How I Unlocked the Secrets of New York’s Most Famous Salad at Home

For a long time, I didn’t understand the appeal of a big green salad when eating out. I’ve always been baffled by those who order it: why spend money on a pile of limp, bruised leaves tossed in a predictable vinaigrette when you could order, say, a crudo, or a bowl of marinated olives, or really any appetizer that doesn’t arrive looking tired?

That was my thought until a few years ago, when I was taken to lunch at Via Carota in the West Village. Although the restaurant has been very popular since it opened in 2014, I had never been there. The room is warm and uncrowded, with dark wood tables and tall windows that open onto Grove Street, one of Manhattan’s prettiest blocks, lined with ivy-covered brick townhouses and bathed in afternoon light. Look up from your Negroni and you’ll see downtown fashionistas, artists, off-duty cooks, editors, neighborhood regulars and, on rare occasions, Taylor Swift.

Owned by chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, Via Carota serves instinctive Italian cuisine. It’s rustic but demanding, rooted in skill and subtlety. The vegetables are cooked simply, the pasta bright and perfectly seasoned, each dish composed with quiet confidence. Everything on the menu carries that elusive balance between simplicity and precision.

My date, knowing my feelings about the green salad, gave a sheepish smile as we discussed our order. “I know what you think about green salad,” he said, “but this one is different.” Since he had never cheated on me when it came to food, I trusted him. Our table quickly filled with small plates: acciughe e burro: thick slices of bread topped with generous amounts of rich European butter and topped with salty anchovies; tonno e fagioli – creamy cannellini beans with raw tuna and Calabrian chili; and the most perfectly emulsified cacio e pepe. And there you have it, the insalata verde, as it is indicated on the menu.

It stood like a little tower, a deliberate tangle of greenery: crisp romaine, pale curly, forest green watercress, soft Bibb folds, and a few bitter endive leaves nestled in between. The leaves seemed to cascade onto the plate like these helicopter maple seeds, each landing elegantly and lightly. For the first time, I saw a restaurant salad without a single wilted leaf. And when I took a bite, the tangy, puckering sherry vinaigrette woke it up – bright, electric and impossible not to love.

What makes Via Carota salad so special?

After that meal, I went looking for answers: What made this salad so good? Turns out I’m not the only one who’s in love with it; insalata verde has an adoring fan base. Recently, our editor-in-chief Genevieve told me, “I think about salad all the time and I can’t go to a restaurant without ordering it.” »

A quick search led me to a 2019 New York Times article by Samin Nosrat, in which she reveals the dizzying detail that lies behind it. Each variety of green, she writes, is washed in its own temperature of water; every leaf inspected, no brown edge in sight. Shallots are rinsed in cold water to remove some of their sharpness, but not soaked in an acid like vinegar or lemon juice, to retain their tangy flavor. Meanwhile, the dressing gets a dollop of warm water to soften its bite. “We want a dressing so flavorful and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it,” Williams told Nosrat. “We want you to be able to drink it!”

Truth be told, after working in the restaurant business for almost 10 years, I’m not convinced that wash water needs to be kept at a precise temperature to achieve an ideal salad. But looking at the leaves on my plate at Via Carota, one thing was clear: These greens were very neat.

Anyone who has worked in a restaurant kitchen, especially in Manhattan, knows how cramped walk-in refrigerators can be. Space is limited and every square inch counts. In the race to make space, it’s common to see cooks cramming delicate greens into lexans — the clear plastic containers used for storage and preparation — squeezing them so they can fit more. It’s space efficient, but it damages the leaves in the process. I’ve never seen the Via Carota walk-in, but I’d bet their greens have room to breathe, stored in containers that aren’t filled to the brim.

I’m not saying you need to pull out an instant-read thermometer and take the temperature of the wash water the next time you make a salad for lunch; Yet this meal forever changed the way I think about salad. Seeing how carefully each leaf was prepared at Via Carota made me realize that a good salad is not about ultra-fancy ingredients or clinical precision, but about respecting the ingredients themselves. Now, whenever I make a salad at home, I follow a few simple steps that capture a bit of that same magic.

6 Key Steps to Making the Perfect Green Salad

1. Use a mix of green vegetables. The best salads are a study in contrasts. Combine greens of different textures and flavors: peppery arugula, tender butter lettuce, crisp romaine, and a little frisée for its frilly edges and sweet bitterness. At Via Carota they use butter lettuce, romaine, endive, watercress and frisée, but you don’t have to limit yourself to a specific mix, the key point is that variety makes each bite interesting instead of just one note. (See our guide to green salads for inspiration.)

2. Store green vegetables properly. Once you bring your greens home, treat them like the delicate produce they are. Never put them in containers. Even though squeezing them makes them suitable, resist the urge. The greens should have plenty of room to breathe; Gathering them damages the leaves before you even begin. Instead, layer them loosely between clean paper towels or dish towels and store them in a spacious container or resealable bag. The airflow helps keep them crisp and the towels absorb excess moisture so your greens stay alive for days. (To learn more about properly handling lettuce, see our guide on cleaning and storing fresh produce.)

3. Wash in cold water. Cold water refreshes tired leaves and removes dirt. I like to briefly soak the greens in a large bowl for a minute or two, swirl them, and change the water a few times until no debris remains. If you plan to use them soon, separate and wash the leaves; For longer storage, leave them whole and unwashed until needed, as excess moisture causes them to wilt and spoil more quickly.

4. Dry carefully. A watery salad is a sad salad: the leaves need to be dry for the dressing to cling to them. I prefer to arrange greens between clean kitchen towels in a single, even layer and pat them dry – it’s gentler on delicate leaves than a salad spinner.

5. Make a punchy vinaigrette. A lively salad needs an equally lively dressing. I favor ones that are particularly bright and acidic: sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice all work wonderfully. Stir in chopped shallots and/or whole-grain mustard for more texture and bite. I tend to favor strong flavors in a vinaigrette, so I don’t rinse my shallots and add a little water to soften it a la Via Carota, but feel free to experiment as you wish.

6. Don’t overdress (or underdress) your salad. No one wants a soggy salad, but eating an underdressed one makes me feel like a rabbit chewing grass. I toss the greens with a little vinaigrette, pour some into the bottom of the bowl or plate, and finish with a final drizzle on top for extra punch. Be gentle when throwing; the goal is to coat, not bruise.

Takeaways

Ultimately, a perfect salad green comes down to proper leaf care. Say no to wilted greens that wither by the second and enjoy a thriving pile that actually looks alive on the plate: verdant, crisp, and the perfect way to round out a meal, whether it’s pasta, roast chicken, or anything else that could use a crisp counterpart.