Give a Boost to Your Springtime Salad with the Spices
As winter thaws and gives way to spring, home gardens and farms begin to yield their bounty. With fresh greens and other vegetables readily available, it’s time to start enjoying those springtime salads.
You can take a simple salad to the next level by incorporating fresh ingredients and spices.
Here are some of the most valuable spices for boosting your springtime salads, whether green and leafy, potato, chicken, macaroni, Mediterranean, or your favorite leafy greens and vegetable concoctions.
The Basics
Whatever your favorite springtime salad, these spices can kick its flavor up a notch with minimal effort and outstanding results. It may be a pinch or two on top of your green salad, seasoning for asparagus, or other garnishes you prepare in advance.
This short list of essential spices can lay the groundwork for that specific flavor effect you are seeking. Try different combinations to determine your favorites and those that best fit your recipes.
Basil – a classic addition to any salad, basil brings warm, sweet, aromatic tones and a pleasing flavor that plays well with many foods and other seasonings.
Curry powder – Spice Station has numerous varieties of curry powder from which to choose. Depending on your preferences, these can significantly enhance any salad or dressing.
Dill – The dill flavor is a welcome accompaniment to virtually any salad or vegetable dish, including mayonnaise-based salad like potato or macaroni.
Garlic – Garlic’s distinct and intense aroma and flavor are a welcome addition to your salad and essential in many dressings.
Ginger – With its earthy bite, ginger is a frequent ingredient in salad dressings and a traditional flavor enhancer for fresh vegetables.
Tarragon – A perennial herb, tarragon is perfect for topping your salad or enhancing garnishes.
Additional Spice Options
While the above list of basic salad-enhancing spices focuses on green leafy recipes, many picnic season salads are make-ahead recipes like potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad, which beg for a broader range of flavor options.
After all, what would your potato salad be without Paprika?
Mustard and Celery seeds are two traditional spices important to many springtime and summer offerings, like potato and macaroni salads.
Other choices include:
Of course, these are only a few suggestions; the world of spices is much larger, and anything goes when creating the kind of flavors you want to enjoy. You may be looking for some Southwest flare, making adding a chili such as Chipotle a reasonable choice.
Use your creativity and passion for regional or ethnic flavors to fashion a memorable and tasty dressing or salad for the season’s first picnic or barbecue.
Conclusion
The distinctive tastes and textures of fresh produce from springtime harvests can often stand on their own. Still, you can take that experience to a higher level by adding herbs and spices to bring out the natural goodness and add your favorite aromatic flavors.
The high-quality herbs and spices from Spice Station are ideal for adding to salads, creating unique garnishes, and building intense flavors for salad dressings that will dazzle your guests.
Now, it’s time to play with your food.
