Little Gem Salad With Garlicky Almond Dressing Recipe (2024)

After eating this I don’t think I can go back to any other dressing ever again.

In our house we call this a honeymoon salad because it’s “lettuce alone.”

Anything David Tanis comes up with becomes a go-to for me :-)

A note to my note: I would toss the almonds in at the last minute. Meant to mention that!

This works well made ahead. Just give it a good shake when you’re ready to eat : )

This is amazing. I ended up doubling the almonds and made the dressing into almost a paste. The smoky almond taste along with the tangy, sweet, sherry vinegar and pungent garlic result in a product greater than its parts. On the second night I added avocado chunks to the leaves which worked out brilliantly to add a creamy element.

I let them cool for 10 minutes or so after toasting, and then crush them up with a mortar and pestle. But simply using a knife and cutting board to chop them works too!

Wow! Wonderful. Easy and so delicious. Been in a long term salad rut so happy I found this. Followed exactly.

This salad is nice and simple! I used Romaine and some lettuce from the garden. I blended the almonds with the other ingredients in the dressing which made the dressing creamy and thick with and effect almost like a Caesar salad.

Are these blanched almonds or with the skins on ?

Maybe pine nuts?

I made it with arugula, baby gems, radicchio and endive. I added an avocado.Quite good!!

This salad was so good. I only had red wine vinegar on hand, so I added a little sugar to give it a touch of sweetness that the sherry vinegar would have. And I only had slivered almonds which toasted up pretty quickly and did the trick. Will definitely be making this again.

Tried swapping in cashews for almonds. Brilliantly rich and creamy- toasty, to the extent of possibly using red wine vinegar for sherry vinegar.

Terrible dressing. Way too much vinegar

I am about to making this evening. It seems so oily to me. Maybe we are just vinegar fanatics, but 3TB to 8TB in half a cup isn't much vinegar. I'm believing in the recipe and extremely positive comments this first time and going for it!

This was outstanding. As others commented the addition of avocado adds a note of creaminess which goes well with the assertive dressing. I will definitely make this again.

This salad is incredible! Among the very best I’ve had.

Delicious and so lovely to present but am I the only one that doesn’t want to use a knife eating salad? Optional, I know.

I had no almonds, so I used roasted, salted pistachios. I blended it in the mini-food processor, including the pistachios. Added some chopped pistachios on the salad just before serving. My husband said it was the best dressing ever! Yum!!

Simple. Great.

Delicious! I could see adding big croutons to this. Endless possibilities to riff on. I made it with walnuts and hazelnuts because that’s what I had. I also added a bit of fruit flavored vinegar to round out the sharpness from the walnuts.

This dressing is excellent. My family and guest ate every bite of the salad and were even vying with each other to mop up the dressing from the empty bowl.

This is so good! This dressing has become my go-to for every salad, and I've also been putting it on steamed green beans. Highly recommend.

A wonderful salad for Holiday meals or guests or any time when you want salad but don't have time to do a lot of chopping. The robust flavor and slight crunch of the dressing together with the beauty of small, multi colored Gem Lettuces (if available) makes this a standout salad.

I made it with arugula, baby gems, radicchio and endive. I added an avocado.Quite good!!

Best dressing ever! Sometimes use white balsamic vinegar, some times add som Mikes Hot honey. So good!

Love this. Also suggest adding some lemon juice, the acid is great!

I added shallots to the dressing as well which was delish! the shallots pickled and added another tangy element which was well received by everyone I served it to! Will make again (soon).