Crunchy Spring Iceberg Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 4(666)
Notes: Read community notes

A big plate of greens may feel virtuous, but this one is also luxurious. This is a very green salad, with chunks of crisp iceberg lettuce serving as a bed for briefly blanched peas and asparagus, topped with a cooling-yet-spicy cilantro yogurt. Tearing the iceberg into bite-size chunks makes this an easy-to-eat salad, no knife required. It’s particularly great for outdoor dining or for those who need to eat with one hand. (We see you, new parents.) The feta adds lovely hints of tang and saltiness that work well with the herbaceous yogurt. The peas and asparagus bring freshness; you could also use other springtime staples such as snow peas, sugar snap peas or sliced radish. Serve with jammy boiled eggs for something heartier.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Salad

Salt and black pepper
2cups frozen peas
16 to 20asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 12 ounces)
1(1½-pound) medium head iceberg lettuce
6ounces feta, drained and broken into chunks
Handful of cilantro leaves, for serving

For the Spicy Cilantro Yogurt

1cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1cup chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems from about ½ bunch)
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon or lime (1 to 2 tablespoons)
1garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 to 2jalapeños or serrano chiles, trimmed and roughly chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the salad: Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the frozen peas and asparagus, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the asparagus and peas are bright green and crisp tender. Drain and run under cold water until they are cold. Leave to drain.
Step 2
Prepare the lettuce: Run a sharp paring knife around the core and gently pull it out. Remove the outer layer of the lettuce and discard. Tear the lettuce into large chunks. Wash the leaves and allow them to dry in a colander. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 3
Prepare the spicy cilantro yogurt: To a blender or small food processor, add the yogurt, cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and 1 jalapeño. Blitz until smooth. (Add a teaspoon of water at a time to get the mixture moving in the blender if necessary.) Taste and add the second jalapeño if you would like it spicier.
Step 4
Serve as one large salad or divide among four individual serving plates: Add the lettuce chunks to the plate, and scatter the asparagus and peas on top and around the lettuce. Spoon the spicy cilantro yogurt all over the vegetables, dot with feta and squeeze the juice from the lemon half over everything. Season with salt and black pepper, and top with a few cilantro leaves.

Ratings

4 out of 5

666 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Barb2 years ago

Oh definitely you can substitute instead of cilantro you can use dill or parsley or both. I sometimes will use a recipe that sounds good and add/subtract ingredients. I can't handle anything spicy so I will swap out the jalapenos to mild green chiles. If you don't like an ingredient subs for something you like Ü

Anne west-valle2 years ago

Made this for dinner. Exactly as written. Delicious. Don’t be shy with with the dressing. One large jalapeño added the perfect amount of zing.

Elizabeth2 years ago

I don't like cilantro either. I'm tempted to try a mix of parsley and chives, but I imagine dill would work. I'm trying to gauge how either would go with the herbiness of asparagus and the sweetness of the peas as well as the salty goodness of the feta. I think dill would work pretty well. Good call.

Joan2 years ago

This salad is pretty good but for me, the dressing was a bit bland. I will definitely make again and increase cilantro, jalapeños, lemon, salt. Take it from me and dry the lettuce thoroughly or it can all end up a bit watery. Wondering if romaine would be good here…

Wendy2 years ago

This was a great, quick salad. I didn't have frozen peas and decided not to cook the asparagus—I like it to eat it fresh anyway. The dressing was great. Loved!

TomMom2 years ago

Sadly, I only had sour cream rather than yogurt and I had romaine rather than iceberg. But my garden had just produced asparagus and snap peas. This was just amazing with the fresh veggies. Great recipe and I paired it with brown sugar mustard glazed salmon. Yum.

JennyMay2 years ago

I made this salad exactly as the recipe directed. So good, so easy! The dressing is amazing. We are adding this recipe to our "YUM" list. I served it with spatchcock chicken and cornbread. One minor thing I will do next time is chill the peas and asparagus after blanching them to make the salad even more refreshing.

Leah2 years ago

This is so tasty and springy. Prepped the lettuce, veggies, and dressing for this salad to facilitate easy post-work dinners this week. While the salad was delicious on day 1, it was GREAT on day 2. Having all the ingredients crisp, dry and fridge-cold (lettuce and veggies) made this an incredibly refreshing, spicy and exciting side dish on an otherwise blah Tuesday. I used lime juice and added more than the prescribed 1/2 lime’s worth of juice to the dressing, plus an additional squeeze on top.

Tessa2 years ago

I don't like cilantro. I love dill. Would dill work as a substitute? Not sure about dill & chiles.

Carrie Murphy2 years ago

Trader Joe's makes zhoug sauce - basically, all the dressing ingredients except the yogurt. It's a great shortcut and so delicious with yogurt.

Patty2 years ago

This was incredibly tasty, but also strong, so it's best as a small side or starter. We don't like raw garlic, so we just did a few sprinkles of garlic powder in the processor and it was still great but without the aftertaste. We have leftover dressing and I think it will make a great crudite dip.

mary2 years ago

Farmer's market substitutions and picky eater omissions and salad was still delicious. I had beautiful crisp farmer's market romaine and parsley so I substituted these for the iceberg and cilantro. Local fresh asparagus but my husband doesn't love them so I ate the pan myself saying too bad for the salad. He won't eat peas so left them out also. Used fresh local goat cheese. The salad dressing is wonderful. I used one hot serrano pepper- made me cough while cutting it- and it was just right.

clara2 weeks ago

really lovely salad! cilantro can be subbed for really any herb. have made as is with cilantro but also with dill, parsley, and basil

Anne3 months ago

Salad: Used a large box of mixed spring greens which served about 10 people. Used less than 2 C peas. Dressing: Used one Serrano and it had plenty of zip. Thinned it with buttermilk so easier to pour/toss. It makes a lot of dressing. Going drizzle over an asparagus and chicken flatbread tonight! Would suggest starting with 1/2 t kosher salt in the dressing and adjusting to taste, especially if the feta you are using is salt-forward.

Jamie3 months ago

Crunchy, pretty easy and super easy to use substitutes and still delicious.

Carla3 months ago

Made 1/2 recipe on April 5th as written except no jalapeno. Served with zucchini beef burgers. Buzzed dressing up in Nutribullet. We both enjoyed.

anniebsf1 year ago

subbed mint for cilantro and grilled the asparagus and loved every bite

Julia Child's Ghost1 year ago

This has become an instant family favorite! Highly recommended and I wouldn't change a thing - but I like to chop up hearts of Romaine instead of using the ice berg lettuce. Just a preference!

SP1 year ago

Delicious! Made as written, but blanched the asparagus and peas separately because I preferred to cook the peas for about 30 seconds and the asparagus longer. Served with grilled skirt steak rubbed with fajita seasoning and chimchurri, and family dipped the steak in the salad dressing.

janisani1 year ago

loved this! didn't use feta on top. used labne instead of greek yogurt. this makes way more than 4 servings - more like 10. (I did weigh my lettuce and it was 1.5 lbs. as in the recipe.) was popular at a potluck.

lightquest1 year ago

Excellent salad. The sweet vegetables perfectly balance the spicy dressing. Crunchy iceberg is the way to go. I used 1 jalapeño.

Claire1 year ago

That dressing was magical - made this salad with grilled salmon, dressing was so great on both. Will be making this again and again! Next time I might add some preserved chopped lemon .

Gail1 year ago

How about tips for making iceberg lettuce cold and very crisp.

joan1 year ago

Are the asparagus raw or cooked?

Deborah VC1 year ago

They’re blanched(along with the peas) in the first step.

cgrant381 year ago

Made this tasty salad for an Easter gathering - great spring flavors. Added pistachios & can’t imagine the salad without that touch.

JH1 year ago

Delicious dressing and will use this recipe for other salads. With a little more zip (seasoning), I'll also use it with a roasted or grilled fish. I would double the feta in the salad next time, or add an extra sharp cheddar, cut and broken into small chunks.

JH1 year ago

Delicious; substituted yellow and red peppers for jalapeños or serrano chiles since we don't like hot foods; yes, make extra dressing, which is delicious on fish also.

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