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I was a young culinary student over 20 years ago in France, absorbing as much cooking knowledge as I could and also traveling when my student budget allowed. My classmate and friend Sarah invited a group of us down to her house in Provence one weekend, and of course we couldn't say no. Sarah was American but practically French - she had married someone French, had two kids, and lived in Paris for over two decades. Being a group of culinary students, we of course grocery shopped and cooked together, and Sarah taught me a salad trick I still use today.
Sarah gave us free rein in her kitchen, opting to make a salad so that she could get out of the way. Dinner wouldn't be for another hour or two, so I was surprised to see she was already prepping. I watched as she whisked together a classic vinaigrette in a large serving bowl, then started adding in the salad ingredients. When I asked Sarah why she was making the salad this far ahead, she told me that she wasn't actually doing that. She was actually making what I now dub a reverse salad.
What Makes the Reverse Salad Trick So Great
Her method, which she said she picked up from someone else in France, was to make the dressing, then layer the other salad ingredients from heaviest to lightest or most delicate on top. For example: dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, and herbs. That way the tender greens on the top wouldn't get crushed or bruised. She tossed everything together with the dressing at the last minute when it was time to serve.
The concept of layered salads isn't totally new, but not all of them put the dressing at the bottom. I still use this reverse salad method to this day because everything gets prepped and already put into one bowl, leaving me free to tackle other cooking tasks or do all the cleanup from salad prep.
It's also a great way to travel with a salad - just put a cover on and bring some tongs to do the last-minute toss. You honestly could probably even assemble it in the morning before you go to work and stash the salad in the fridge. Just let it sit out for a few minutes so that the dressing can warm up a bit before tossing so it'll coat everything evenly.
How to Make a Reverse Salad
- Prep the dressing in the salad bowl.
- Layer the remaining salad ingredients on top, starting with the densest and heaviest at the bottom and the lightest things like herbs and lettuce on top. If you're not serving it for a while, cover and place in the refrigerator.
- Gently toss together when ready to serve.
Tips for Making a Reverse Salad
- This is a great way to meal prep, as you can apply the same principles to prepare multiple individual salads in resealable containers.
- If you aren't tossing the salad for a few hours, keep things that can get soggy like croutons separate and just add to the salad when ready to serve.
- If you're making homemade salad dressing, make the full batch in the bowl first, then pour out the excess dressing into a resealable container to save for future salads. Leave behind just what you'll need to toss into that salad.
