3 Savage Salads recipes you should try at home this summer

As the duo behind Savage Salads launch their new cookbook, they share three of their best summer recipes
Kim Lightbody
Gabby Martin3 August 2016

Davide Del Gatto and Kristina Gustafsson, better known as Savage Salads, have been bringing healthy and robust salad options to London street food markets for a while now.

In June this year they released their first cookbook Savage Salads: Fierce Flavours, Filling Power-Ups.

From asparagus with poached egg to seared tuna fillet via stuffed courgette flowers, these will make you re-think the humble salad.

1. Asparagus, poached egg yolk, radish, pecorino & speck

Steamed asparagus & egg yolk salad
Press

Spring is the perfect time to eat delicate asparagus. There are many ways to use these tender stalks but we love them grilled or steamed in salads. In this recipe we steam the asparagus so it’s still crunchy – the soft poached egg yolk acts almost as a dressing once you break it over the finished dish, and the speck and pecorino add a salty finish. This dish is great for brunch, as well as lunch.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

150g/5½ oz Italian speck, rind removed

100g/3½ oz pecorino

12 asparagus spears

4 large eggs

1 tbsp vegetable oil

150g/5½ oz red radishes

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Make sure the speck and pecorino are both at room temperature, as this will allow the full flavours of these key ingredients to be enjoyed at their best.

Trim about 2.5–5cm/1–2in off the bottom of the asparagus (this should be where the stalks would naturally snap if bent in half), then place them in a steamer set over a pan of boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes, or until just tender.

Meanwhile, to make the poached egg yolk, bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil. Separate the eggs, then very carefully slide a spoon under the yolks, one by one. Gently put them into the pan of water and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the outside of the yolk is firm (the centre should still be soft). Remove them carefully from the water with a slotted spoon and leave in a warm place while you make the salad.

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat until hot. Chop the speck into small 5mm/¼ in dice and put in the hot pan and fry for 1–2 minutes until crisp. Remove and put the speck into a large bowl. Finely slice the radishes (a Japanese mandolin is very useful for this) and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the asparagus and add to the bowl too.

Whisk the vinegar with the olive oil and dress the salad. Season to taste and arrange on serving plates. Finely shave the pecorino over the top and add a warm egg yolk.

2. Seared tuna fillet, cherry tomatoes, capers, red onion, basil & croutons

Tuna fillet & crouton salad
Press

The tomato salad here takes inspiration from a classic Italian dish called panzanella. It’s a Tuscan salad with tomato and bread and it’s a seasonal mainstay at our stall. We love it with red onion, capers and basil – it’s perfect with fresh tuna, but also good as a little side dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ loaf unsliced white bread

100ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

150g/5 ½ oz cherry tomatoes

30g/1oz basil, chopped

1 tbsp small capers

½ red onion, very finely diced

30ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

3 red (bell) peppers

4 tuna fillets, about 200g/7oz each

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2016 cookbooks

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Method:

First, make the panzanella. Preheat the oven to 120C/250F/gas mark ½ Stale bread is best for making croutons. Cut the bread into roughly 1cm/½ in cubes and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour, or until the bread is completely dry. Remove from the oven and drizzle the croutons with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and leave to cool.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them in a large bowl with the croutons, basil, capers and red onion. Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil, mix well, add the sea salt and set aside. The tomatoes need time to macerate and the croutons need to soak up a good deal of the liquid.

Preheat the grill to high. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and cook, skin-side up, under the hot grill for about 15 minutes until they char and soften. Most of the skin will lift away from the peppers, so discard the bits that are easy to remove, but leaving a little gives a nice smoky edge to the flavour. Cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper and brush with a little vegetable oil. Place them into the hot pan and sear each side for about 40 seconds to 1 minute. Don’t be tempted to add extra oil to the pan as they will be too difficult to handle and will overcook. When cooked, remove and cut into 5mm/ ¼ in slices, then arrange on plates with the panzanella and peppers.

Dressing suggestion: Basil and rocket pesto

This is our take on the classic basil pesto with the addition of rocket for a lovely peppery taste. The best way to make this is to roughly chop everything by hand rather than blitzing it all in a blender. Make sure you add the rocket (and keep tasting) as you go along, as some types are more peppery than others and it can easily overpower the basil. It’s quick and easy to make and tastes a lot better than the ones you buy in a jar. If you have any left over, cover it with olive oil and put in the fridge – it will keep for a week.

Approximately 4 servings

Ingredients:

20g/¾ oz/2 tbsp pine nuts

30g/1oz rocket (arugula)

30g/1oz basil

30g/1oz/2 tbsp parmesan, grated

1 garlic clove

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a low heat for 5–10 minutes, turning the nuts frequently until they are golden-brown. Remove the pan from the heat.

Chop all the dry ingredients very finely, including the toasted pine nuts, then place in a bowl and mix together with the olive oil.

Grate in the parmesan and season to taste.

3. Ricotta and sultana stuffed courgette flowers, watercress, black sesame seeds

Stuffed courgette flower salad
Press

In Italy this is an alternative fritto misto (fried fish) dish for vegetarians. The trick to making this dish work is getting the batter and the temperature of the oil right. The batter can be made with beer instead of soda water (though soda water is a lighter option). Either way, this might not be the healthiest option in the book, but it’s a great little salad and it’s truly delicious.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

70g/2½ oz/½ cup plain (all-purpose) flour

30g/1oz/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Pinch of bicarbonate of

Soda (baking soda)

1 egg

200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup chilled soda water

50g/1¾ oz/¼ cup sultanas (golden raisins)

350g/12oz/1½ cups ricotta

Grated zest and half the

Juice of 1 lemon

8 courgette (zucchini) flowers

1 large courgette (zucchini)

1 tbsp vegetable oil,

plus extra for deepfrying

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deepfrying

90g/3¼ oz watercress

2 tsp black sesame seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

First, make the batter. Sift both flours and the bicarbonate of soda together. Add a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Break the egg into the bowl and add the soda water. Whisk together quite briskly until it is a smooth batter. (Don’t worry if a few small lumps remain, this is preferable to overmixing). Cover and leave the batter in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Soak the sultanas in a heatproof bowl of freshly boiled water for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water. Put the ricotta into a bowl, add the sultanas, lemon zest, a few drops of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, then give everything a good mix.

Cut a cross shape into the base of the courgette flower where it was originally attached to the courgette: this will allow it to cook more quickly in the fryer. Carefully prise open the petals of each courgette flower and spoon in the mixture, being careful not to overfill them. You need to be able to close the flower back up afterwards. Gently twist the ends of the petals together to close them.

Top and tail the large courgette, cut in half widthways and then slice each half lengthways into ribbons. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over a high heat, add the courgette ribbons and stir-fry them very quickly. This should take no more than 2 minutes.

When the ribbons are done and nicely coloured, put them into a bowl with the remaining lemon juice and the extra-virgin olive oil, then season to taste. Don’t worry if the courgette ribbons are still a little firm, they will soften more as they cool.

Using a deep-fat fryer or a deep saucepan, heat enough vegetable oil for deep-frying to 180C/350F.

Remove the batter from the fridge, give it another quick stir and dip 2 or 3 courgette flowers at a time (depending on how many will fit in your fryer). Carefully lower them into the hot oil and deep-fry for 3–4 minutes, turning them occasionally. Lift them out with a slotted metal spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Continue until all the flowers are cooked.

Toss the courgette ribbons together with the watercress and arrange on serving plates with 2 deep-fried courgette flowers on top of each plate. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

London's best salads

1/10

Dressing suggestion: Citrus dressing

Citrus is a classic base for dressings. It’s simple but ideal in fruity salads or served with fish. Use orange, grapefruit or lime instead of lemon for an unusual twist.

Approx 4 servings

Ingredients:

50ml/2fl oz/scant ¼ cup lemon juice

150ml/5fl oz⁄2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until combined.

Savage Salads: Fierce flavours, Filling power-ups by Kristina Gustafsson and Davide Del Gatto, with photography by Kim Lightbody (Frances Lincoln, £16.99), is out now.

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