Since the weather is so warm now I want to show you how to make Prassini salad, which is a traditional Greek green salad. Prassini means “green” in Greek, which is how this salad got its name. It is full of healthy, refreshing ingredients, takes very little time to make, and is ideal for warm weather. This was always hugely popular at our Greek restaurant and I make it at home all the time.
The longest part of preparing this salad is washing and chopping the lettuce. It’s key to take your time doing this though, it’s a chopped salad and making sure all the pieces are bite sized is essential. This helps ensure that the other ingredients are evenly distributed and it’s easy to eat!
Once the lettuce is prepared you can continue with the rest of the salad, which takes just a few minutes.
I like presenting the salad in a big bowl with the olives scattered on top as you see here. Then I use salad tongs to serve it individually on plates for guests. This salad pairs so well with almost every dish. I especially like it with my Oregonato Chicken {HERE} or Grilled Branzino {HERE}. It also tastes well when topped with fish or kabobs.
I hope you enjoy this salad this summer, it’s a very versatile dish that pairs well with just about anything you serve.
Prassini Salad
In Greek the word prassini means green. This is a very common green salad found in Greece. It’s light and refreshing and makes an excellent meal when topped with grilled shrimp or chicken.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 Scallions
¼ cup freshly chopped fresh dill
½ pound high-quality feta cheese
8 Kalamata olives, (the rule of thumb is about 2 olives per person)
Dressing
1tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 tsp oregano
Finely chop the romaine lettuce and wash it well. Use a salad spinner if you have one! If not, fill a sink with clean water and add the chopped lettuce. Swish the lettuce around until it is completely clean. Scoop the lettuce out onto a paper towel or clean cotton kitchen towel and pat it gently until it is completely dry. Place the clean, dry lettuce in a large salad bowl and continue with the remaining ingredients.
Trim the roots off the scallions and discard. Chop the remaining scallions finely, using the entire root and stem. Scatter the pieces on top of the romaine.
Finely chop the fresh dill a scatter it on top of the romaine and scallions. Use clean hands, or salad tongs and toss these three ingredients together well.
Crumble the feta on top of the greens.
Scatter the kalamata olives over the feta.
Make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano until completely emulsified.
Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad. It is not necessary to toss it since the dressing will sink into lettuce. Use salad tongs to place individual portions of salad on plates and serve.
Nikki Glekas is the owner of Nikki Glekas Events, a full-service catering and events company located in Stamford, CT. She is currently operating with COVID-safe procedures and is happy to discuss your event and catering needs with you. To discuss further please contact team@nikkiglekasevents.com or call 203.658.8659.