Ingredients are ever so importants.

First of all it is hard to choose from the ingredients I do like in a Salad from the normal ones to the sligtly unusual ones. I will start anyhow but without ranking them in order. An important thing is to start with a base where you can build upon your Salad. My favourites are in no particular order: 

Chicory: Of either colour or sort. I am fond of the crunchiness of those Salad Leaves but also their bitterness. They do pair well with numerous ingredients especially with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Pecan Nuts and Hazelnuts, but also Rocket Leaves and Baby Gem Lettuce.

Chicory Leaves Crunchy and Bitter one of favourites Salad Leaves.

Rocket: To add some pepperiness to a Salad, Rocket Leaves are great to do so. Their shapes are also interesting and gives a little quirky feel to a Salad. Rocket Salad Leaves goes well with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Prawns, Scallops, Chicken Breasts to mention just a few.

Rocket Salad Leaves pretty and peperry.

Baby Gem Lettuce: Tender, yet not too big Leaves slighty crinckly and compact enough to be lovely holders for nice coctail Canapés, or little for Starters. Of a lighter green than Rocket which it can complement easily the Baby Gem Lettuce offers a light contrast. It is a Salad Leaf which very versatile and goes very well with a lot of ingredients, I will mention, Mince Meat, like Pork and Mince Beef, Chopped Chicken, Sweetcorn, Chillies, Spring Onions, Avocadoes, Tomatoes, Cheeses of all sort from the Bleu Cheeses to go to Goat Cheese, passing by Mozzarella. It is such a good Salad to grow in your Garden which I am always doing.

Baby Gem Lettuce from the Garden. This one is a little overgrown however its centre was still compact and we didn't discard the outer Leaves,  they made it to a simple Salad with Peas, Green Beans and Radishes.

Frisée Lettuce: Curly Lettuce have very pretty leaves going from yellow, green, and green to red. From the Endive family, the Leaves of a Frisée Lettuce are slightly bitter. It is very decorative upon a plate and goes with a lots of ingredients: it goes well with Meat, Fish, Shellfish, Roasted Veg or pickled and Marinated Veg, Tomatoes and more.

Frisée Lettuce or Curly Salad, attractive Salad Leaves with a slight bitterness and many Cultivars.

Pasta: Pasta is an excellent Base for a Salad, cooked, drained and eaten cold. If it is perfect for a Lunch Box, it also hold its own during a Buffet as another proposal to choose from. Or when it is too hot during the Summer for eating something hot, a cold Pasta Salad provide a nice and welcome change for Dinner. Pasta are so versatile that it can go with almost everything. That is why it is a winner in my eyes.

Green Pea Pasta Salad with Tuna, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Cucumber.

Rice: Same as Pasta, cold Rice makes an excellent Base for a Salad. My Rice of preference is Basmati Rice. An advice is that it does need to be eaten on the same day that it was conceived. It can not be kept for more than a day. Rice contains Bacterias that develop the longer it is kept. Apart from that it is safe. A Jasmine Basmati Rice or one with a little Wild Grains of Rice add flavours and Texture.  It tend to go the Asian Route with a Rice Salad, adding Spring Onions, cooked Tiger Prawns, Bamboo Shoots, Chopped Chilli, a Soy sauce with Rice White Wine Vinegar and a little Sesame Oil as Dressing, chopped Coriander and a little Black Sesame Seeds as decoration as much as for taste. Served with Lime and this is a delight on the plate, bowl or Lunch box. However Rice also does go well with Medditerranean flavours: Tomatoes, Romesco Peppers, Tuna, Lemon, Parley, Oregano, Virgin Olive Oil.

Healthy Rice Salad with Chicken Breast, Tomatoes and Wild Garlic.

Edamame Beans: Fresh and vibrant those Beans are tender and a joy to eat and a nice Base for a Salad. They can pair very well with lots of ingredients like, Feta Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, Black and Green Olives, Peas, Sweetcorn, chopped Bell Pepper, Coriander, Mint, Parsley, Preserved Lemons, Lemon, Lime and even Seafood like Scallops or even Cockles, or Chopped Razor Clams.

The glossy and Sweet Edamame Beans provide a touch of heathiness in a bowl or an a Salad plate.

Beansprouts: This makes a light, healthy tasty Base for a Salad. Full of Proteins and Vitamins this is a go to for an Asian style Salad. It does marry well with multiple ingredients, such as Chinese Mushrooms, (Enoki, Shitake, Lion's Mane to name a few), Bamboo Shoots, Heart of Palm, Chilli, Rice, Peas, Water Chestnuts, Micro Herbs, Small Watercress, Coriander, Pea Shouts, Black Beans... The list can be long.

Beansprouts, excellent Side, excellent in a StirFry but also outstanding within a Salad. 

Passing from the Base to the other ingredients I enjoy using Vegetable Wise:

Tomatoes: All sort of Tomatoes, I do grow them and I enjoy my produce, in multiple ways fresh or sundried or roasted, or in a chutney which can compliment a Winter Salad. Not only Tomatoes gives a burst of colour in a Salad but also freshness, a little acidity, and a juiciness but it also goes with numerous ingredients, I would say all Salad Leaves first, then Meat, Fish, Seafood, then Veg: Aubergine, Courgettes, Sweetcorn, Chilli and more, Herbs: Basil, Oregano, Majoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Chervil, Parsley... Condiments: different type of Vinegars, Balsamic, Red Wine Vinegar, etc.

From Medium size, to the large BeefHeart passing by the Cherry Tomatoes and Plum Tomatoes, the Tomato is an ingredient versatile, flavoursome and colourful.

Artichokes: Marinated, Fresh, or Cooked, I love an Artichoke. Its heart is the best part but I must confess that I adore sucking on the Leaves to take all the goodness out of them after dipping them in a little dip of Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil with a pinch of Salt and cracked Black Pepper.

The Artichokes marinated or simply cooked their hearts have the capacity to make a Salad sing.

Avocadoes: Soft with a beautiful smooth texture and so healthy for you, the Avocado is one of my ingredient of choice for many Salad especially  the one with a Med' twist in them. However it must be ripe but not too ripe. It mustn't loose its shape, apart if you want to use it as a dip like a Guacamole. Myself I tend to cut the Avocado lengthway into quarters. A tip is to remove the stone by digging it out with a small spoon rather than a knife, it is much safer that way. Another tip is to avoid the avocado browning put a dash of lemon juice upon its flesh. Avocado are easily paired with Mexican Style ingredients: Sweetcorn, Chilli, Coriander,etc. But also Seafood: Prawns, Langoustines tails, Lobster, Crab Meat. It goes well with Medditerranean ingredients: Tomatoes, Aubergines, Courgettes, Feta Cheese, Mozzarella, Lemon, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil.

The Avocado creamy flesh with a lots of healthy qualities.

Spring Onions: A little Onion flavour goes a long way, it can highlight a Salad. Chopped simply or in a Julienne style, Marinated or not it gives an extra level of flavour to a Salad. Completely versatile, this little gem of a Vegetable goes almost with everything and every type of Cuisine.

The humble Spring Onions has the talent by its presence within a Salad to lift it up with i s wonderful oniony flavours.

Heart of Palms: Tenderly moist, Heart of Palms can be used griddled or chopped, or sliced finely or into little chunks. Its delicate flavour can withstand stronger flavours for it does add its sweetness to a Salad and also its rather soft texture. You can be very creative with Heart of Palm pairing: Lemon, Lime, Balsamic Vinegar, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, all kind of Salad Leaves, it doesn't overwhelmed Seafood, the Heart of Palms rather compliment it, the same goes with pairing it with Samphire, and Seaweed.

Hearts of Palm, silky smooth and with a well balance taste, this ingredient can add not only to an Asian style Salad.

Radishes: A little crunchy red nugget of pepperiness the Radish. It is the joyful highlight of many Salad. Its colour is vibrant, red, or red and white skin with almost a pearly white interior. I just love it. It can accompany many Salads. It goes well with all green Leaves Salads, Meat, all the bases I covered and many more. Radishes are decorative, tasty and versatile.

Radishes, Gems of flavour (Peppery) and colour within a Salad.

Of course you can add a little Meat as well within a Salad to Beef it up. It could be thus perfect on its own for Lunch, as a Starter for Dinner or a nice consistant Supper, there my favourites are:

Lardons: Because they are indeed so versatile. Like the character of Jules Verne called 'PassePartout' which means 'GoesEverywhere', there are countless Salads dishes in which you can use Lardons always cooked, sautéed most of the time. They bring a little saltiness to your Salad but also are like nuggets of pleasurable fat smoked or unsmoked. It goes well with all Salad Leaves, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Broccoli of all sort, Pasta Salads, Poached Eggs within a Salad, Tomatoes, Peas, most Beans. There the list can carry on and becomes long. If you think yor Salad is missing of un 'Je ne sais quoi' ingredients, Lardons could be an easy answer to the dilemma at hand.

The Lardons is fairly versatile with mainy other ingredients and not only within a Salad. It is useful to have always some within one's fridge or freezer.

Saucisson Sec: I grew up loving it. Le Saucisson Sec is a traditional French Dry Sausage. After taking the outside skin you thind a compact Meat, dense, intense in flavour due to the seasoning it received during its making which can last years. Then you have those little pockets of fat within it which render le Saucisson Sec delicious. In a salad you can slice it or dice it. It marries well with bitter leaves like Raddichio, Chicory, Frisée Salad Leaves,  but also with Tomatoes,  Potatoes, Hard Boiled Eggs, Anchovies, Olives, Gherkins, Capers, Parsley.

Le Saucisson Sec,  a traditinal Dry Sausage from France which can be eaten cold or hot. It is a nice companion within a Summery Salad or a Winter one.

Beef Steak: Rendered via pan frying, grilling, griddling, then cut in slices accross, it can make a Salad look like Dinner, proper Dinner. Rump Steak, Sirloin Steak are the best cut for this sort of Salad. Same as usual if you serve it to a Guest ask then if they want their Steak, rare, medium-rare, medium, or crucified or you could say dead as a Dodo. But there is an important tip which is to rest the Steak because no one wants blood in their Salad. I would rest the Steak prior to cutting it personnaly. The Steak, this red Meat goes well with Bitter Salad Leaves, like the Chicory, the Frisée Salad, the Raddichio, Radishes, Gherkins, Capers, Chilli, Peppers, Potatoes, Blue Cheeses, Béarnaise Sauce, Tartare Sauce, Romesco Sauce, Mushrooms.

Griddled Beef Steaks resting. Then will come the cutting in long one centimetre thick strips. Make sure you do not cut against the grain of the Meat.

Chicken: Especially nice morcels of White Chicken Meat of the Breast or the Thigh. You can always remove the skin render it nicely crisp and golden Brown, and serve it with the Salad as much as decoration as for a tasty texture to tuck into: it is quircky pleasurable goodness. As a white Meat Chicken is considered healthier. Those tender flakes of Chicken going through a Salad gives it a gentle meatiness. Chicken is going well with all kind of Salad Leaves but especially the Iceberg Lettuce. It also pair well with Radishes, Leeks, Mushrooms, Cream, Mayo, Chilli, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Rice, Potatoes, Beansprouts, Lemon, Lime, Thyme, Rosemary, Spring Onions, Sweetcorn. It can take to a wide range of Cuisine of the world, it is so versatile.

Chicken Breast strips are ideal for Salads.

Ham: The humble Ham can be elevated by its presence within a Salad and vice versa. The quality of the Meat makes all the difference, it is no use to utilise within your Salad Wafer Thin Ham for it will fall flat. No, I tend to choose, Serrano Ham, Prosciutto, Parma Ham, Brunswick Ham, Jambon de Bayonne, Honey Roast British Ham. They give taste, quality over quantity, within the Salad. You can cut them in little chunks or serve the smoked ones whole, presented like little rolls ressembling flowers dotted within the Salad. I do like the slight sweetness but also the measured saltiness of Ham in general. They do bring a nice plus to a Salad. Ham goes very well with a Base like Beans, Pasta and Rice but also, Tomatoes, Peas, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Sweetcorn, Mushrooms, Aubergines, Gherkins, Cheese like Gruyere or also Emmental, Goat Cheese, Olives, Mustard, Mayo, Balsamic Dressing, Sauerkraut, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Chutney... In fact it is a simple match made in heaven with lots of ingredients. In fact ham is a philanderer so much so that my eldest Sister can't live without it in her fridge.

Serrano Ham, this Spanish Smoked and Dry Cured Ham does work well within a Salad. I tend to do little roses with it as presentation, curling the Serrano Ham upon itself. Think of the Flamenco with the Signorita dancing and twirling, holding a red rose within her red lips... That was the bottom idea of making that Spanish Ham very special upon a plate. 

From Meat to Fish, I have my personnal go to to enhance a Salad some which are very commonly used. In the height of the Summer, in the days when it gets warmer in Spring when igets colder again in Autumn and we reached the Festive Season upon our doorsteps with multiple parties and Festivities to attend or to help with your little culinary for a Buffet, a Fish Salad can remind you of the Season. My favourite Fish to use for a Salad are:

Mackerel: That Oily Fish has a flesh bursting of flavours, a skin bursting of colours. It is a glorious yet humble Fish full of tastiness to bring a Salad to another level. You can find it whole, filleted and deboned, in little prepared shredded chunks, Smoked and ready to be flaked, in a paté or a mousse and in Tins. Therefore it is easy enough to find what take your fancy to build your Salad around that marvelous ingredient. Mackerel can take Nordic Flavours as much as medditerranean ones but also Asiatic ones. For Pairing the Mackerel is complementary to many ingredients: Beetroot, Red Cabbage, White Cabbage, Savoy Cabbage, Bell Peppers, Shallots, Lemon, Lime, Spring Onions, White Wine, White Wine Vinegar even Red Wine Vinegar, Chilli, Capers, Black or White Peppercorns, Chicory, Raddichio, Wasabi, Horseradish, Radishes, Carrots, Beans, Beansprouts, etc. In fact that Fish is an all rounder plus it is full of Omega three.

Grilled Mackerel Salad with the Escabeche Salad Asian Style.

Sardines: This small Fish is very often denigrated because it is too small to be a show stopper but also because of its bones. But let me tell you something most fish have bones with the exception of the Shark. So all that needs to be done to the Sardine is filleting it like any other Fish, but can always ask a Fishmonger to do the job for you. But it is such a shame that many comdemn that the Sardine for that. That Fish is pack full of flavour along the line of the Mackerel but slightly less strong. Whole, gutted and grilled it is delish served on a bed of Watercress, Rocket Leaves, Tomatoe Slices, sliced Pimento d'Espelette, Red Bell Peppers cut into rings, Capers, Lemon Slices, Green Olives, a White Wine Vinegar Dressing, chopped Chervil, and you have yourself a very Summery Salad for a BBQ party. Sardines like Mackerel can also be found in tins where the bones of the fish are so muchy that you can just eat them. Sardines have lots of very nice pairing: a bed of Salad Leaves of all kind, Tomatoes, Chilli, Mustard, Dill, Lemon, Lime, Rice, Capers, Vinegars (Red Wine one, White wine one, Rice one), Sweet Peppers, Gherkins, Baby Potatoes, Tomato Sauce and Salsa. I hope you will give that vote of confidence to the Sardines, especially since the Dolphins are fond of it, there is a reason.

The humble Sardine is a great little Fish full of Omega 3 which should be on one's BBQ or Grill once in a while.

Salmon: Velvety Smooth in texture especially the semi smoked filleted Salmon and the Smoked Salmon render this Fish extremelly popular. It can hold it in during the Festive Season served whole or/and stuffed. But during the entire course of the year this Fish is consumed, for it is an all rounder for meals, Breafast, Brunch, Lunch, Supper, Dinner, Snacks, Cockail Canapés, Lunch Boxes and Salads. First of all its taste is unctuous not too strong but not too insipide either, it melt in your mouth like luxurious Butter. Salmon is excellent to make a Salad a 'not any Salad'.

Smoked Salmon Salad with Soft Boiled Eggs upon Frisée Lettuce Leaves and Lamb Lettuce, Bamboo Shoots, served with Limes.

On a bed of Frisée Lettuce, Raddichio Leaves, Rocket Leaves, with slices of Lemon, grilled Hearts of Palm, marinated Artichokes, heads  of Asparagus, you can place in a large oval dish a few fillets of Marinated Semi Smoked Salmon to great effect (the Fillets need to be the rectangular ones), a Lemon and White Wine Dressing, chopped Chives, Chervils and Dill fronts to garnish the Salad. Et voilà. You have a Salad with a sense of occasion which you will enjoy with your Partner, Familly, Friends or Guests. Salmon is a very versetile Fish and you can partner it with many ingredients: Lemon, Lime, Asparagus, all Salad Leaves, Rice, Pasta, Potatoes, Peas, Edamame Beans, Artichokes, Bamboo Shoots, Beetroot, Roe, Caviar, Spinach, Eggs, White Wine, Hollandaise Sauce, Light and Dark Soy Sauce, Spring Onions, Chilli. It is a love affair of the palate with the ever so soumptuosly tasty Salmon.

 Marinating lightly Smoked Salmon Fillets.

Monkfish: Monkfish is what is called a Meaty Fish par excellence. Fairly expensive but delicous, Monkfish possess a white and rather dense flesh. All the parts of the Fish is not always used. The tail, the cheeks and the fillets are mainly used while the rest of the body can do an excellent Fish Stock. Monkfish is a pretty ugly Fish and rather a Beasty in the sea however it is sought after and very nice to eat.

This is what an entire Monkfish looks like.

It is also called 'The Poor Man's Lobster' due to the thickness of its tail but also that it does taste like Lobster. A nice, very simple yet very succulent Salad to do is to sauté seasoned chunks of Monkfish tail, with a little Salted Butter and to render them nicely. Serve them on a bed of Baby Gem Lettuce, Baby Plum Tomatoes,  sliced Chorizo, sliced Spring Onions, and sliced Gherkins. Present with two halves of a Lemon, and decorate with a sprinkling of chopped Parsley. Et Voilà.  The pairing with Monkfish is quite wide, you can use it the Asian Style, the Medditerranean Style, or the North East America Style and West European Way therefore with the ingredients used in those parts of the World.

 Monkfish Tail, thick, Meaty and Tasty.

Haddock: Haddock which is the second most popular Fish in Fish and Chips Shops after the Cod makes a very nice Fish to use within a Salad. It has a more subtle taste but also very decent size fillets. Haddock can be used smoked or fresh for a Salad.

Fresh Haddock at the Fishmonger. You can recognise the freshness of a Fish, by its eyes, they must be clear and not foggy/blurry. Then by their smell, if they do smell too fishy, they are not that fresh at all and may have spent a few days on the counter.  Thirdly the state of their scales and the colour they are supposed to have. If it is dull and not glistening, there is an issue with the age of the Fish from being fished to reaching the counters.  

A Salad I like to conjure up is to Pan Fry gently two or three pieces of a fillet of Haddock in Salted Goats Butter. Render them until you have upon the Fillets and don't forget to baste them with the Butter regurlaly. The fillets are to be placed on red Chicory Leaves, Frisée Salad Leaves, Fine Green Beans, Asparagus, a Julienne of Spring Onions, Red and White Radishes, drizzle with a Dill Dressing, finish off by depositing a Poached Egg on each of the small cuts of the Haddock fillet. Season with cracked White Peppercorn and Sea Salt then decorate with chopped Dill and a quarter of a Lemon. This is an Easter Season Salad. Haddock a little like Monkfish is very versatile. ingredients that go with this beautiful white flesh Fish are to name just a few: all Green Salad Leaves, Potatoes, Mustard, Lemon and Lime, Parsley, Dill, Chervil, Samphire, Butter, Tomatoes, Spring Onions, Asparagus, Fine Green Beans, Broad Beans...

Seasoned Haddock Fillets can also be Baked in the Oven.

But there are many creatures in the Sea and upon Seashore rocks which can be used to prepare wonderful Salads or Starters looking like Salads. It is of course Sea Food and Shell Fish. Here are a few of my favourites to use for Salads:

Crab: I absolutly love Crab, it is one of my favourite ingredients. The Meat of the Crab is sweet and I know it a bit conventional to say but as the taste of the Sea. It feels like licking your fingers of the Sea Salt clinging on to them after you went fishing upon the rocks. But yes, Crab do give you that feeling, for me of course it is reminiscence of my Childhood by the Sea, a little like 'La Madeleine' de Proust which makes that Author thinks about times gone by, just by the scent of a Madeleine. Crab as the same effect for me. Crab has two coloured Meat the White one and the Brown One, a lot of people have their preferences on the subject but I like them both myself. Then you have the claws and the legs of the Crab.

Spider Crab, its shell allow it to camouflage itself between the rocks in the sea. This crab is not a regurlar in low waters but rather in deep Sea waters.

As for a Crab Salad I like one simple one which consists of removing all the Meat and the legs, including the Claws. Then carefully put everything into a bowl apart from the Dead Man's Fingers, and the shells of the legs and Claws. Those I pry open carefully to remove as much Meat as I can from them and being cautious to not damage if I can the Meat of the Claws from which I want to keep their shapes. Once all the Crab Meat is in the bowl, apart from the Crab Claws, I mix together the Meat with some Creamed horseradish, one chopped hardboiled Egg, chopped Chives, seasoning to taste. I clean the large main Shell of the Crab then I put the Crab Meat Mix back inside the Shell which is used as a cup. Finaly I place the Dressed Crab within a nest of Samphire, Dulce Seaweed, Crispy Seaweed, and Irish Moss on a Nori Sheet. I can complete the Maritime theme of the Salad by adding cooked Cockles and Clams in their Shells and Winkles if I can find some in a Fishmonger. A White Wine Vinegar Dressing, Chopped Parsley and Chives to finish off the Salad. Et Voilà.

Asian Ingredients which can go with Crabs. 

Speaking of pairing the Crab with other Ingredients, I suggest: Cayenne Pepper, Creamed Horseradish, Eggs, other Shelfish, any Salad Leaves and any Seaweed, Rice, Bread and Butter, Dill, Chervil, Parsley, Coriander, Chives, Black and White Peppercorns, Lemon, Lime, Sweetcorn, Spring Onions and they are many more out there...

 The Cromer Crab, my favourite of all the Crabs because of its Meat content.

The Lobster: Of course this highly valued Crustacean landed itself upon my table on occasions like my eighteen birthday when I was a celebrated girl for having a Baccalaureat with Honours (best pupil that year in that class). The twenty first birthday was spent in London, and the Lobster was on my plate again. the Lobster give a sense of occasion to someone but it was not always so. In North America the popularity of the Lobster only started around the 1850's, while in Europe it was loved and celebrated since the Romans of Antiquity who considered it as a delicacy, and Archaeology saw evidence that Lobsters were so valued in prehistoric times that far inland they found copious amount of shells of Lobsters...

The fleshy tail of the Lobster is highly prized, its claws as well. There is a blue European Homard and other varieties which are brown, and brown and greenish. The bright orange of a Lobster is only rendered when the Lobster is cooked.

The Lobster is a succulent Crustacean loved and appreciated by many. There are Salad recipes out there to fill your boots if you do enjoy Lobster I can assure you. For my part my Salad creation with Lobster has been in hommage to someone who encouraged me to write I not let it out yet because it is so close to my memory.