Cilantro Salad
The best salad I've had in the past year was a cilantro salad. Meaning, no other lettuces. None. Unless you absolutely loathe cilantro, you 100% must try it. It is made with cilantro leaves and stems tossed with a simple shallot-forward soy sauce dressing, plus peanuts. I’ll often add asparagus.
This cilantro salad came to my attention in a round-about way. And I'm so thankful! I went to a lunch in Oakland a few weeks back. It was one of those special lunches that passes all too quickly - a warm April afternoon, a stretch of tables pushed together under a booming canopy of white flowers, good company, Lillet blanc, and some of my favorite cooks arriving with something to share, family-style. It was a celebration of Deborah Madison's new book, and after all these years, I was finally able to thank her for inspiring body of work in person. All in all, a great afternoon. I would have been more than happy to stay right where I was, long after the plates were cleared, as I imagine dinner under the blossoming trees would be magic. But, that's not actually what I was thinking about after I left. I was thinking about something I ate.
Cilantro Salad: You Need This Salad in Your Life
There was this one salad at the lunch that I just couldn't shake. It was made entirely of cilantro, tossed with a simple shallot-forward soy sauce dressing, toasted peanuts, and a vegetable. It was so simple, so bright, and it got me thinking about cilantro in an entirely new way. I can't emphasize more strongly how much I want you to enjoy this salad as well.
The Inspiration
The Xinjiang salad was made by Carolyn Phillips from a Chinese cookbook specializing in the Northwest (you can see the write-up on her site here). You'll also also see it featured in her upcoming book on regional Chinese cooking being published by McSweeney's in 2014, All Under Heaven. She used red bell peppers, but I've been doing versions with whatever spring produce I have on hand. You can see the asparagus version as well as an all-cilantro version down below. Unless you absolutely loathe cilantro, you must, must(!) try this salad.
What is it Good With?
I love this salad as side to just about anything. It's great as a component to a grain bowl, wonderful in tacos, and I love it as a side salad to a rustic, savory tomato tart.
Cilantro Salad: Pro-tip
This is the main thing that matters. The absolute key here is to use the brightest, best cilantro you can get your hands on. The stems should be crisp but not at all tough. The leaves need to be vibrant, with no shift in color (indicating onsetting spoilage).
More Salads
I understand if cilantro isn't your things. Especially if you're one of the people who experiences it as soapy. Here are a bunch of other salad recipes for you to check out.
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Cilantro Salad
HS: You're going to make far more shallot oil (and shallots) than you need here. Keep the remaining oil refrigerated, and use it to drizzle over noodles, eggs, tofu, all manner of vegetables, etc. Or to use in a component in a vinaigrette. It's incredibly tasty and versatile. Also, please, as I mentioned above, don't try this salad unless you have great cilantro. Look for the brightest, best cilantro you can get your hands on. The stems should be crisp but not at all tough. The leaves vibrant, with no shift in color (indicating on-setting spoilage).
- 1 cup / 240 ml sunflower oil
- 1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100g evenly sliced shallots, ~20 small
- 6 ounces / 170 g asparagus spears, very thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 bunch of cilantro with stems
- 1 teaspoon shoyu / soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup / 2 ounces peanuts, well-toasted, then cooled
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- to serve: herb flowers (garlic chive flowers, chive flowers, etc), optional
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Start by making the shallot oil, you can do this up to a few days in advance. Place the oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan or wok, over medium heat. When the oil is hot (a "test" shallot should bubble immediately), dial back the heat to medium, sprinkle in the shallots, and cook slowly until they are deeply golden, 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the oil off into a jar, and set aside. Place the shallots on a paper towel and allow them to cool and crisp.
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In the meantime, if you're adding asparagus, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, salt generously, and cook the asparagus for just 15 seconds or so - until bright. Drain, and quickly transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again, and set aside.
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Trim any tough stems from the cilantro, and give it a good wash. Dry completely.
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Just before you're ready to serve the salad, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sea salt, and 1/4 cup of the shallot oil.
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Place the cilantro, peanuts, asparagus, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle half of the soy dressing over, and give a gentle but thorough toss. Add more dressing if you like. The peanuts and asparagus like to find their way to the bottom, so be sure to scoop them back on top before serving with some of the reserved crisped shallots, and a few herb flowers on top (if you have them).
Serves 6.
Inspired by a salad brought to a lunch made by Carolyn Phillips who, in turn, references a Chinese cookbook specializing in the Northwest here. She'll be featuring the original in her upcoming book on regional Chinese cooking, All Under Heaven, being published by McSweeney's in 2014.
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Comments
My cilantro is growing like crazy right now, and anyone that grows it knows how quickly it can go to seed. I was happy to finally make this terrific recipe while my cilantro is so young, fresh and plentiful. I prepped everything early in the day, making it very quick to throw together at dinner time. Thank you Heidi!
Fantastic!
Woke up thinking about Cilantro…not sure why, though. Sat down with my coffee and began to scan through emails, when this one appeared. How did you do that?
Made this tonight with farmers market cilantro…all quite delicicious, but I’m wondering about the acidic counterpoint to the oil? Thank you.
Hi Judith! You can add some if you like -a bit of lemon juice, etc. I like it as written, it’s not a vinaigrette, but you could certainly make it one and see if you like it more or less.
This was delicious!! Cilantro bolting in the garden- a perfect recipe to use it! Refreshing, lightly dressed, and I love the crunch from the peanuts and the bursts of rich umami from the fried shallots. Well done.
I just love cilantro and never thought of making a salad with it. I usually make it with parsley but you had a great idea! I am going to try it for sure.
Made this salad last night for a friend. We were both blown away. I served it with faro. I have to say that because of you I have learned so much about cooking and my eating skills are improving every day! Wonderful work, you make a lot of people happy.
Shallots, asparagus & cilantro… I’m in. I love using fresh herbs in salads and this looks perfect for spring.
Made this for dinner last night — very, very tasty, thank you. I was out of soy so I used miso instead and it was fine. One mistake I made was to chop the cilantro, which I must have done out of habit. I’m making it for dinner again tonight, this time with soy and without chopping.
Okay, mission tomorrow: find some great cilantro! Looks like such a wonderful recipe, and simple enough for myself to even manage ;). This would be perfect over a sunny weekend right now, perfect weather. As well, your pictures look amazing. You really have a knack, for taking pictures and getting the right angle and lighting.
Again thanks for posting, time to go check out the quinoa and breakfast recipes :).
I’ve never eaten a cilantro salad before but it looks so delicious that I don’t think I can resist for much longer.
Heidi: I made it tonight for dinner, religiously following your reciper. Simply outstanding! Brava, again. And thank you for sharing these pearls.
Truly one of my favorite herbs. Last year my garden yielded copious amounts of cilantro and this year looks to be no different. Pleased to have a new way to use all that green!
Ash
{The Board and Wire}
I made this tonight for dinner with some sea bass and polenta. It was so, so good! I made it almost exactly as per your recipe Heidi. Just added some sushi vinegar to the dressing. And used cashews as I didn’t have peanuts. I have always said that cilantro is my favorite herb and that if it didn’t seem wacky, I’d eat cilantro sandwiches. So this salad spoke to me the moment are started reading! And yum. Great, in my opinion, to accompany something else (like our fish tonight) and give a really vibrant flavor burst. Thanks for this Heidi – this is going to be my new fave I think!
I was and I am very excited about this, but I was more excited before I made it. I used tamari which gave it a lot of depth — too much depth perhaps. I was expecting something more vibrant. Was the tamari the culprit? The ingredients were off the hook, beautiful big leaves of cilantro that were an inch across — at least. I’m tempted to make this with a sharper vinaigrette. My partner described the dressing as fishy (!). Any thoughts? I’d love for this to be as delicious as 1) it can be from your post and 2) it looks.
I made this today for my special Mother’s Day late afternoon lunch. My goodness, it is really awesome! I made my shallot oil with a combination of coconut oil and ghee. Yum. Happy Mother’s Day to me!
This dish is heaven for us cilantro lovers! It reminds me of a dish we once had in Thailand that was simply a plate of cilantro, both leaves and stems, and minus the roots.
Such a innovative idea!
Made this today and it’s certainly a delicious salad! (It also solved my I-have-a-bunch-of-cilantro dilemna quite handily)
One word of warning. After eating this salad, it is a good idea to check the mirror to see if you have any stuck in your teeth. Cilantro is sneaky that way. I already had a nice and embarrassing moment. ha ha…
This sounds so so wonderful! I have been enamored with cilantro in everything lately, and an entire salad dedicated to the herb is so exciting! I’ll absolutely have to make this!
Heidi ~ your post came just at the best time (for me)! i was asked to make curry w/jasmine rice for a dinner party last night and i thought this Cilantro Salad would complement it nicely – and it did! i substituted the nuts for grilled cubes of tofu. everyone loved it. i doubled the recipe, so had just a bit left over. i used it for filling fresh spring rolls for my lunch, today. YUM.
Made this tonight, absolutely delicious, all at table raved. They don’t know how lucky they are that I didn’t eat the entire bowl by myself before they sat down. I used crimini mushrooms, blanched asparagus as you suggested, matchstick cut radishes and spring onions. Should have doubled the recipe.
Sounds so fresh and looks so vibrant, indeed. & the lovely lunch sounds gorgeous, how special. Imagine serving this with some fish!
Heidi xo
I love the idea of a cilantro salad. Never has one before. I just wonder if the cilantro strong taste would be a bit overwhelming in the long run…
Shallots AND cilantro? Oh I will be trying this for sure. This will be a staple summertime meal for me.
where in oakland out of curiosity? i live in oakland and we’re so lucky to have the same level of produce as SF but warmier sunnier weather! cheers heidi for always being such a great inspiration.
Very interesting salad! Adding peanuts or cashews to any salad has become a favorite thing to do for me. Give it that extra something special to it for some reason.
This looks like a surprise in a bowl! I have been obsessed with salads lately (created a vegan caesar salad that I’m posting next week) and adding cilantro to a spring mix with purple cabbage slaw, farm fresh cheese and a simple balsamic vinegar is DI-VINE! I’ve been afraid to use only cilantro for the leaf base. I can’t wait to try this salad – looks like the dressing really pairs well with it!
This salad sounds so amazing! I am firmly in the LOVE CILANTRO camp, but I have never even thought to do anything like this…even though I’m sure I’ve seen recipes for salads made primarily of parsley, for instance. Super interesting!
I’m so inspired…this reminds me, in a way, of tabbouleh, which also uses an herb–parsley–as the star. I love cilantro and can’t wait to try it this way.
This recipe sounds wonderful! I’m sooo glad I love cilantro. Some people are genetically predisposed to find the taste of cilantro “soapy.” I just read that Julia Child disliked cilantro and arugula, so you are in good company. I think those of you who cannot abide cilantro should be thanked by those of us who love it!
Wonderful timing! As the weather warms up, the cilantro in my garden is bolting faster than I can use it, and I get a few spears of asparagus at a time, so this will be perfect.
yummmmmm! i’m so making this!
This was a wonderfully tasty salad. It was also the right recipe at the right moment as my cilantro plant has grown by leaps and bounds this week. I can’t wait to experiment with the shallot oil.
This looks amazing! It is my favourite herb.
Cilantro has great health benefits too – it pulls heavy metals out of your system – (and presumably out of wherever it grows) – so be sure to use organic or pesticide free. Can’t wait to try it!
Would have loved to meet Deborah Madision! Just watch out for the spoon ; ) I met one of my other heroes a few years back; Madhur Jaffrey. She wasn’t very forthcoming actually, maybe just tired. Salad looks intriguing. As always.
That looks gorgeous Heidi. I’ve previously only used cilantro as garnish or in pesto. It is super-adventurous to create a whole salad around it! And why not! We do it with arugula. This is a must make. With the shallot oil, I am wondering if using olive oil instead of sunflower might change the flavor too much.
I use cilantro everyday but never thought of making it a star in salad. This sounds very interesting!
So interesting, never thought of cilantro salad, but I love so much this ingredient. Will make it tomorrow!
Thank you so much!!
This looks amazing! What a creative way to use cilantro. Do you know if I could find chive flowers at the Ferry Plaza market? I have been getting the most beautiful arugula flowers and kale flowers there. Must look for herb flowers.
OMG!! I LOVE all things cilantro! My husband makes a salad with equal parts cilantro and spinach with avocado dressing. This all cilantro salad sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Lucky for me I am a cilantro fan. Can’t wait to give this a try!
I recently got into cilantro and now I can’t get enough! This salad looks great, and so different from traditional ones. I will be trying this soon!
This IS exciting! And Deborah is wonderful, isn’t she? (Got to thank her myself in a slightly less-idyllic atmosphere in Davis’ Avid Reader.) Have an enormity of ridiculously beautiful-tasting cilantro in the garden. Lunch?!
This sounds beautiful, pretty and delicious!
Anna x
Some people seem not to like cilantro, but I love it-especially in salsa. I grow a pot of it by my front door to snip fresh when I need it, along with Parsley and some spearmint. This year I am adding basil to the ‘step’ community.
Cilantro is known to remove heavy metals, so I use it in my protein smoothies when I can.
Shallot bulb packets were marked down to $1 at Bimart. I had a pot of them in another home, but am still unfamiliar w/ their intrigue, so this should be the recipe to find out their particular taste in the oil.
This year I promised a neighbor I’d plant some Calendula for him, and I can’t find the seed anywhere yet. This salad would look great w/ those yellow/orange petals, and would be another taste discovery for me. I’ll keep my eyes open for seeds. They come back every year.
Thanks for another great recipe Heidi.
I love this. Reminds me of a middle eastern parsley salad only this is Asian. Frankly, I’m partial to this as I adore cilantro!
So happy to see this recipe in my inbox this morning! I have a pot of cilantro in my garden and it’s looking very healthy. Was just looking at it this morning thinking, hmmm….what am I going to do to use up all this cilantro before it starts turning yellow! Thank you!
Ohh so good!! I love it !! We also in Venezuela make some cilantro salad with avocados red , yellow and green peppers with a lime and garlic dressing olive oil sprinkle some cash nut toasted ummm delicious refreshing salad with asados bbq.LOL
Wow, this looks gorgeous! I am a cilantro lover, but had still never thought to create a salad with cilantro as the main green. The dressing and crisped shallots sound divine. I bet a little fresh lime juice would complement the flavors, too.
This is great! I can’t wait to share this recipe with my CSA members. Thanks!
I love the use of cilantro as the main ingredient! So creative + inventive (as always). I am loving these photos too … the shadows are so gorgeous.
This sounds wonderful. I think I will try it with some tiny fava beans. One note: the recipe does not mention the shallots again after they are allowed to “cool and crisp.” I see them in your photo, looking tantalizing – I’m guessing they are added at the end with the flowers?
HS: Love that idea Emma – and, yes, thanks for the catch, add the crispy shallots at the end (updated!)
Amazing salad… as always. I was wondering if you have any spots in Brooklyn, NY that you can recommend for ‘super natural’ style food? I have just moved here and while there is so much choice in terms of amazing food, I can’t seem to find any of the kind of stuff you (and now I too) cook…
Could you post a photo of shallots?
I’m confused as to what ingredient you are talking about. Where I live a shallot is a smaller tastier version of a red onion but sometimes I think cooks are talking about green spring onions when they call for shallots. Which do you mean?
This sounds scrumptious.
When my uncle moved to Texas from the midWest about a decade ago, he discovered cilantro. His taste buds were awakened! He became obsessed with cilantro. He called all of his friends in the midWest to tell them about Texans and their cilantro. He even made cilantro ice cream one summer. Suffice it to say, we are a cilantro-obsessed family, and this salad will be made! Thanks for the inspiration.
this looks amazing.
very clever to highlight an herb in a salad. i’m not the biggest fan of cilantro. would you recommend using a different herb?
Is it the flavour of the peanuts that is right or will almonds, walnuts or cashews work with this combination?
(btw – i love your work, thank you so much for sharing!!!)
sounds like a perfect lunch.
How great that you got to meet Deborah Madison! Sounds like a lovely time. Such a creative salad! The dressing sounds absolutely perfect.
Inspiring and invigorating in thought – the cilantro sounds beautiful with the complimenting shallots and soy sauce – wonderful post with beautiful photography.
Lovely idea, I use parsley a lot as a main component in salads but will give this one a go, sounds good.
I am going to try this. It looks great!
Heidi
I love the pictures of the salads you prepare they look especially nice in the dishes you put them in. Mind sharing where you get your dinnerware? Thx!
HS: Thanks Tina – I pick up individual pieces here and here. Antiques stores, on trips, flea markets, garage sales. Happy hunting!
Abbe, I am thinking that cilantro would be an awesome substitution for parsley on a tabbouleh salad!
could i replace the sunflower oil with olive oil as i don’t used highly processed oils? would it alter the flavour?
HS: Hi Angela, I used unrefined sunflower oil, and made sure it didn’t get too hot. Just hot enough to brown the shallots slowly. Olive oil would work, but will taste different.
LOVE your oil drizzles. I wish there could be a separate category in ‘Recipes’ for all your delightful drizzles!
HS: That’s not a bad idea Claudia – I do love a flavored oil!
Wow! Must try this-cilantro is starting to appear at the farmers market .
beautiful looking salad! here in japan, i haven’t seen cilantro in market. as a person who loves herbs, i would love to try this salad someday when i can fresh ingredients.
HS: Hi Yuri – I wonder if a version with a blend of Japanese herbs might be nice? Shiso, mitsuba, etc?
Really? Do you promise? Don’t get me wrong. I love cilantro. But too much can get soapy. Does the shallot dressing tame that a bit?
I am addicted to cilantro and it never ever occurred to me to use it as a base in a salad. Thank you for the inspiration.
What a beautiful salad! When I first joined a local San Diego area CSA and had cilantro coming out the wazoo, I started making it into salads…it was all I could do to start making a dent in it. Glad to see this version. It’s lovely!
My husband loves cilantro- he often jokes that he would put it on ice cream, he loves it so much. So, I must make this salad!
This looks amazing! My only questions is how to prepare the cilantro–it looks like the leaves aren’t completely chopped, but how much of the stem should I leave on? Can’t wait to try this (tonight!) x
HS: Hi Taylor, they’re not shopped at all. Just leaves and stems….and i kept the stems quite long – 4-5 inches? Something like that.>
Interesting! I would have never thought of having a cilantro salad, but considering how fast it grows in the backyard, we could definitely get a few salads out of our plant!
With how strong cilantro is flavored, the simple oil dressing sounds like it will be a good compliment. I have a fresh bunch of cilantro on my counter right now and will try this for lunch tomorrow!
Beautiful salad – I love each and every salad you post here, but I am particularly excited to try this one. Living in Bangkok, we have an abundance of the most amazingly fresh cilantro I’ve seen anywhere. I used to overlook the herb, and now I use it nearly every day – so bright and fresh.
This sounds like an incredible salad. I would never have thought of using cilantro like this. I bet the flavours are amazing. Your photos are so filled with beautiful light too. Really inspiring.
Wow! This looks amazing! Just made cilantro pesto. This appears to be a fabulous way to expand my cilantro repertoire. Thanks!
I love cilantro in anything! I was wondering, if you may happen to know, instead of shallot (which I’m not hot about), what else may possibly work in its place please?
Now I do love the sound of this….but coriander (as we call cilantro over here in England) is not growing in the garden yet. Will hastily grow loads more…becuase you can’t really buy huge bunches of it here.
Where do you find herb flowers if they are not growing in your own garden?
HS: Hi AM – I buy them often at the farmers market (this time of year is great), those fresh petals I don’t use quickly, I air-dry, freezing can also work, but I find it strips a lot of the flavor/scent.
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