Alabama Salad with Cucumber Skin Green Goddess Dressing
Kelsey Barnard Clark, a Top Chef winner and an Alabama native, says there is a standard salad in the South, and if you’ve been here, you know what she’s talking about. It is the start of every steakhouse, fine dining, banquet or mother-in-law’s dinner. Iceberg lettuce, bacon bits, shredded Cheddar cheese, croutons and a single mealy cherry tomato, all heavily doused in ranch. The timeless, consistent salad bar salad. While Kelsey has developed a taste for more robust greens, she still has a nostalgic fondness for this Southern staple. She’s revamped it to add flavor, and at her restaurant KBC in Dothan, Alabama, they top it with sautéed shrimp or snapper. Judge all you want, she says—it’s pretty damn good, y’all.
Ingredients
For the cucumber skin green goddess dressing:
- Skins from 1 cucumber (see below)
- 1 cup (8 oz./240 g) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./120 g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) roughly chopped onion
- 1/4 cup (1/4 oz./5 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3 Tbs. fresh dill fronds
- 1 Tbs. white vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp. celery salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (2 to 4 fl. oz./60 to 120 ml) buttermilk
- Salt
For the salad:
- 1 cucumber, peeled and skins reserved for dressing (see above)
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 4 cups (23 oz./720 g) cubed French bread
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./240 ml) olive oil
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 3 cups (14 1/2 oz./450 g) cherry tomatoes, halved vertically
- 5 cooked bacon slices, chopped
- 1/2 cup (2 oz./55 g) shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup (3/4 oz./25 g) slivered green onion
- 10 to 15 turns freshly ground pepper
Directions
To make the dressing, in a food processor, combine the cucumber skins, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, parsley, dill, white vinegar, garlic clove, pepper and celery salt. While processing, slowly and sparingly add the buttermilk until the dressing is completely smooth and thin enough to drizzle but not as thin as water. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Set aside.
To make the salad, cut the cucumber into half-moons. In a small bowl, toss the slices with the apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside. Drain before using.
Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the bread with 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./120 ml) of the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake until toasted and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
Cut the lettuce into 4 to 6 large wedges. Assemble the salad on a large platter or individually on salad plates, with a wedge on each plate, as follows: lettuce wedge, tomatoes, cucumber slices, bacon, croutons and Parmesan. Drizzle heavily with the cucumber skin green goddess dressing, then the remaining 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./120 ml) olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Garnish with the green onion and pepper. Serves 4 to 6.
Adapted from Southern Grit by Kelsey Barnard Clark (Chronicle Books, 2021).