6 Salad Recipes to Recreate this Summer

We asked several Nashville restaurants to share some of the most popular salad recipes on their menus.

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Summer is officially in full swing and nothing hits the spot quite like a crisp and refreshing salad—especially in the sweltering Middle Tennessee heat. 

Not to mention salads are a great way to make use of delicious in-season produce as well as leftover items you may have lying around your fridge. But let's face it—salads can sometimes get boring, which is why we asked several local restaurants to share their favorite summer salad recipes available on their respective menus. 

So whether you're looking to whip up something quick and effortless like Listening Room Cafés' Cranberry Walnut Salad, or if you're in the mood to test your skills in the kitchen by recreating Josephine's more elaborate Crab Cake Salad, these recipes are sure to satiate your leafy green cravings.

Mixed Greens & Beet Salad | Butchertown Hall

Ingredients: 

  • 3 oz. heirloom mesclun greens (6 baby lettuces)
  • 1 oz. pickled red onions
  • 1 oz. sliced red radishes
  • 1 oz. crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 oz. roasted red beets
  • 2 oz. candied walnuts
  • 3 oz. Fresno vinaigrette (see below for recipe)

Directions: Combine all ingredients and toss. 

Fresno Vinaigrette Recipe:

Yields 12 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2 Fresno chilis, smoked
  • 7 ea. large tomatoes, smoked
  • 16 ea. garlic cloves, smoked
  • 3 tablespoons thyme
  • 2 tablespoons oregano
  • 1½  tablespoons paprika
  • 1½  tablespoons cumin
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 48 oz. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Salt to tast

Directions: Smoke chilis, tomatoes, and garlic. Add all ingredients (except the oil and salt) into a 4 quart cambro. Using a stick blender, puree all the ingredients. Slowly start adding the oil while blending and add salt to taste. 

*It's hard to replace actual smoke but if you don't have a grill, you can try using smoked paprika. Some places also sell smoked garlic and smoked salt.

Crab Cake Salad | Josephine

Serves 4

CRAB CAKES

Ingredients: 

  • 2 lbs fresh lump crab, picked through to remove shells
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1/2 cup Dukes mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

Directions: Place the crabmeat in a bowl. In another bowl, make the crab dressing by combining eggs, mayonnaise, celery seed, Old Bay, and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.  

Pour the crab dressing over the fresh crabmeat and gently toss to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb over the crab mixture and again gently combine being careful not to break up the pieces of crab. Allow the mix to sit in the refrigerator for about an hour before portioning into whatever size crab cake you would like.

LETTUCES:

Ingredients: 

  • 2 heads butter lettuce
  • 3 radishes, sliced thin
  • 1 teaspoon chives, minced
  • 1 teaspoon basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped

Directions: Pull apart the pieces of 1 head of butter lettuce and roughly tear into pieces. Lightly dress these lettuces with the Old Bay Dijonnaise (recipe below) to form the base of the plate. Add the sliced radish and sprinkle with fresh herbs

OLD BAY DIJONNAISE:

Ingredients: 

  • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Old Bay
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 cups sour cream
  • 8 tablespoons honey
  • 4 oz. pickle juice

Directions: Whisk to combine

PLATING INSTRUCTIONS: Heat pan over medium heat with clarified butter or canola oil. Place the crab cakes in the pan and pan fry both side until just heated through. Be careful to not over cook the crab cakes, they should just be warm in the middle. Remove the crab cakes from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Place the crab cakes on the already plated lettuce and add additional Old Bay dijonnaise.

Cranberry Walnut Salad | The Listening Room Café 

Ingredients: 

  • 5 oz. spring mix
  • 4 oz. grape tomatoes 
  • 2 oz. walnuts
  • 1 oz .sweetened dried cranberries
  • 4 oz. your choice of dressing
  • 2 oz. of turkey (optional) 

Directions: Combine all ingredients 

Crushed Beet Salad | Mother's Ruin Nashville 

Serves 4

BAKED BEETS

Yields 1 quart 

Ingredients: 

  • 2 large beets
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Small bunch fresh thyme 
  • Water as needed

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 F. Add Ingredients to a baking dish just large enough to accommodate beets. Cover beets with water and baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours or until tender. Let cool in the liquid until beets are at room temperature. Discard liquid. Peel and smash beets through a baking rack to attain the crushed texture. 

SUNFLOWER BUTTER

Ingredients:

  • 3  cups sunflower seeds

Directions: Preheat oven to 275 F. Roast sunflower seeds on a baking sheet until lightly golden and aromatic, approximately 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Set aside ½ cup seeds for garnish. Puree remaining in a food process until smooth and creamy (do not add water). Store excess butter in the refrigerator. 

SUNFLOWER TAHINI

Ingredients: 

  • 1 each roasted red pepper
  • 1/3 cup sunflower butter
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions: Puree in blender until very smooth

GRILLED RED ONION

Ingredients: 

  • 1 large red onion sliced into ¾ inch thick rounds
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions: Lightly brush the onion with olive oil and season with salt. Grill on high heat until exterior is charred and interior is soft. Cool to room temperature and cut into large dices. Cover with remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar. 

TO ASSEMBLE

Ingredients: 

  • All crushed beets
  • All charred red onion
  • 1 quart rinsed and sliced Tuscan kale
  • ½  cup toasted sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup shaved chives
  • 1 cup thinly sliced shaved scrubbed raw baby beets 
  • ½ cup crumbled feta
  • Salt and red wine vinegar to taste

Directions: In a large bowl mix crushed beets, Tuscan kale, charred red onion and its marinade, toasted sunflower seeds, shaved chives, and shaved baby beets. Adjust seasoning with salt and red wine vinegar as desired, keeping in mind the dish will be garnished with salty feta. Plate salad in 4 bowls, and top with sunflower tahini and crumbled feta. 

Escarole Caesar | Nicky's Coal Fired's

SALAD

Ingredients: 

  • 1 head escarole 
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmigiano

Directions:To prep the escarole, cut the head in quarters lengthwise and cut out the core. Crosscut into 2 inch pieces, wash under cold water, and dry well.

CROUTONS

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup day-old bread (focaccia is ideal), cubed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions: Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Toss cubed bread, salt, garlic powder, and olive together. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crunchy (about 20 minutes). 

CESAR DRESSING

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 ea. egg
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 ea. anchovy fillets
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano
  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 teaspoons- kosher salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons Worchester sauce

Directions: In a food processor with the blade attachment, add the whole egg and the dijon. Blend for 10 seconds. Combine the olive and canola oils together, and with the machine running slowly drizzle in the oils. Keep drizzling in the oil until a mayonnaise forms. After all the oil is used, remove the mayo from the machine and hold in a mixing bowl.

Add into the food processor with the blade attachment, the anchovies, grated parmigiano, lemon juice, kosher salt, and Worchester sauce. Process until a slurry form. Using a rubber spatula, get all the combined ingredients out of the processor and stir into the mayonnaise.

ASSEMBLE: Dress the escarole with 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing, and a few cracks of black pepper. Top with shaved parmigiano, and croutons.

California Seared Tuna Salad | Stateside Kitchen

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup salad mix
  • 4 mango chunks
  •  8 jicama chunks
  •  2 oz. of California vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
  • 3 campari tomatoes, halved
  • 4 slices of avocado, ¾ inch pieces
  • 3 quarter sized pieces of goat cheese
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed mix
  • 1 seared tuna, sliced into 6 pieces
  • 1 teaspoon ponzu sauce

Directions: Create a base for the salad on top portion of the plate, consisting of 3 campari tomato halves, 4 pieces of avocado, and 3 pieces of goat cheese. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of greens, 4 pieces of mango, 8 pieces of jicama, and 2 oz. of dressing. Place the salad mix on top of the salad base. Place the tuna sliced on the bottom half of the plate standing on an angle. Garnish with ponzu over the tuna. 

CALIFORNIA VINAIGRETTE 

Ingredients: 

  • 3 ½ cups blended oil
  • 2 tablespoon diced jalapeno 
  • 1 cup Champagne vinegar
  • 1 ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • 4 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • ½ cup honey 
  • 6 tablespoon Gulden’s mustard 
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup cilantro, rough chop
  • ½ cup scallions, sliced

Directions: Combine all ingredients except oil, cilantro, green onion and pepper. Slowly add oil while blending until emulsified. Whisk in cilantro, green onion and pepper.