A very simple salad, yet anything but bland: this bed of fresh baby leaves is coated in a light, fragrant orange dressing lifted by a hint of garlic and soy sauce. Ready in five minutes flat, it works just as well alongside a light lunch as with a more substantial dinner.
Baby leaf salad with sweet orange dressing
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Ingredients
- 150 g mixed baby leaves
- The juice and zest of one orange
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Method
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and zest, the olive oil, the honey, the crushed garlic, the soy sauce, the salt and the pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the baby leaves just before serving and toss gently, ideally by hand, so as not to bruise the leaves.
Tip
For a gluten-free version, swap the soy sauce for tamari: the salty, umami note stays exactly the same. And if the orange lacks brightness, a little lemon zest wakes the whole thing up.
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FAQ: your questions about baby leaf salad and its orange dressing
What are the ingredients for an orange sauce?
The base comes down to four things: the juice of a squeezed orange, its finely grated zest, a fat (olive oil here) and a little sweetener to round off the acidity. From there everything is up to you: crushed garlic, soy sauce or tamari, mustard, chopped shallot, pepper, fresh herbs. The zest is the part not to skip, because it carries the orange aroma; juice alone gives a much flatter sauce.
What is the recipe for a citrus vinaigrette?
Allow roughly one part citrus juice to one part oil, then adjust to taste. You can mix orange, lemon and lime: the orange brings sweetness, the lemon brightness, the lime aroma. A spoonful of honey balances the acidity, and a pinch of salt plus a turn of the mill finishes it. Whisk vigorously or shake in a sealed jar so the emulsion takes.
How do you make a good salad dressing?
Three simple rules: dissolve the salt in the acidic part first (juice or vinegar), because it will not dissolve in oil; add the oil next, whisking, so you get an emulsion that coats rather than slides off; and dress at the last minute. A salad dressed ahead of time releases its water and collapses within minutes.
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