029Cos lettuce and dill salad

Method

Classic spring home version. Best served alongside roast lamb, pork chops, or savoury spring pies.

You will need

• salad spinner
• chef's knife
• large salad bowl
• small whisk

1. Strip any bruised outer leaves from the cos lettuce, wash the leaves thoroughly in cold water, and dry them completely in a salad spinner. 5 min Ready when: leaves are clean and completely free of water
2. Stack the dried leaves in neat piles and slice them across into very fine ribbons, no wider than half a centimetre. 5 min Ready when: lettuce forms delicate, wispy shreds
3. Transfer the shredded lettuce into a generous serving bowl and scatter over the sliced spring onions and chopped dill. 2 min Ready when: herbs and onions are evenly distributed
4. In a small jug or bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, a generous pinch of sea salt, and black pepper until lightly emulsified. 2 min Ready when: dressing is smooth and combined
5. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving, toss gently with your hands or salad servers to coat every ribbon, and dot with Kalamata olives if using. 1 min Ready when: leaves are glossy without becoming weighed down

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Make ahead and storing

Wash, shred, and chill the greens several hours ahead; dress only at the moment of serving.

Does not store well once dressed; consume immediately.

Substitutions

• fresh lemon juice for red wine vinegar. Equally traditional and offers a brighter, citrusy acidity.

Common mistakes

• Leaving residual water on the lettuce leaves. Water prevents the olive oil vinaigrette from adhering and dilutes the dressing into a bland puddle.
• Dressing the salad well in advance. The salt and acid will collapse the finely shredded ribbons, turning them soggy and limp within fifteen minutes.

Regional variants

• In parts of central Greece, a splash of lemon juice is preferred over vinegar.
• Some households crumble a small amount of firm barrel-aged feta across the top.

About the dish

Maroulosalata is Greece's quintessential early-spring salad, celebrated especially on the Easter table alongside spit-roasted lamb. Where tomatoes are absent in colder months, crisp cos lettuce is shredded finely and paired with fragrant fresh dill and tender spring onions. The dressing is kept simple, relying on quality extra virgin olive oil and either red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice to cut through the richness of festive roast meats.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, easter, sunday lunch, spring.

Cousins elsewhere

• Marul salatası (Turkish). A parallel fresh lettuce salad dressed with lemon and olive oil common across the eastern Mediterranean.
• Maroulosalata (Cypriot). Prepared almost identically across Cyprus, frequently accompanying grilled meats.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

146 kcal · protein 1.6 g · fat 14.2 g (saturated 1.9 g) · carbohydrate 4.5 g (sugars 1.4 g) · fibre 2.4 g · sodium 15 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the classic Greek home tradition where lettuce is finely shredded rather than torn into broad leaves..

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