Spinach Salad with Carrot, Orange, and Sesame
While nothing could be easier to toss in a salad, mild-mannered baby spinach always seems to fall flat. What could we do to ruffle this pile of leaves? Few greens can beat the convenience of prewashed baby spinach, but these tender leaves—and their flavor—go limp in salads. We wanted a salad that made the most of sweet, tender baby spinach.
The Solution
With such smooth and flat leaves, baby spinach tends to stick together. We knew that we needed a sturdier element to break up the salad, but we wanted one that wouldn’t overwhelm the spinach. The first step was rethinking our knifework. Thinly slicing the vegetables (or at least tearing them into pieces) allowed us to use harder, crisper produce. In addition to fluffing up the spinach, carrots worked in welcome crunch and sweetness. We reasoned that fresh fruit would add bright, clean flavors and textural appeal. Orange segments enlivened the carrot and spinach with acidity and sweetness.
All that was left was to whisk up a dressing. Anything creamy bogged down the greens, so we stuck with a vinaigrette. Our Foolproof Vinaigrette was a good starting point, but we found that its oil-to-acid ratio wasn’t tart enough and slicked the already slippery leaves. A bit more vinegar (or citrus juice) added just enough tang to bring out the fruit’s natural acidity. A final sprinkle of scallions gave the salad fresh bite. For variations to our spinach and carrot salad, we liked the pairings of strawberries and frisée, apples and fennel, and mango and radicchio.
1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 medium carrots , peeled and shaved with vegetable peeler lengthwise into ribbons
2 medium oranges , 1/2 teaspoon finely grated zest from one, both peeled and segmented
2 medium scallions , sliced thin
7 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon very finely minced shallot
3/4 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds , toasted
1. Place spinach, carrots, orange segments, and scallions in large bowl.
2. In small nonreactive bowl, combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and orange zest. Whisk until mixture appears milky and no lumps remain. Place oils in liquid measuring cup so they are easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oils into mixture. If pools of oil gather on surface, stop addition of oils and whisk mixture well to combine, then resume whisking in oils in slow stream. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened.
3. Pour dressing over spinach mixture and toss to coat; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
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