The Green Goddess Salad: A 1920s San Francisco Classic
Overview
In 1923, the chef at San Francisco's Palace Hotel created a dressing in honor of actor George Arliss, then starring in a play called The Green Goddess. A century later, the salad named after that dressing has become a global staple, and the recipe still rests on one principle: more herbs than you think. The dressing should be vivid green, almost paste-like, packed with so much fresh herb flavour that the lettuce becomes the canvas. This version uses ten different greens and herbs from the Crysp farm, exactly the kind of dish hydroponics was made for.
The Ingredients
For the salad bed
- • 1 head Butterhead Green Lettuce
- • 2 heads Baby Gem Lettuce
- • 100g Mesclun Mix
- • 30g Pea Shoots Microgreens
For the dressing
- • Small bunch Fresh Parsley
- • Small bunch Fresh Chives
- • Small bunch Fresh Dill
- • Few sprigs Fresh Tarragon
- • Few leaves Basil Genovese
- • 1 ripe avocado
- • 60g Greek yogurt
- • 60ml olive oil
- • Juice of 1 lemon
- • 1 small garlic clove
- • 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
- • Salt & black pepper
To finish
- • 10 Viola or Pansy edible flowers
Instructions
The Herb Foundation
Strip parsley, dill, and tarragon leaves from their stems. Roughly chop chives. Pile all herbs and basil leaves into a blender or food processor. Don't measure, use a generous handful of each. The dressing should be aggressively herbal; this is the whole point.
Build the Dressing
Add the avocado flesh, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovies (if using). Blend on high until completely smooth and electric-green. Taste it should be bright, salty, herby, slightly tangy. Add salt, pepper, more lemon if it tastes flat. Texture should be spoon-coatingly thick; thin with a tablespoon of cold water if needed.
Prep the Lettuce
Tear (don't cut) the butterhead and baby gem leaves into bite-sized pieces. Combine with the mesclun mix in a wide, shallow bowl depth is the enemy of salad, the wider the bowl the better. Dry the leaves thoroughly with a salad spinner or clean towel; wet leaves repel dressing.
Dress in Layers
Spoon roughly half the dressing into the bowl. Toss with your hands, fingers spread, lifting from the bottom until every leaf is glossy. Taste a leaf. More dressing if needed. Reserve some dressing on the side leftover green goddess keeps in the fridge for 3 days and is incredible on grilled vegetables, eggs, or sandwiches.
The Edible Flower Finish
Scatter pea shoots over the top they add a fresh sweet-pea crunch. Then place viola and pansy flowers across the surface, evenly spaced. The flowers are what turn this from a salad into a centerpiece. Crack black pepper, finish with sea salt flakes, serve immediately.
The Tradition
Chef Philip Roemer of San Francisco's Palace Hotel originally made the dressing with mayonnaise, sour cream, anchovies, parsley, chives, tarragon, scallions, vinegar, and lemon. Modern versions swap mayo for avocado or yogurt for a lighter texture, but the herb trinity :parsley, chives, tarragon has remained sacred for 100 years. Adding dill and basil is a contemporary touch; some chefs also add cilantro or mint depending on the meal it accompanies. The constant rule: more herbs than seems reasonable. If you can identify each herb separately by taste, you haven't used enough.