My wreath salad is an easy, festive salad platter that doubles as a fresh, modern centerpiece for brunches and spring entertaining.
A spring wreath salad takes no more effort than a regular salad, and wow what an impact!
You know you’re going to make a salad, so why not make it pretty? This simple technique makes a wreath shaped salad so easy using the same ingredients. Anchored by a little jar of creamy basil buttermilk dressing it brings a bit of joy to the table.
How to make a spring wreath salad
I adore my Holiday Appetizer Wreath during the holidays, but this idea is just perfect for spring.
THE PLATTER: Choose a large flat round plate or platter and set a small bowl upside down in the center. My platter is 12″ and serves 4.
THE GREENS: Pile lettuce and other greens onto the platter, around the little bowl.
For spring I like to use a mix of spring greens and micro-greens.
THE EXTRAS: Start to scatter your other ingredients over the greens. I use:
red onion, cucumber, radishes, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and hard cooked eggs.
THE GARNISH: Garnish with edible flowers like pansies.
THE VOILA MOMENT: Remove the bowl to reveal your wreath!
THE DRESSING: Place a bowl of dressing in that center spot for serving.
Creamy basil buttermilk dressing
A little jar of creamy dressing in the center of your wreath salad allows people to help themselves.
Of course you can use whatever dressing you love. I just blended mayo, butter milk, fresh basil, lemon and salt to make mine. The buttermilk makes it light and pourable…not too heavy or creamy to weigh down the delicate greens.
Serving notes and making your wreath salad ahead
➡ My flat round platter is 12″ in diameter, and it will serve 4-6. (See similar here and slightly larger here.)
➡ Spring lettuces are very delicate and your wreath salad will wilt if left at room temperature too long (especially in a warm room.) Prep your ingredients ahead of time so you can simply assemble it shortly before serving.
➡ If you need your salad to stand at room temp for longer, use a sturdier lettuce like little gem, endive, radicchio, butter lettuce, romaine.
➡ If you’ve got the fridge space you can assemble the salad, wrap securely in plastic, and keep for up to several hours. Save the tomatoes, eggs, and flower garnish for just before serving.
8baby cucumbers (or 1 small Lebanese cucumber), sliced
10snap peas, sliced
4hard cooked eggs, halved
garnish
edible flowers, like pansies, violas, marigold or rose petals
flaky sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
make the dressing
Load the dressing ingredients into a small food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Give it a taste to see if you want to adjust anything. I usually add more lemon juice and salt.
the salad
Put a small bowl face down onto your large flat platter. Mound your greens onto the platter, around the bowl. I like to add my micro-greens on top of the lettuce.
Scatter the rest of the salad ingredients over the lettuce, starting with the diced onion and ending with the hard cooked eggs. There's no need to toss the salad, just arrange everything over the greens in an attractive way.
Carefully lift the center bowl out of the center of the salad. You'll be left with a wreath shape. Place the dressing, in a small bowl or jar, into the center spot. Be sure to include a small spoon with the dressing.
Garnish the salad with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Scatter a few edible flowers around the wreath, if you have them.
Serve right away, your spring greens will not keep well at room temperature. If you'd like to make this an hour or two ahead you can, just wrap in plastic and refrigerate. I don't like to refrigerate tomatoes, so I add them at the last minute.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Hey there ~ I'm Sue. I love to make delicious food, photograph it, and write about it, but mostly, I just love to EAT. Isn't that what it's all about? My recipes are creative, vibrant, and totally approachable no matter what your skill level. Let's grab a bite together!