthwise
- 5-6 tablespoons Farmer’s Cheese optional
Ingredients for the Honey Tarragon Vinaigrette:
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoons Dijon
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinaigrette
- 1/3 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 teaspoons chopped tarragon
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Start by making the dressing. Place all ingredients except for the oil into a food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil slowly so it can properly emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Next, slice all the radishes into thin rounds, as thin as you can. If not using immediately, store submerged in cold water in a bowl to keep them crisp and prevent them from drying out. You can actually keep them like this overnight if needed.
- Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl, making sure not to overdo it on the dressing. I would recommend using 2 tablespoons of the dressing to start and adding more if needed. The butter lettuce is extremely thin and will wilt easily if too much dressing is used. Serve on individual plates or in a large serving bowl.