Three light spring salads

Three salads, three textures, one principle: in spring you cook with what’s just come out of the ground rather than what’s sat on the shelf all year. Beetroot, rhubarb and young spinach set the tone. We’ve re-cooked these three recipes from our 2018 archive, checked the quantities and explained why these combinations work.

Salad has a reputation as a last-minute meal. Unfairly so. The difference between a bland bowl and one you remember lies in three dials: an acid source to carry the dressing, a warm or fried element for contrast, and a salty cheese or pulse to fill you up. The following three recipes hit exactly these notes, each in its own way.

Chickpea salad with beetroot and feta

The earthy, almost sweet flavour of beetroot meets the acidity of apple and vinegar, while the feta brings the salt and the chickpea adds bite. This is the most filling of the three salads and easily doubles as a main course.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a main): 1 red onion, 500 g cooked beetroot, 1 can chickpeas (approx. 240 g drained weight), 2 apples, 250 g feta, 3 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard, chives, 1 pinch sugar, salt, pepper.

Method:

1. Peel and finely dice the onion. Drain the beetroot and chickpeas thoroughly, otherwise the dressing will become watery. Cut the beetroot and apples into wedges.
2. Gently toss everything in a bowl and crumble the feta over the top.
3. Whisk the vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper and mustard; then gradually beat in the oil until the dressing emulsifies. Snip the chives into fine rings.
4. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and scatter with chives. Leave to stand for five minutes before serving.

Pro tip: beetroot stains. To keep the apple wedges looking pale, add them just before serving.

Acidity in a salad isn’t an afterthought-it’s the skeleton. It keeps every ingredient bright and stops the whole thing from collapsing into a creamy mush.

Toasted-bread avocado salad with orange dressing

Here, toasted wholemeal bread delivers crunch, the avocado brings creaminess, and an orange-balsamic dressing lends freshness. This is the quickest of the three salads, ready in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients (serves 2): 80 g wholemeal bread, 2 garlic cloves, 50 g butter, 200 g tomatoes, 1 iceberg lettuce, 1 avocado, 75 ml freshly squeezed orange juice, 50 ml white balsamic, 50 ml olive oil, 1 pinch sugar, salt, pepper.

Method:

1. Cut the bread into rough cubes and finely chop the garlic. Toast both in the butter until golden and the croutons are crisp.
2. Wash and roughly chop the tomatoes. Wash and shred the lettuce. Halve the avocado, remove the stone, peel and dice the flesh.
3. Whisk the orange juice, balsamic, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar for the vinaigrette.
4. Toss the tomatoes, lettuce and avocado together; add the croutons at the last moment and drizzle the vinaigrette sparingly so the bread stays crunchy.

Spinach salad with pan-fried rhubarb and goat’s cheese

The most ambitious-and most rewarding-of the trio. Pan-fried rhubarb brings a tart fruitiness that, with warm goat’s cheese and baby spinach, strikes an unexpectedly balanced note. Perfect for rhubarb’s peak season in May.

Ingredients (serves 2): 200 g fresh spinach, 200 g soft goat’s cheese, 1 red onion, 8 tbsp olive oil, liquid honey, 450 g rhubarb, thyme, 2 garlic cloves, raspberry vinegar, ½ baguette, salt, pepper.

Method:

1. Peel and dice the onion; sweat in 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent. Deglaze with a little honey, reduce to a syrup, then remove from the heat and cool.
2. Trim and cut the rhubarb into 8 cm lengths. Brush both sides with a little syrup and sear in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes. Reserve the remaining syrup for the dressing.
3. Slice the goat’s cheese, lay on a lined baking tray, drizzle with honey and thyme, and bake at 150 °C fan for about 6 minutes.
4. Cut the baguette and garlic into small pieces. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil, sizzle the garlic briefly, add the bread, season with salt and toast into croutons; let cool.
5. Whisk the reserved syrup with raspberry vinegar, oil and salt for the dressing. Wash and drain the spinach. Arrange spinach, croutons, rhubarb and dressing on plates; top with the warm goat’s cheese.

Seasonal note: rhubarb in Germany is in season from April to 24 June; after that, leave the stalks so the plant can regenerate. If you want to taste this salad, you have a very definite window.

What ties the three together

All three recipes follow the same blueprint: a base of leafy greens or pulses, a tangy dressing, and a warm or crunchy contrast element. Once you’ve grasped the principle, you no longer need a recipe-just vary by season. In summer, swap rhubarb for strawberries; in autumn, replace avocado with roasted pumpkin cubes. Thinking of salad as a shape-shifting framework lets you keep it exciting all year round. To see how season and colour work together, read our feature Eat the Rainbow. And if seasonal thinking beyond spring intrigues you, dive into our seasonal autumn recipes for the perfect follow-up.