This watercress salad recipe is a lightweight, recent spring aspect dish. It is stuffed with crisp veggies, creamy avocado, and a vibrant champagne French dressing.
When you want a last-minute aspect dish for Mom’s Day, I feel this watercress salad could be excellent. It’s precisely the sort of dish I wish to serve at an important day meal. Mild and refreshing, it offers a welcome distinction to heartier fare like cinnamon rolls (at brunch) or a saucy, cheesy lasagna (at dinner). And whereas it’s easy to make, it’s a bit extra sudden than an everyday green salad. The watercress offers it a peppery chew, which I tame with candy, juicy orange segments and a vibrant champagne vinaigrette. Mozzarella and avocado add creamy richness, and toasted pistachios and crisp spring veggies deliver loads of crunch.
This watercress salad is greatest proper after it’s assembled, however you may nonetheless do a number of the prep prematurely. Make the dressing at this time, and blanch the snap peas. Tomorrow, it’ll be a breeze to place collectively!
Watercress Salad Recipe Components
Right here’s what it is advisable to make this watercress salad recipe:
- Watercress, after all! When you’ve by no means tried it, it has a definite peppery style and beautiful delicate texture. When you can’t discover watercress, make this salad with recent arugula or blended salad greens as an alternative.
- Snap peas and fennel – For crunch! Additionally they add their distinctive flavors to the salad. The fennel brings notes of anise, whereas the snap peas add an earthy sweetness.
- Orange segments – Their sweetness cuts the watercress’s chew.
- Avocado and recent mozzarella – I like how these wealthy, creamy components play off the recent spring veggies.
- Toasted pistachios – For (extra) crunch and nutty taste.
- Champagne vinaigrette – I make this easy dressing with olive oil, recent orange juice, Dijon mustard, and champagne vinegar. It brings the salad collectively, including tangy, fruity taste.
- A lemon wedge – Squeeze it over the salad for a pleasant vibrant end.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
So recent! The tender inexperienced leaves are excellent for spring.
Watercress Salad Serving Options
Serve this watercress salad as a aspect dish for a spring dinner or brunch. For dinner, it pairs properly with this asparagus risotto, creamy mushroom polenta, or a bowl of potato leek soup. It additionally goes effectively with these pasta recipes:
For brunch, serve it with one thing savory, like a frittata or breakfast casserole. Then, spherical out the meal with one thing candy. Pancakes, muffins, and scones would all be scrumptious.
Get pleasure from!
Extra Favourite Salad Recipes
When you love this watercress salad recipe, attempt certainly one of these recent salads subsequent:
Watercress Salad
Serves 4
This watercress salad is a recent, scrumptious aspect dish! The brilliant French dressing and the candy orange segments tame the watercress’s peppery chew.
- 4 ounces snap peas
- 1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- Champagne Vinaigrette
- 3 cups watercress
- Segments from ½ navel orange
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 ounces torn recent mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- Lemon wedge, for serving
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Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water close by. Drop the snap peas into the boiling water and blanch for two minutes. Take away the snap peas and instantly immerse within the ice water lengthy sufficient to chill utterly, about 15 seconds. Drain and place on a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry.
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In a small bowl, mix the sliced fennel with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing and a pinch of salt. Gently toss to coat.
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Assemble the salad on a platter with the watercress, fennel, snap peas, orange segments, avocado, and mozzarella. Drizzle with a number of the dressing and high with the pistachios. Season to style with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, and serve.
