Maroulosalata

This bright and tasty Greek lettuce salad will transport you across the Mediterranean Sea in a matter of minutes.

Greek food is alive with vibrant flavors, and crumbles of white feta cheese offset its brilliant green colors. This Greek lettuce salad, called maroulosalata, is so packed with herbaceous flavor that you’ll wonder how you’ve gone this long without trying it. Although it is often enjoyed as a side salad accompanying other dishes, you can easily add your favorite protein on top for a complete meal.

The name of the salad kind of reminds me of one of my favorite words to say: “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” If you don’t know how to pronounce it, you may struggle at first, as I did the first time that I tried to pronounce maroulosalata (mah-roo-loh-sah-LAH-tah). Of course, once I heard how it’s pronounced, I wondered why I ever had a problem with it.

The key to making this salad is to thinly slice the romaine into ribbons. This is a light rather than clunky salad, so you don’t want chunks of lettuce. Those thin, light strips of romaine bring a delicate texture to the salad. It mixes easily, with the dressing covering all the little nooks and crannies of the romaine. Thinly slicing the scallions and chopping the dill helps everything blend well together for the utmost flavor in every savory bite.

Even the dressing is light and flavorful, bursting with fresh lemon juice. I highly recommend using a quality extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) in the dressing. It will make quite a difference in the flavor of this tangy salad. If you can, find a Greek olive oil for a more authentic taste. Also, using freshly ground pepper is crucial to pack in the flavor. Although crumbled feta works fine in this recipe, I like to buy a brick and crumble it myself. Feta that comes in a block stored in brine is more flavorful than the pre-crumbled stuff.

Tips that enhance maroulosalata

Making maroulosalata is relatively easy and very quick. The salad comes together in minutes. Using a salad spinner is ideal because you don’t want wet romaine, as it will dilute the flavor of the dressing. I don’t have a salad spinner, so I place my thinly sliced romaine strips in a big bowl and take either a clean dish towel or a bunch of paper towels and fluff my lettuce until it gets nice and dry. It’s also a lot of fun to do. I also use my hands when mixing the dressing into the salad to help it reach every little leaf. You can use a set of tongs or salad spoons, but this isn’t a quick toss. You want to get that dressing worked into the salad.

I have special salad dressing jars that I use to make my dressing, so it’s easy to combine everything in the jar and shake. Plus, I can make extra and store it in the same jar for future use. This dressing makes a great marinade for veggies and protein. And although this salad is pretty basic, you can easily enhance it further with other vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, kalamata or green olives, or avocado. Chickpeas are a great protein and texture boost to the salad. Lastly, feel free to add a small amount of fresh parsley, mint, or dried oregano.

How do I store leftovers?

Once prepared, this salad is best consumed immediately. If preparing in advance, it’s best to store maroulosalata separately from the cheese and dressing. The romaine and other veggies can last for 3 days when stored in zippered bags or airtight containers, but the lettuce may start to wilt. Once you add the cheese and the dressing, expect the salad to stay good in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. After that, it will tend to get soggy.

Serving suggestions

Serve maroulosalata as part of a traditional Greek meal featuring appetizers of Spanakopita, Hummus, Melitzanosalata Greek Eggplant Dip (another fun word to say), Greek Fava (Split Pea Dip), and Saganaki. Don’t forget the Pita Bread or Gluten-Free Flatbread. Add a side of Greek Lemon Rice or Oven-Roasted Lemon Greek Potatoes to complement a main course of Lamb Kabobs or this Spatchcock Chicken Recipe. For dessert, surprise everyone with a delicious Baklava Cheesecake.

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