Make the most of fresh, crisp baby cos lettuce with a zesty citrus dressing and a crunchy almond and breadcrumb topping.
A few months ago I treated myself to dinner at Forest, an outstanding vegetarian restaurant on Dominion Road in Auckland, New Zealand. One of the dishes was a wedge of baby cos with a sharp mandarin dressing. It was a refreshing contrast to the richer flavours of the rest of the meal, and really satisfying to eat in big crunchy mouthfuls.
I’m already a fan of cos, so immediately went home and created a similar salad. In my take on it, I’ve dressed baby cos with a zippy citrus vinaigrette. Topped with slivered almonds and breadcrumbs fried with garlic until crunchy, and some fresh oregano from the garden, this is a quick, easy and very satisfying way to enjoy cos as a simple salad.
What is cos lettuce?
Cos is also known as Romaine lettuce. It's a sturdy, crisp and crunchy lettuce with more flavour than iceberg lettuce. I like cos because it can stand up to robust dressings and toppings in a salad, and individual baby cos leaves are ideal for scooping up a flavourful filling like larb.
In New Zealand both baby cos and full sized cos are easily available from most supermarkets.
Citrus vinaigrette
This citrus vinaigrette is delicious made with either freshly squeezed orange or mandarin juice, depending what you have available. I added a generous spoonful of Aleppo pepper flakes, which are a mild and fruity chilli flake that brings warmth and flavour, without adding significant heat.
I like the mellow flavour of rice vinegar and use it often, but you can swap this out for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar as you like. You may need to adjust the amount of sweetener to balance the flavour.
Try serving this with
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 baby cos lettuces (known as Romaine in the US)
Citrus vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange or mandarin juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (see recipe notes)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Crunchy bits
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free if required)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed or finely grated
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine dressing ingredients in a jar or the vertical container that comes with a stick blender. Shake or blend to combine.
- Put all ingredients for crunchy bits, except oregano, into a small frying pan and stir over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside to cool, then stir through the fresh oregano.
- To serve, cut baby cos in half lengthwise, through the core, and use your fingers to tease the leaves open a little. Generously drizzle with dressing, making sure it gets down between the layers, and scatter with plenty of crunchy bits.
RECIPE NOTES
- Aleppo pepper flakes are a mild and fruity flavoured chilli flake. If you don't have it, try replacing with a pinch or two of Cayenne pepper to suit your taste.
- Nutrition information is estimate.
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