The Easy Method For Charred Salad Greens Without A Grill
What comes to mind when you think of the word "salad?" Maybe a few classics like the Caesar or Cobb make your mouth water or perhaps it's something that steakhouses are known for, like the Modern Wedge Salad. But a salad is more than just a simple bowl of greens with some veggies on top. There's so much room for creativity and ways to "level up" a salad, and one of these lies in the charring method.
As Cooking Channel notes, the use of scorching hot temperatures highlights those "caramel flavors" that fruits and veggies often hide. Charring also adds some interesting textural contrast to the layers of such foods, leaving certain parts raw while others are burnt. Salad greens certainly benefit from a nice char on the grill, but so do peaches, tomatoes, avocados, and many other types of "soft" produce. In other words, you can char your whole salad if you really wanted to.
But many home cooks don't have the luxury of owning a grill, which is a popular vessel of choice for those charred grill marks and smoky flavors. In this case, we've got a different (and way easier) method for charring salad greens, and it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
Use the broiler in your oven
TikTok user Kathleen Ashmore has shared an easy way to get those charred colors and flavors on salad greens – no grill required.
Before they start broiling, they take a head of romaine lettuce, cut it in half down towards the base, and season both halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (Don't forget to massage the oil and seasonings into the leaves). Now all you have to do is set the broiler on your oven to "high" and broil the romaine lettuce, though the user doesn't specify for how long. For that, we've turned to food blogger Justine Doiron, who recommends broiling the romaine hearts for two minutes on both sides. Be sure to watch the romaine hearts as they're cooking though; Broilers have a tendency to make foods go from charred to inedibly burnt within a very short timeframe.
After the romaine hearts are broiled, Ashmore tops them with toasted walnuts, parmesan cheese, and a lemon-parmesan dressing made of the following: A half teaspoon of dijon mustard, a quarter cup of parmesan, a quarter cup of olive oil, lemon juice (from a halved lemon), salt, and pepper. They add these ingredients to a jar, tighten with a lid, and then shake to form a cohesive dressing.
So whether you're keen on making this popular TikTok salad or something like a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, be sure to utilize your oven's broiler to take your greens to a "charred" level.