butter lettuce salad

This butter lettuce salad is layered with crisp radishes, sliced avocado and craggily, cheesy, homemade breadcrumbs. It’s tossed with a simple and flavorful honey mustard vinaigrette which, by the way, you’ll want to use on all salads all summer long. It’s a little sweet, a little punchy from the shallot and mustard, and extra flavorful from a swirl of fresh herbs. 

My favorite part of this butter lettuce salad is the texture. I just love the velvety lettuce, creamy chunks of avocado and perfectly scattered crunch of cheesy breadcrumbs. To be honest, I think a variety of texture is what’s lacking in most salads, especially those with softer leaves. But the texture here isn’t overpowering, either-- it simply adds a bit of interest to those velvety soft butter lettuce leaves. 

what is butter lettuce?

Butter lettuce is a category of lettuces that have soft, velvety leaves and a mild floral flavor. The texture is soft, delicate, and buttery-- hence the name.

Bibb lettuce and Boston lettuce are the most common green varieties and they’re most often grown hydroponically (so they can be found year round). They’re generally sold with their roots attached to extend the freshness and longevity of this delicate lettuce.

There are also quite a few red varieties of butter lettuce that are absolutely gorgeous and can usually be found at your local farmers markets in the early spring and summer!

Because the leaves are so tender, it’s best to gently wash them, pat them dry, and tear the leaves by hand rather than chop with a knife. This technique will minimize bruising and discoloration: the leaves tear along the lines of cells, whereas a knife will cut right through the cell membranes. Busted membranes is the cause of wilted, browned, bruised leaves. 

what you need for this butter lettuce salad

• Butter lettuce
• Radishes
• Avocado
• Fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
• Pecorino romano
• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar
• Honey mustard
• Fresh herbs
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

how to make the butter lettuce salad

1. Make the honey mustard vinaigrette (shallot, white wine vinegar, honey mustard, olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper)
2. Make the pecorino breadcrumbs (details below)
3. Tear the butter lettuce into bite sized pieces and toss with vinaigrette
4. Top with sliced radishes and avocado
5. Sprinkle with pecorino breadcrumbs
6. Serve, passing extra dressing on the side

how to make the crispy pecorino breadcrumbs

The biggest revelation of this butter lettuce salad recipe is the breadcrumbs. I suggest you double them and keep them on hand for snacking and ad-lib cooking. They’re crunchy, craggily and packed with melted, browned, salty cheese flavor. I want to put them in everything. Luckily, they couldn’t be easier to make.

We start with fresh sourdough breadcrumbs and sauté them in olive oil until crispy and fragrant. Then we add finely grated pecorino romano to the skillet, but you could use parmesan too. The cheese sizzles and pops and then slowly melts into the crumbs and transforms the mixture into rubbly bits of golden brown heaven.

They’ll be chewy and salty and so good straight from the pan, but let them cool and they’ll crisp up into crunchy little flavor bombs. They’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a crouton: a way to add crunchy texture and flavor to salads, in a tiny non-overwhelming package. Because let’s be honest here, croutons are just too aggressive for butter lettuce.

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet
2. Add fresh breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown
3. Add grated pecorino and cook, stirring, until melted and browned
4. Transfer to a bowl and cool

butter lettuce salad variations

I adore this simple butter lettuce salad as is, but I also understand a recipe for a salad is much looser than baked goods. Part of the beauty of salads is utilizing the freshest produce at the market in your area and season. It’s also a great canvas for using up odds and ends in the fridge. All of the components can be tweaked to your liking-- just keep in mind a few principles to make the best butter lettuce salad.

1. Keep it simple. Don’t go overboard with flavors, textures and add-ins. Butter lettuce is light, simple and delicate. The best salads honor the velvety texture of butter lettuce and only add a few contrasting elements to keep it fun.
2. Think in terms of texture. Add something crunchy (toasted nuts, breadcrumbs, thinly sliced vegetables) and something creamy (soft cheese, avocado) and you're golden!

Here are some crunchy and creamy ideas to get you started:

• Sliced fennel
• Sliced cucumber
• Thinly sliced fresh brussels sprouts
• Sliced apples
• Toasted pine nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Toasted sliced almonds
• Toasted breadcrumbs
• Chopped bacon
• Fresh goat cheese
• Torn burrata
• Crumbled feta
• Hard boiled eggs
• Sliced avocado
• Lightly smashed olives (castelvetrano are my favorite here!)

what to serve with this salad:

This butter lettuce salad is the perfect counterpoint to grilled meats (like this delicious smoked tomahawk steak) or your favorite seafood. I would love to serve it with a crisp glass of rosé and a flaky piece of sautéed halibut-- fresh, simple, and so elegant!

rosé wine pairing for butter lettuce salad

Rosé and butter lettuce salads are a delicious summer pairing. I love the simplicity of both-- the fresh acid and crisp red fruit flavors of a good rosé and the silky crunch of the butter lettuce leaves. The combination is so refreshing!

I especially love Pinot Noir rosés here. They're tart, light and delicate. Try some from Willamette Valley (Oregon), Pfalz (Germany), Central Otago (New Zealand) and the Loire Valley (France).

more salad recipes to try:

butter lettuce and creamy pistachio wedge salad

buffalo chicken salad recipe

cucumber avocado salad

sugar snap pea salad with radishes, feta and arugula

roasted beet salad with goat cheese, strawberries and preserved lemon vinaigrette

raw beet salad with citrus vinaigrette

radicchio salad with oranges and pecorino

watercress salad

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