Choose bright and crisp vegetables for a cheerful braai salad

A good braai salad needs simplicity. Simple cooking techniques such as blanching make the difference, providing crunch without certain ingredients necessarily being raw. A dressing that turns that same salad into something memorable can be whipped up in a minute. And always check the crisper to see what can be used in a salad without any fuss.

A carrot can be sliced into thin strips, or grated, as can beetroot, adding extra crunch to a salad. Celery is a cert for adding that extra something. A mielie (corn on the cob) can be steamed for 10 minutes, cooled, and the kernels cut away to be thrown into a salad mix.

I always check the crisper for leftover this or that. A few unused green beans or peas in their pods can be blanched in boiling water for a minute, refreshed under cold water and drained. Do the same with broccoli florets or even cauliflower. And if you happen to spot fresh asparagus spears at the greengrocer, grab some, give them the quickest blanching, refresh, and scatter them on top of the salad for a stylish finish.

Tony Jackman’s weekly newsletter is packed with bright food ideas and delicious stories about food and life. Sign up to Tony’s weekly newsletter here. It’s free, and in your inbox every Friday afternoon. If it goes to promotions or spam at first, please drag it into your inbox.

I did indeed have some slim asparagus spears when assembling this particular salad. And then my friend Heyla Meyer arrived with a jar of her own Sense of the Karoo pickled radishes, pink and preening in their glass housing. A few of those were immediately scattered on top of the salad as an intriguing garnish, a surprise additional ingredient.

Frisée, or frilly, lettuce went into the mix, along with blanched peas in their pods, small roma tomatoes, diced celery and spring onion, and the kernels of a braaied corn on the cob.

For a dressing, I mixed together some Dwarsrivier organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil with Rozendal lavender fynbos vinegar, with finely chopped fresh garlic, plenty of black pepper and coarse salt.

Finally, some chopped feta and those asparagus spears, and of course slivers of Heyla’s amazing pickled radish. If you can’t source this, substitute pink pickled ginger from the Asian section of the supermarket. (A tip for Boland, people: Oom Samie se Winkel stocks Heyla’s Sense of the Karoo products.)

It’s not a bad idea to assemble the salad an hour ahead, cover and refrigerate, which will give the dressing ingredients, including the fresh garlic, time to work their magic on the other components.

Tony’s bright and cheerful braai salad

(Serves 6-8 as a side dish | quantities depend on how many you’re feeding)

Ingredients

Frilly lettuce

Mangetout or sugar snap peas or slim green beans

Baby roma tomatoes, whole or halved lengthwise

Celery, diced

Spring onions, sliced

Corn kernels

Asparagus spears

Pink pickled radish (or use pink pickled ginger)

Feta, chopped into small dice, or crumbled

Dressing:

Dwarsrivier organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Rozendal lavender fynbos vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed, then finely chopped

Coarse salt and black pepper

Method

Blanch the asparagus spears briefly in lightly boiling water, and refresh under cold running water. Drain.

Mix the dressing ingredients together.

Put the (clean, rinsed, dried) lettuce in a bowl, add a third of the dressing, toss, and arrange in a salad bowl.

Add the remaining salad ingredients (but not the asparagus, pickled radish or feta) to a bowl, add the remaining dressing, and toss. Spoon this over the lettuce in the salad bowl, finishing with the asparagus spears, and finally the feta and pickled radish. Refrigerate at this point, and remove from the fridge shortly before serving. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the year award, in 2021 and 2023

Order Tony’s book, foodSTUFF, here.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.

This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.