Summers call for exotic salad menus. The scorching heat makes the palate crave for something fresh and light. And if you know the secret to a fresh summer salad, it can even be a meal in itself.
“If you just want something light, you should go for a salad that includes fruits and vegetables of the season. And if you want a main course salad, include chicken, fish or shrimp. If you are using it as a side dish, it could be a crunchy vegetable salad, a fruit salad, or a mix of both,” says Nita, a cooking expert.
And then comes the most interesting part — a good dressing that can add that extra delicious element to your salad. It could be sweet, sour or creamy.
Culinary experts suggest that it’s important to pick the right ingredients for summer salads, keeping the rising temperature and humidity in mind. For instance, executive chef Tarun Kapoor from The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa tells us, “Mixed seafood salad with coriander and saffron is a safe bet in summers. This salad has refreshing flavours of coriander and the fish and prawns in the salad give you enough energy to keep you going and keeps your energy levels high.”
When talking about summer salads, one thing that cannot be ignored is mango. This juicy summer fruit suits the season’s demand just right! Chef Shamsul Wahid, executive sous chef Smoke House Grill, says, “A seasonal menu should showcase the best and freshest ingredients of that particular season. Mango comes in many varieties and you can use them together to give your salad the right taste. For instance, safeda is not that sweet, so it can be used in salads with dussehri (which is more popular in desserts) which is sweeter. Using them together adds up the sugar levels in the salad and the slight tang of safeda stimulates the appetite and you don’t really feel hungry even after eating this light salad.”
Another important member of the salad family is fish. Woon Foo Siow, chef, Royal China, says, “Fish is light and healthy, as it is easy to digest. Since people love eating white fish (grilled or steamed) with some vegetables or salad, we have raw fish salad which is tasty and healthy.”
And then there are Thai salads which are the most popular among those who love the nutty crunch and freshness of veggies. “Sum Tham Thai salad is a traditional Thai salad which is really good for summers. It’s made of raw papaya, nuts, tomatoes, tamarind sauce and lemon. And so is the cold pasta salad which is more appetising. In this one, the penne pasta is served with assorted bell peppers, shallots, glazed with cocktail dressing and topped with cheese,” says a chef from Nothing Authentic.