How To Make A Wedge Salad And Cut The Lettuce The Right Way

By Catherine Brookes
Wedge salad on plate, topped with diced tomatoes, red onion, bacon, and crumbled blue cheese Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Fantastically crisp, refreshing, and oozing with visual appeal, the wedge salad is a classic dish that effortlessly balances simplicity and flavor. The recipe typically comprises a hearty iceberg lettuce wedge adorned with a selection of creamy, savory, and fresh toppings. But despite this being a relatively straightforward concept, there's still an art to crafting the perfect salad.

One of the most important elements of this recipe is how you cut the lettuce, which affects not only the presentation but also how the dressing and toppings cling to the surface. Cutting the wedges evenly will ensure they sit level on your plate, so your toppings don't fall off as soon as they're added. And, no one wants any messy leaves or tough stems ruining the aesthetics.

Follow this simple set of steps, and you can easily create an expertly cut, restaurant-quality wedge salad from the comfort of your kitchen. The finished dish is great for serving as a starter, but it can absolutely be enjoyed as a light lunch, too. 

1. Remove outer leaves

Hands removing outer leaves from iceberg lettuce over wooden cutting board Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Using your hands, remove the loose outer leaves from the lettuce until all remaining leaves are nice and tightly packed. You'll generally want to remove the first two or three leaf layers.

2. Cut in half

Halved iceberg lettuce on wooden cutting board Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Starting at the tough stem end of the lettuce, cut it in half.

3. Cut into quarters

Slicing iceberg lettuce halves with knife on wooden cutting board Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Cut each half again to create four quarters.

4. Cut away the stem

Cutting stems from iceberg lettuce quarters on wooden cutting board Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Cut away an inch or so from the base of each wedge to remove the tough stem.

5. Add the dressing

Iceberg lettuce wedge on plate with blue cheese dressing Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Transfer each lettuce wedge to a plate and top it with your dressing of choice. Blue cheese, ranch, or Thousand Island would work brilliantly here.

6. Add the toppings

Top down view of wedge salad on plate, topped with diced tomatoes, red onion, bacon, and crumbled blue cheese Catherine Brookes/Tasting Table

Add a medley of savory toppings to your wedge. Popular choices include finely diced cherry tomatoes, red onions, chopped bacon, and crumbled blue cheese. Chopping the toppings nice and small is key, as this will help them balance atop the crunchy wedge more easily. Feel free to throw on some flavored breadcrumbs for extra crunch, or a handful of chopped chives for extra color and aromatic flavor. Now, your topping-loaded wedge salad is ready to eat.

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