Get out of your salad rut with these refreshing ideas.
While spring is not the only time of the year we eat salads, it sure feels like the perfect time to celebrate them. Thankfully, we currently have Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi’s new book, Around the World in 120 Salads: Fresh, Healthy, Delicious in our hands. And quite honestly, we’re swooning. Flipping through the pages, you will see salads that will make your mouth water, salads hearty enough to be the main dish and salads that would make the perfect refreshing bite on a hot day. 
If you’re anything like us, it’s all too easy to get caught in a salad rut making the same boring plate. Thankfully, this book has put some fresh crunch in our routine and incorporates global flavors into our menus. The book especially highlights salads from Middle Eastern, Mexican, Indian, Italian, and Vietnamese cuisines. Check out some of the salads below inspired by a variety of cuisines and then try out one of our favorite recipes from the book!
Moroccan Inspired: Tabbouleh with pulled lamb shoulder with a spiced date crust and minted labneh
Italian Inspired: Tuna Nicoise with Green Beans, Potatoes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Italian Seafood Salad
Check out this stunning zucchini recipe below.
Zucchini and Zucchini Flower Carpaccio with Ricotta
Around the World in 120 Salads
- Yield: 4 -6 servings 1x
Description
This is light and lovely with a delicious floral sweetness from the melon. To make the salad even prettier, tear a few bright yellow zucchini flowers into the salad if you have them. We have a small melon baller to make the pearls, but if you don’t have one simply cut the melon into small cubes instead.
Ingredients
for the dressing
- ½ to 1 red or green chile (according to taste, finely chopped)
- 1 small garlic clove (finely grated)
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon (plus extra to garnish)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the salad
- 3 medium zucchini (thinly sliced)
- 4 round tomatoes (diced, or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved)
- 1 red pepper (seeded and finely sliced)
- a handful of basil leaves (tough stems discarded)
- ½ honeydew or cantaloupe melon (cut into balls)
- 1 cup ricotta (drained)
Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste and
- set aside.
- Arrange a layer of zucchini slices, tomatoes, and red pepper
- strips on one large serving plate or individual ones. Pour on a little
- dressing. Add the remaining sliced vegetables on top followed by the
- remaining dressing. (At this point the salad will keep for a few hours
- in the fridge if you want to serve it later.)
- Just before serving, scatter the basil leaves and melon balls on top,
- and top with teaspoon-sized quenelles of ricotta. To do this squeeze
- a heaping teaspoon of ricotta between 2 teaspoons into a quenelle,
- an egg shape with pointed ends. Use one spoon to scoop the shape
- out from the other and place onto the salad. Grate a little extra lemon
- zest on top and finish with a good grind of black pepper.
Notes
Recipes taken from Around the World in 120 Salads by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi. Published by Kyle Books, photography by Helen Cathcart.
- Category: Side
