Why is everyone making chopped salads?

Chopped salads are all over social media this year, but what makes them so appealing?

Donal Skehan's killer satay Thai-style chopped salad

Back in 1956, a Los Angeles restaurant, La Scala, created a showstopping dish, one which impressed the Beverley Hills’ fancy (and often celebrity) diners; behold The Chopped Salad.

Of course, like any recipe, it could be argued that the chopped salad existed way before the restaurant’s chef, Jean Leon ‘created’ it. Was the cobb salad which originated in 1937 not a chopped salad? For example…

Fast forward to 2024 and chopped salads of all shapes and sizes are receiving millions of views across multiple social media platforms. But what makes them so special?

Cookbook and recipe author Anna Shepherd is passionate about chopped salads, and while she has been a UK resident since she was 12, she remembers them from her childhood spent in USA.

“They were a really big thing in American chain pubs,” she explains. “You'd have a big salad bar and chopped salads would always feature and they tended to include deli meats, because that shows the strong Italian heritage running through the country.

“I think it's nice that chopped salads have evolved over time,” continues Shepherd. “They’ve taken on this new life which is really accessible. It's a great option for work-from-home lunches, but also, for summer barbecues and for entertaining your friends.

“Just serving a few versions of different chopped salads can make a lovely meal on its own, if you include something like a protein or a cheese on the top or the side or just have flatbread for scooping it up it can feel really substantial.”

But what are they? What makes them different from a regular salad and how can you make them?

What is a chopped salad?

“A chopped salad is something you can eat just with a fork, rather than with a knife and fork,” says Shepherd.

“The key is to really chop the ingredients into bite-sized pieces, so that you can save a bit of energy at the dinner table.

“Like other salads, it's a combination of ingredients. However, they feel more informal and casual than a regular salad. You don’t have to be worried about presentation, you can have a bit more fun with them.

“They tend to be really colourful and there's no hard-and-fast rule about what the focal ingredients have to be, but generally they’re a of riot of colour and texture and just a fun way to get more veg on your plate.”

How to choose ingredients for your chopped salad

Chef, Georgina Hayden is also a big fan of chopped salads and explains: “Salad is always about texture, so think about what forms the base of your chopped salad.

“If you are having tomatoes in there, you'll need something for crunch - cucumber or cabbage would work well. Then think about how chopped you are aiming for, are they any grains, croutons or seeds you could add? I always think about it as a balancing act - crunch, softness, herbs, something tangy or with a bit of acidity, a bit of sweetness from some fruit or in the dressing.

“The best thing to do is have a play and figure out what you like – I adore apple in my salads.”

For Shepherd, there’s another key flavour note: “For me, the only must-have ingredient is something salty like capers or a salty cheese. Because it is a salad you want a nod to freshness and if you have veg in there like cucumbers or tomato, which are fresh, the salty ingredient will just help those ingredients to taste more exciting and more delicious.

“Also, some fresh ingredients – such as lettuce and cucumber – have quite a naturally mild flavour, so a salty accent will just make them a bit more thrilling on your palette.”

How to liven up a chopped salad

“A little pop of something with a bold flavour can make chopped salads much more exciting,” says Shepherd.

“You could experiment with something spicy and funky, like a fermented ingredient. An example could be adding kimchi to a bean salad with some other fresh vegetables. Or something like feta marinated with chilli and herbs, just to really elevate the feta from just a salty ingredient to something with an extra dimension.

“By doing this you’ll shift a chopped salad from an every-day dish and turn it into a memorable dish that you want to repeat. And you can take it in a different direction the following time with a different pickle, or a pickled chilli.

However, if you’re chopping bold flavours – such as raw onion, Shepherd suggests chopping them on a different board as otherwise they might start to impact the flavour of your salad before you want it to.

How to prepare your chopped salad in advance

Depending on the ingredients you use, they will normally last for a few days says Shepherd, however there are a few ways you can make sure they still taste as good on day three as they did on day one.

Don’t add your watery ingredients: “Chop ingredients like tomato and cucumber at the last minute, so they – and the rest of the salad – doesn’t become soggy. The same applies to dressings – keep them in a jar and just add as-and-when you need it.”

Seal it up: It's obvious, but just keeping them sealed in the fridge is important, because if your salad’s uncovered in the fridge, it will absorb other flavours in the fridge. That can turn it a bit musty and you’ll lose that freshness.”

Dressings for chopped salads

“There are lots of directions that you can take dressings and they can give a nod to certain cuisines,” says Shepherd. You could start with the same four ingredients – for example cucumbers lettuce, olives and tomatoes, but then you could take it in a Middle Eastern direction by drizzling over a tahini sauce made with lemon and garlic, or you could give the veg an Italian style with some olive oil and red wine vinegar.

There’s no one-size-fits-all dressing for chopped salads, but, says Shepherd, by using a liquid that’s great at carrying flavour, you’ll be on the right path. “Olive oil or something creamy like yoghurt or tahini will just give those fresher ingredients extra legwork. They’ll just make the whole thing more satisfying.

“The key is to taste as you go. So, if you have flavoursome tomatoes or something like that, if you salt them, they can form part of that dressing, because they'll start to release their juices into the other ingredients and that will just really help everything to muddle together and taste coherent.

“So, dress according to what your ingredients are doing, but also the meal you want to have. If you want to see yourself on a beach in Greece, then try using a little bit of dried oregano with your olive oil.”

Now make

Originally published July 2024