How do you make a salad that isn't sad?

A sad salad is a pile of wet leaves wearing a small hat of dressing. A good one is one of the best things you can eat on a warm evening, with the glass sweating next to it. The difference is mostly technique, and none of it is hard.

Start with dry leaves

Wet leaves dilute the dressing and stop it clinging, so everything slides off and pools at the bottom. Wash, then dry properly: a salad spinner is the best investment in this whole article. Then keep them cold until just before they go to the table. Limp leaves can often be revived with a short soak in very cold water, followed by a thorough spin.

Dress by taste, not by rule

A common starting point is about three parts oil to one part acid, plus salt. We treat that as a first draft. Mix it in a jar, dip a leaf in, and taste. That leaf is the honest judge, not a spoon.

• Too sharp? More oil, or a little honey.
• Flat? More salt, almost always. Then more acid.
• Too oily? More acid, a little mustard to help it hold together.

Match the dressing to the leaves. Soft butter lettuce wants a gentle dressing. Bitter leaves like radicchio, chicory and rocket can take something bolder: mustard, something creamy and garlicky, a splash of balsamic, a little sweetness.

Dress the leaves, not the bowl

Use a much bigger bowl than seems necessary. Put the leaves in, add a little dressing, and toss gently with your hands, which are better than any utensil at coating without bruising. Add more only if needed. Every leaf should shine, with nothing pooled at the bottom.

Dress at the last moment. Acid and salt wilt delicate leaves quickly. Sturdier ones (cabbage, kale, fennel, chicory) can be dressed ahead and often improve for it.

Texture, the thing sad salads lack

A salad of only soft leaves is monotonous. Add at least one of:

• Crunch: toasted nuts or seeds, croutons, fried breadcrumbs (/food/using-stale-bread/), thinly sliced raw fennel or radish.
• Something creamy: soft cheese, avocado, a dollop of yoghurt, a torn ball of mozzarella.
• Something juicy: ripe tomatoes, citrus segments, peaches or grapes in summer.
• Something salty: olives, capers, shaved Parmesan, crumbled feta.

Season the salad, not just the dressing

A pinch of flaky salt and a grind of pepper straight onto the dressed leaves, just before they go out, makes a surprising difference. Taste one more leaf. If it makes you want another, it is ready.

Something warm

A warm element changes a salad from side dish to dinner. Roast vegetables straight from the oven, warm lentils or beans dressed while hot, crisp potatoes, a fried or soft-boiled egg, grilled halloumi. The leaves wilt a little where the warm things touch them, which is part of the pleasure.

Herbs as leaves

Instead of a token pinch of parsley, use herbs by the handful: whole parsley leaves, mint, basil, dill, chervil. They make a salad taste of something. /food/storing-fresh-herbs/ helps them last until you need them.