How to make SALADS that blow the doors off.

The best veggies, raw and cooked/ my go to dressings to make your salads pop. Plus a collection of brand new recipes (including the new Ducks pumpkin salad, right before it goes live).

If there’s one thing that I’m really proud of at Three Blue Ducks, it’s how we’ve always championed vegetables, not just as sides, but as dishes in their own right. In fact our very first dinner menu all dishes were the same price - $15, whether it was a plate of steak, carrots, mushrooms even lobster. The idea was that a farm puts as much love into growing a beautiful bunch of carrot as the farmer down the road farming pigs. Obviously our food costs went through the roof, but at the time, it was a point worth making.

We soon gained a reputation for making salads exiting. Show casing that vegetables don’t just belong in salads; they define them.

Bowls of vegetable salads on the pass.

Too often, salads get written off as boring or predictable. But that’s only if you’re thinking about them in terms of limp iceberg lettuce and sad cherry tomatoes which incidentally is what I grew up eating. A proper salad is layered with flavour, texture, and loads of flavour. It should be a dish that holds its own, something that celebrates the season. Raw, roasted, pickled, or wood fired. And it all starts with the vegetable.

Salad - A mixture of uncooked vegetables, usually lettuce, eaten as a separate dish or with other food - Cambridge dictionary

Why you do keep harping on about Vegetables?

There’s always something special about a dish where vegetables are the star. Vegetables and salads should be as exciting as proteins. They can also bring vibrancy, crunch, earthiness, and an ability to absorb flavour. Whether it’s the peppery kick of rocket, the juicy pop of ripe tomatoes, or the smoky sweetness of grilled zucchini, or the earthy zing of a pickled radish, vegetables provide depth and variety.

Char grilled Savoy cabbage.

They can be raw and crisp, roasted until caramelised, blitzed into a dressing, shaved into ribbons, or even fermented for extra complexity.

Look Mum, our salads made the paper!

These days, for me eating more vegetables just makes sense. They’re packed with nutrients, full of fibre, and (let’s be honest) they make you feel good.

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Pumpkin, chickpea, harissa & herb salad

This salad is just about to go on the menu at The Ducks at Hotel Brunswick. It’s easy to prepare (once you have the harissa made) and is a very tasty indeed! If you don’t have the time for the harissa, simply season the pumpkin with a little honey, cumin and paprika before roasting.

Serves 4

1.8 pumpkin or butter nut squash (250g cooked per serve)

400g cooked chickpeas

50ml olive oil

30g harissa paste

3 tbsp currents (seasoned with 2 tbsp red wine vinegar)

1 good handful of picked coriander, mint and parsley

40g green shallots (sliced on the angle)

40ml olive oil

40 ml lemon

Salt and pepper

40 g roasted macadamias (roughly chopped)

100g tahini dressing

Slice the butternut squash into little wedges/The salad before the dressing

Method

Half the pumpkin, remove the seeds, season with olive oil, salt pepper and harissa paste (Ducks Harrisa paste recipe below)

Roast at 185 degrees for 45 minutes. Completely soft on the inside and caramelised on top.

Leave to cool then slice into 2 inch pieces, pop in a bowl, season with olive oil and lemon (or lemon dressing).

Add currants, chickpeas, shallots, and herbs, season with salt and pepper and serve up in your favourite bowl. Top with tahini dressing and macadamias.

Tahini Dressing

50g white tahini

10ml lemon juice

A pinch of garlic

140g icy cold water

A pinch of salt

Method

Blend together, check seasoning and store in the fridge

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Making a Great Salad

A great salad isn’t just about throwing greens in a bowl and drizzling some dressing (well not quite.). It’s about balance between freshness and richness, softness and crunch, acidity and sweetness. The best ones have layers of texture, a punchy dressing, and something unexpected.

Take a charred broccolini number with whipped feta and almonds, or a roasted beetroot salad with citrus and horseradish. Each bite has enough going on to stop you nodding off from boredom!

Here’s some of my favourite veggies that absolutely shine in salads.

• Fennel - Crisp, slightly sweet, and with a hint of aniseed. Roast with olive oil, honey and orange to bring a warming sweetness. Or shave it thin for an incredible crunch, (shave it into water with a drop of lemon to prolong the oxidisation, if preparing ahead)