5 Questions with Salad Warrior Emily Nunn
The Dept. of Salad CEO defends the unsung hero of the culinary world
Welcome to a new feature on Spilled Milk. On the regular you will find interviews we like to call 5 Questions for food focused friends of mine, some in the biz, some not. Enjoy.
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There is nothing better than a salad on a hot summer day.
And if your salad game is feeling a little… wilted… these days (trust me, we all get into food ruts), I have the solution to your problems: Emily Nunn and her Dept of Salad, one of the most beloved newsletters on Substack.
Emily, a magazine and newspaper journalist, is a warrior for salad. She’s fed up with the idea that salads are a culinary afterthought in restaurants. Salads have been given an appalling short shrift by many of you (“Oh, I’ll just have a salad”), and are often avoided at home for reasons she cannot begin to fathom.
She believes that salad can make your life better. We asked her why that is, plus how to make a fantastic salad and more.
I don’t know anyone who loves salad more than you. Why do you think salads are considered by most as an afterthought?
I do love salad, but I’m living an entrée-centric society! And that’s the problem. People feel they’re not going to be fed well if you offer them anything might be considered a “side.” But when people tell me a salad can’t be dinner my response is: get out of my way. Have you met a Cobb Salad?
I’m here to banish the idea that all salads look like that little salad emoji: a bowl of lettuce with a tomato slice. By the way: when did that idea get started? Maybe I’ll do a piece on the nefarious history of the side/house salad and its tragic influence over salad eating in America.
What components/characteristics are required to make a fantastic salad?
Absolutely anything you like! When people tell me they don’t like salad, I ask if they’ve tried ALL the salads: there are as many different kinds as there are people. Plus, that’s like saying you don’t like food.
“Salad” can mean anything here in the United States— never mind international salads. I’ve written about Japanese potato salad, flavored with kewpie mayo and rice vinegar and fortified with ham, cucumber, and carrots; an Israeli salad made of cherries and jalapenos; a Burmese tofu salad; a super spicy Tunisian carrot and tuna salad, an Odesan slaw made with black radishes, caraway seeds and honey; Vietnamese noodle salad with shrimp; a spicy Thai tuna salad. And obviously I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there in the world.
But since what usually springs to mind around here is big leafy green salad—which I love love love— I’ll say start with super-fresh, crisp greens spun super dry and a good ratio of complementary and contrasting textures and flavors—mixed in and as toppings. You want balance, but you will almost always be happy if you include along with your favorite vegetable something crispy or crunchy (nuts, seeds, croutons—anything; I’ve broken up flatbreads and sprinkled in toasted herby breadcrumbs) and contrast that with, say, the richness of avocado or a creamy dressing, and something sweet set against something salty!
Think of fatty cheese and nuts in the same bowl with fresh fruit and crisp vegetables, plus the sharpness of onion or garlic, the tang of vinegar or lemon, the chewiness of dried fruit.
Of course, it really depends on the salad and the person. I’m generally loosey goosey, but I am of the mind that when it comes to dressing a big green salad you should toss the entire thing for your guests if you’re using lighter vinaigrettes, but when it comes to creamy dressings, especially heavier ones like blue cheese or Thousand Island (which mask the bouquet-like beauty of the ingredients), it’s not a bad idea to let people control their dressing individually at the table—especially if you’re not serving the salad IMMEDIATELY. You don’t want to serve a big wilted gloppy mess.
Favorite childhood food memory?
It has absolutely nothing to do with salad, but it sure stuck with me: eating lobster Newberg at a fancy hotel restaurant at Christmastime in Williamsburg, VA. I don’t know what made me order it; I think I was ten years old. I felt changed. And not long after I had my first whole lobster with a dish of melted butter on Cape Cod. Both made me feel like I sure as hell had been missing out on a few things growing up in the mountains of Virginia—it felt like the world had been holding out on me.
Favorite food city, and why?
BARCELONA. I love seafood, I love ham, I love potatoes, little peppers, garlic, tomato--I love all the flavors there. And anything in the form of a croquette. I mean: tapas! Ambling from restaurant to bar to restaurant eating little bites of extremely delicious things. It’s definitely a city that is not afraid to reject the tyranny of the entrée. I admire that.
What’s your favorite restaurant in the place you call home, and why?
My favorite restaurant really is in the place I call home: it’s my own kitchen. And I don’t know when that happened. I used to write about restaurants for a living, but about ten years ago I stopped eating out much. I love restaurants, but not as much as I love being in my own kitchen, especially if I’m cooking for other people. Maybe that’s corny but it’s true.
What’s the one food or beverage you panic about running low on?
LEMONS! I don’t understand people who buy ONE lemon—what’s that supposed to do? I put lemon in everything, not just salad dressings—I drink it in my seltzer, squeeze it over half an avocado as a snack with flaky salt, use it to balance and/or brighten soups and a million other dishes. I even squeeze it over scrambled eggs. I find lemons in my car and in my purse. My cousin Toni jokes that wherever I go, I leave a bag of lemons. So, my answer is obviously lemons.
I am coming to dinner at your house, what are you making?
Definitely a Cobb Salad. It’s a one of my longtime favorites, it always wows, and it has something for everyone—including vegans or vegetarians. There’s really no strict rule for making a Cobb, so creating a veg appropriate adaptation of the classic chicken-bacon-egg version is extremely easy and easily just as delicious.
Thank you so much, Chef! What a thrill and an honor this is for me and the boys in the lab! 🥗
Love the way she thinks! Those pics are mouth-watering! And perfect inspo for my Wed AM farmer’s market routine tomorrow. That delicata looked yummy….but I’m going to need some more summer before I thk about squashes 😬 (I had a lemon “911” yesterday…I was down to 3) 😂🍋🍋🍋