If your salads rely heavily on the basic lettuce varieties on the market (iceberg, leaf and romaine), it may be time to grab your salad spinner and venture deeper into the produce aisle. Go head – use our guide to help you grab a head of something exciting, flavourful and new.
The produce sections of supermarkets across Canada have been growing exponentially over the past few years and it’s easy to get lost in this expanding sea of green. Crisco can help you make your way through this edible garden of paradise.
As the best of Canada’s fresh produce begins to arrive in supermarkets and at farmers markets, get ready to splurge on salads of all varieties with the help of Crisco. Our salads are quick and easy to make, require minimal or no cooking, and are the perfect way to enjoy all the produce that’s in season now.
Arugula
Arugula, or “rocket” as it is sometimes referred to in Europe, has captured the hearts of salad lovers. Look for dark, flat, serrated leaves shaped like small oak leaves. It’s either sold in bunches with the roots attached or washed, packaged and ready to eat. Arugula has a distinctive peppery, nutty, spicy flavour that marries well with melon, steak, mushrooms, prosciutto and citrus segments.
Belgian Endive
This torpedo-shaped vegetable is the delicious product of a centuries-old accident. A Brussels farmer left some chicory roots covered in soil in the cellar – only to discover they had sprouted into a velvety, crisp salad ingredient. Pair its slightly bitter flavour with sweeter greens or with apples, toasted walnuts and Stilton cheese. You can easily peel away the individual leaves and serve them filled with salmon, ricotta, chevre, blue cheese or seafood for an easy appetizer.
Escarole, Curly Endive and Frisée
Buyer beware – it’s easy to confuse a head of escarole and curly endive with a large head of leaf lettuce. Curly endive has curlier, rimmed leaves while escarole has slightly curled, pale green leaves. Frisée is more distinctive, with its finely cut, frizzy pale green-to-white leaves. All are members of the bitter endive family and just a little goes a long way in a mixed green salad. These sturdy greens stand up well to smoked bacon, lamb, warm grainy mustard dressings and grilled pork.
Mâche
Also known as lamb’s lettuce, this French favourite is new to the Canadian palate. Its nutty, sweet and gentle flavour is a perfect counterpoint to bitter or intense greens. Look for dark green spoon-shaped leaves clustered in rosettes. Mâche is sold loose or prepackaged. Pair with pears, walnuts, thinly sliced radishes, blood oranges or avocado.
Radicchio
These crimson and white-streaked leaves are found in round balls or in elongated heads (Treviso). Radicchio is the right ingredient for any salad desperately needing a colour pick-me-up. It’s mildly bitter, but mellows beautifully when grilled.
Watercress
Dubbed “the poor man’s arugula”, watercress has cut loose from its stodgy sandwich image and moved into the gourmet arena. Look for a tangled bunch of coin-sized, dark green leaves on long, slender green stems. Watercress has a sharp, slightly peppery tang that pairs wonderfully with grilled fish, chicken, beef or devilled eggs.
Boston or Bibb lettuce
A head of Boston lettuce resembles a flowering rose while Bibb has a smaller, cup-shaped head. Both have a loose head of blonde-green leaves and possess a soft, buttery texture and sweet, mild flavour. Perfect for any salad and any meal.