The Humble Bibb Lettuce

Who knew a salad could be so good

I haven’t always liked salad, which may be surprising as my mother is nicknamed “rabbit” in our household due to her extreme consumption of leafy greens. When I was a kid, I had an aversion to salad dressing. As weird as it may sound, I ate salads undressed and dry as a bone, insisting I liked it better that way. Thankfully, that phase didn’t last too long, and eventually, I became a salad enjoyer, perhaps not an enthusiast yet, but it was always a welcomed side to any dish. In recent years, salads have gone up exponentially, in my estimation, especially since learning how to make a killer homemade dressing. I have the few I stick to in my repertoire, ones I eventually hope to share, but for this week’s post, I want to talk about one I made for the first time recently—the humble Bibb salad. It is quite simple compared to many out there, which I prefer, as buying fifty dollars worth of groceries for a salad is not something you’ll see me ever do (just order one at that point).

It begins with a tale of Friday night date night dinner. In its humble beginnings, these nights were meant to test out new cocktail and dinner recipes, but the other week, things went a little awry. I proposed a French onion soup, which quickly snowballed into steak au poivre and potatoes, followed by homemade lemon thyme ice cream. Something was missing, though - something that could cut through all of the fat and richness and would fit our French bistro vibe. The answer was a green salad. I scoured my cookbooks looking for a recipe but was unable to find an exact one; I knew I’d have to wing it a bit. In the end, this is what made the salad so great — it's adaptable, and it can be tweaked and tampered with to fit exactly what the chef needs. So let’s get into it.

Bibb salad gets its name from the type of lettuce it uses — a kind of butter lettuce. Smaller than a typical head of lettuce, the variety gets its name from John Bibb, a lawyer from Kentucky who developed it in the 1860s. It is known for its soft, buttery texture, hence the name. I love Bibb lettuce, and it works perfectly as the centerpiece for this salad. Luckily, my grocery store across the street had some but it can be a little hard to find. To make this salad, you need Bibb or butter lettuce as there are so few ingredients; the type of lettuce used makes a real difference. Other things to pick up at the store: chives, tarragon, parsley, shallots, lemons, and Dijon mustard (I’m assuming the other dressing ingredients you’ll have in your pantry). The dish comes together very quickly. All you need to do is wash and separate the Bibb lettuce, finely chop the herbs, and cut the shallot whichever way you want. Combine these ingredients in a large salad bowl and turn your attention to the dressing.

Now, this is the moment when I urge you to make your own salad dressing from here on out. It is so easy, and once you buy the staple ingredients, you rarely need to purchase anything else for it. For such a low effort, you get a high reward. This dressing is super simple - olive oil, red wine vinegar, juice of one or two lemons, salt, pepper, a good spoonful of dijon, and agave. This is a typical base that I use over and over again. I never measure anything out but stick to some essential guidelines: 1:1 ratio for oil to acid, and if it tastes too cloying, add more agave, which brings out the punchiness. You can add anything to it to spice it up a bit: garlic, other herbs, parmesan, more or less mustard, balsamic instead of red wine vinegar — really, the possibilities are endless. For this specific dressing, I go a bit heavier on the dijon and acidity as I want the salad to cut through all the richness of our other dishes in the meal. Once you’re ready to serve, just drizzle it on the salad and toss. It’s really that simple.

I was sold on this salad from the first bite. It was delicious and the perfect interlude between the soup and steak. What I also love about it is that it is so easily customizable. You can add tomatoes, cucumbers, shaved radishes, avocado, or anything else you want while keeping the same amazing flavor and lightness. The Bibb lettuce with the vibrant herbs keeps the salad fresh and light, while the tangy dressing burns your lips slightly, returning you for more. Liam begged me to add it to our weekly rotation, and with that, I knew I had a winner. If any of you end up making it, please let me know how you like it!