Little Gem Salad with Creamy Miso Peanut Dressing and Crispy Rice Croutons
This recipe gives me everything I want in a salad— the fresh bite of the lettuce, a creamy zingy dressing and that extra bit of a crunchy finish from croutons. The dressing is the star here— super simple and luxurious with peanut butter and miso playing so well together and the back notes of soy and lime for brightness. This dressing can do double duty as a dipping sauce or even a spread on sandwiches.
I’ve used little gems, but if you can’t find them feel free to use their larger cousin romaine, or any crunchy lettuce you like. Feel free to add tofu or sliced chicken for a total one-dish meal. One note on the ‘croutons’— make sure to use rice that is day old or has been refrigerated at least for 3 hours. Fresh rice has too much moisture and won’t crisp up.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
6 heads little gem lettuce
1½ cups cold cooked jasmine rice
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Olive oil, for finishing
Dressing
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp yellow miso
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp red chili flake
Kosher salt and black pepper
METHOD
In a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, add oil, then add rice and press down into a flat disk. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until bottom is golden brown. Break up into large chunks and turn over to brown on the second side until golden brown— approximately 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool.
To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and use a handheld mixer to mix until smooth and creamy. If needed add a splash of water to loosen dressing to desired consistency.
To serve, toss lettuce with dressing in a bowl and transfer to a serving platter. Break up rice into bite size pieces and add, along with peanuts and cilantro leaves. Finish with flaky sea salt and a glug of olive oil and serve.
