Bibb Lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Light yet satisfying, this Bibb lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette is perfect for the warmer days ahead.

Poor salads. They get such a bad rap sometimes.

Soggy, boring and akin to rabbit food is what most people think of when they think of salads but I’m begging you to reconsider! When done the right way, salads can actually be delicious, exciting, and yes, still healthy.

So this month I’ll be showing you how to make your salads less sad and much more enjoyable. We’ll be going over all types of salads too - from green salads like this Bibb Lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette to flavor packed potato salads perfect for the summer ahead!

Now let’s salad about this green salad that’s first up. I think everyone needs to have a go-to easy spring or summer salad they can whip up for last minute get togethers or a light weeknight dinner when the temperature starts to rise.

Enter this Bibb Lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette. It’s loaded with all of my seasonal favorites like buttery Bibb lettuce and crisp radishes but takes little effort and only a few ingredients to get it together.

Buttery Bibb lettuce is the base of this seasonal salad and it goes perfectly with crunchy radishes and pickled shallot which add some sharpness.

This salad is also a good example of how they can be adaptable based on what you need. While the recipe is great as is for a light lunch or hearty side salad, you can always amp it up a little with more protein like grilled chicken or salmon for an easy, light dinner (with a good piece of bread and glass of white wine, of course).

The most effort you’ll need to put into making this salad is to make the shallots as they need about an hour to pickle but feel free to make a batch and enjoy them all week or just shorten their pickling time to 30 minutes - they will still be delicious!

A few other notes on this recipe:

  • If you can’t find Bibb lettuce you can always use another variety of butter lettuce such as Boston or butterhead.

  • If you prefer more jammy eggs, let them sit for only 3 minutes in the water after it boils.

  • Want an even simpler side salad? Just omit the eggs for a side that goes with just about anything!

Okay, now who’s ready for salad month?! Don’t forget to send me any of your salad related questions and tag me @wellnessbykristen in all your salad creations!

Bibb Lettuce Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Time: 20 Minutes plus 1 hour chill time

Ingredients:

For the Pickled Shallots

1 medium shallot, sliced into 1/8” rings, gently separated

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Dill Vinaigrette

1/4 cup dill, stems removed and roughly chopped

2 teaspoons honey

1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup mild olive oil

1 teaspoon salt


For the Salad

1 head Bibb lettuce (other other butter lettuce variety)

4 medium radishes, thinly sliced

4 eggs

Splash vinegar

5-6 Dill sprigs, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Prepare the pickled shallots by bringing the red wine vinegar, water, dill and salt to a low boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the honey is fully dissolved. Place the shallot rings into a small bowl or a jar. Pour the liquid over the shallots. Let cool, cover and let sit for at least 1 hour.

2. Prepare the dill vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients into a small jar. Shake well until creamy and well combined. Set aside.

3. To make the salad, begin by preparing the eggs. Be sure to have a large bowl of ice water ready to cool the eggs once cooked. Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and fill with enough water so that they are fully covered. Add the splash of vinegar. Bring the pot to a low boil, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the plan and immediately transfer to the ice bath.

4. Once eggs are slightly cooled, peel off the shells. Slice each hardboiled egg into quarters.

5. Arrange the Bibb lettuce leaves on a large platter, tearing any very large leaves. Strain some of the shallots from the pickling liquid and scatter on top of the leaves. Place the quartered eggs all over the leaves and then add the radishes.

6. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and then top with the remaining strained shallots. Garnish with dill sprigs and serve!

P.S. Ready to get even more seasonal inspiration? Don’t forget to check out The Simply Seasonal Method for Spring! A 4 week meal plan meant to help get you more inspired to use seasonal ingredients and help make cooking more enjoyable.