Talk about my new favorite summer salad! It’s bright, crunchy, layered with texture, and makes the most of in season spring and summer produce. This little gem lettuce salad with grilled spring onion dressing needs to be a part of your dinner rotation! Little gem lettuce, crispy panko bread crumbs, marinated red onions, castlevertrano olives, watermelon radish, and a garlicky dressing.
TL;DR (Quick Recipe Overview)
Recipe: Little Gem Salad with Grilled Spring Onion Dressing
Ready In: 45 minutes, can be made ahead of time!
Difficulty: medium
Serves: 4-6 servings
Staple Ingredients: little gem or baby red leaf lettuce, panko bread crumbs, red onion, watermelon radish, castelvetrano olives, spring onions, tahini.
What Makes It Special: This salads hits all the texture and flavor boxes. First off it’s lovely for spring or summer and great for fresh, seasonal produce. Second, the spring onion dressing is unique and out of this world, with heavy garlic flavor, and a creamy nuttiness from the tahini. The crispy panko bread crumbs are my favorite component, layering salty, crunchy bits throughout the salad!
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Perfect Pairing: Everyday Blend
This recipe pairs perfectly with my Everyday Blend. It’s balanced with garlic, onion, and warm herbs that bring out the best in simple ingredients. Use it on chicken, veggies, or even eggs to take your everyday cooking up a notch.
Imagine this salad served family style out on the patio on a warm summer night, paired with a crisp glass of white wine or a dirty martini. Maybe some kettle chips or warm bread, or even a nice steak/salmon situtation. It reminds me of Italy and summertime in the garden, if you can imagine that!
Looking to pair this with a protein, try my peppercorn crusted pork chops, Tuscan chicken thighs, or my chicken piccata meatballs. Find all of my salad recipes here for more dinner inspiration!
More Fun Salads
Key Ingredients
- Little Gem lettuce: Crisp, sweet lettuce that serves as the base of the salad. Baby red leaf lettuce, romaine hearts, butter lettuce, or a combination of lettuces can be substituted.
- Castelvetrano olives: Mild, buttery olives that add a salty contrast, green olives, Kalamata olives, or your favorite olive variety will work.
- Watermelon radish: Adds color, crunch, and a mild peppery flavor. Regular radishes, Easter egg radishes, or thinly sliced cucumber can be substituted.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan adds a savory, salty finish. Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or shaved Parmesan are great alternatives.
- Red onion: Marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar to soften its bite and add brightness to the salad. Sweet onion or shallots can be used instead.
- Balsamic vinegar: Red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar can be substituted.
- Everyday Seasoning Blend: Adds balanced savory flavor to the onions. Substitute with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of dried herbs.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Toasted until golden for a light, crispy crunch throughout the salad. Regular breadcrumbs can be used, though the texture will be slightly different.
- Spring onions: Grilled and blended into the dressing for a sweet, mellow onion flavor. Green onions or scallions are the best substitutes.
- Dill: Adds brightness and freshness to the dressing. Fresh parsley, chives, basil, tarragon, or a combination of herbs work well.
- Tahini: Creates a creamy texture and subtle nutty flavor in the dressing. Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, or a small amount of sour cream can be substituted.
- Dijon mustard: Adds tang and helps emulsify the dressing. Whole grain mustard or yellow mustard can be used if needed.
How to Make the Little Gem Salad
Let’s talk a little about how to make the lettuce salad (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Marinate red onions, slice radish, chop olives, make crispy panko bread crumbs.
- Prep lettuce, grill spring onions and blend dressing.
- Combine salad and enjoy!
Marinated red onions:
- First, thinly slice a red onion by hand or using a mandolin. Then, in a mixing bowl combine the onions, olive oil, balsamic, and seasoning blend. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
- These can be kept in the fridge and are great on sandwiches, salads, pizza, and more. The marinade can be used as a dressing as well!
Crispy panko:
- Secondly, In a saute pan over medium-high heat combine the panko bread crumbs and olive oil. Stir to combine and toast for 4-5 minutes, keeping medium-high heat, until golden brown, stirring often so they don’t burn. Remove from heat and let sit.
Grilled spring onion dressing:
- Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat. Once the grill reaches about 400 degrees F, add the spring onions, cook for a few minutes on each side or until they get a nice char on them. Remove from the grill.
- First, add grilled spring onions to a bullet or counter top blender along with the olive oil, tahini, Dijon mustard, fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Blend until the dressing is smooth, if needed add additional olive oil to thin out the dressing.
- Then to assemble the salad, layer lettuce, watermelon radishes, and chopped olives on a large platter. Top with some of the marinated red onions, freshly shaved parmesan cheese, a heavy drizzle of the spring onion dressing, and finish with the crispy bread crumbs! Enjoy immedaitely, dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or two.
Rachel’s Chef Tips
- I love using toasted panko breadcrumbs instead of large croutons in this salad! It’s so much better to get a bite of crispy breadcrumbs in every bite rather then a big crouton. They distribute more evenly throughout the salad.
- The grilled spring onion dressing is the star of this recipe. Grilling softens the onion flavor and brings out a sweeter, more mellow flavor that blends beautifully into the dressing. My all-time favorite dressing to date!
- Don’t be afraid to swap the herbs based on what you have available. Dill is wonderful, but parsley, chives, basil, or tarragon all work well.
- Make the marinated red onions ahead of time. They keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and are great on sandwiches, grain bowls, tacos, and other salads. And save the onion marinade! It makes a flavorful vinaigrette base.
- If your dressing feels too thick, whisk in a splash of water or extra olive oil until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Turn this side salad into a complete meal by serving it with grilled salmon, chicken breast, steak, or pork tenderloin. It’s especially good alongside anything cooked on the grill.
Pair With:
Pair this fresh lettuce salad with some of the hearty favorite for a balanced meal!
Little Gem Lettuce Salad with Grilled Spring Onion Dressing
Ingredients
- 4-5 heads Little gem or baby red leaf lettuce , washed and rough chopped
- 1/4 cup Castelvetrano olives , rough chopped
- 1 medium Watermelon radish, thinly sliced
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
For the marinated red onions:
- 1 small Red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Everyday Seasoning Blend
For the crispy panko:
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
For the grilled spring onion dressing:
- 3-4 fresh Spring onions
- 1-2 stems Fresh dill, about 1 tbsp
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the marinated red onions:
- Thinly slice a red onion by hand or using a mandolin. In a mixing bowl combine the onions, olive oil, balsamic, and seasoning blend. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.1 small Red onion, 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Everyday Seasoning Blend
- These can be kept in the fridge and are great on sandwiches, salads, pizza, and more. The marinade can be used as a dressing as well!
For the crispy panko:
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat combine the panko bread crumbs and olive oil. Stir to combine and toast for 4-5 minutes, keeping medium-high heat, until golden brown, stirring often so they don't burn. Remove from heat and let sit.1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs , 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
For the grilled spring onion dressing:
- Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat. Once the grill reaches about 400 degrees F, add the spring onions, cook for a few minutes on each side or until they get a nice char on them. Remove from the grill.3-4 fresh Spring onions
- Add grilled spring onions to a bullet or counter top blender along with the olive oil, tahini, Dijon mustard, fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Blend until the dressing is smooth, if needed add additional olive oil to thin out the dressing.1-2 stems Fresh dill, 2 tbsp Tahini , 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, Fresh cracked black pepper
- To assemble the salad, layer lettuce, watermelon radishes, and chopped olives on a large platter. Top with some of the marinated red onions, freshly shaved parmesan cheese, a heavy drizzle of the spring onion dressing, and finish with the crispy bread crumbs! Enjoy immedaitely, dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or two.4-5 heads Little gem or baby red leaf lettuce , 1/4 cup Castelvetrano olives , 1 medium Watermelon radish, Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Make the marinated onions ahead: The red onions can be prepared several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Don’t discard the marinade, it makes a delicious dressing!
- Panko breadcrumbs work best: Instead of large croutons, toasted panko breadcrumbs add a salty crunch throughout the salad.
- Use the herbs you have on hand: Fresh dill is wonderful here, but parsley, chives, basil, tarragon, or a combination of herbs all work well in the dressing.
- Don’t skip grilling the spring onions: Grilling softens their onion flavor and brings out a sweeter, more garlic foward flavor.
- Adjust the dressing consistency: If the dressing is thicker than you’d like, whisk in a little extra olive oil or water until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve soon after assembling: For the best texture, toss the lettuce with the dressing just before serving so the breadcrumbs stay crisp.
- Make it a meal: This salad pairs beautifully with grilled salmon, chicken breast, steak, or pork tenderloin.
- Little Gem substitute: If you can’t find Little Gem lettuce, baby red leaf lettuce, romaine hearts, butter lettuce, or a combination of the two will work.
Nutrition
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Helpful Recipe Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Romaine hearts, butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or even a mix of spring greens work well if you can’t find little gem lettuce. I prefer small heads of lettuce but any mix will work!
The dressing is rich and savory with more of a garlic flavor. Grilling the spring onions adds some flavor from the char and reduced the onion flavor. Pairing that with the tahini and fresh herbs transforms them! Most of the flavor comes from the creamy dressing!
Yes! The grilled spring onion dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week! Give it a shake or a stir before using it.
Castelvetrano olives are a buttery, mild green olive. They add a salty contrast without being overly briny.
This salad pairs well with grilled steak, roasted chicken, salmon, pork tenderloin, or a crusty bread!
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing your final dish on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Cheers!
-Rachel
