Steakhouse-Style Entrée Salad
This is my interpretation of a chopped salad I grew up eating in New York City, a staple at our old-school neighborhood steak house. The veggie-heavy dish gets plenty of protein from the shrimp and hard-boiled eggs, vitamin C and fiber from the fresh green beans and peas, while celery packs in a ton of Vitamin A and potassium, and tomatoes add powerful antioxidants. Topped off with a creamy, herb-filled dressing and you have one of my favorite salads.
GiGi's Chopped Salad With Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound 16-20 count ocean-caught shrimp, peeled
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1 Belgian endive
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3/4 pound haricot vert or green beans
- 1 small to medium head romaine lettuce
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup red onoin, diced
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
- 1/3 cup lightly packed tarragon leaves
- 5 large basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Make the Green Goddess Dressing
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the mayonnaise, salt and pepper; pulse until very finely chopped. Add the mayonnaise and puree until nearly smooth and pale green. Scrape the dressing into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until the flavors meld and the dressing is well chilled, at least 1 hour.
Prepare the Salad
First, blanch the green beans. Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Add green beans or haricot verts, cooking for about 5 minutes. Drain, rinsing green beans with ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Reserve to the fridge to cool completely.
In a smaller sauce pan, add the peas and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes. Strain and reserve to the refrigerator to cool.
Next, cook the shrimp. Bring a pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Slice lengthwise and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve the salad.
Dice the pepper, celery, onion and endive. Reserve.
Cut the beans into 1-inch lengths. Slice the eggs. Halve the tomatoes.
Mince the herbs for garnish.
To Serve
For a nice presentation, place chopped lettuce and endive on a large platter. Add one ingredient at a time, making bold stripes of color and texture with each topping. Drizzle some dressing on top, passing the rest at the table. For easier serving, place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper, toss with dressing to coat, and serve immediately.
Photograph by Madeleine Hill.
