What makes a classic summer salad shine at a backyard potluck? Visuals! Begin with a large low bowl because it’s easier to see the color and textures, tosses evenly to distribute dressing, and guests have access to ingredients. Taste! Use fresh and seasonal produce. Balance sweet, sour, salt and heat with umami depth. Include an element of surprise, something unexpected but perfect to make it memorable.

#1 Coleslaw:

Salting and a Touch of Sugar

Cabbage slaws often turn into limp watery messes with a bland mayo swirling around, but you can solve the problem by taking the time to salt and drain the cabbage, drawing most of the liquid out before adding the dressing. Add 2 tablespoons sugar with the salt to both wilt and season the cabbage and give you a pickle crisp base to build your favorite flavors on.

For two pounds of shredded cabbage—red, white or a mix: mix in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let it sit in a colander for an hour, then press out the juices. No need to rinse. I like to add a light dressing with plenty of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, a touch of oil, more salt if needed, and freshly ground pepper. Try adding something fun like toasted walnuts, poppy seeds and currants.

#2 Potato Salad:

Slice Potatoes and Pass on the Mayo

Use unpeeled red potatoes which hold their shape, and instead of cutting them into chunks, slice as you would for scalloped potatoes, and then cut into quarters. Bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt and add the potatoes. When they reach the boiling point again, cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Scoop them out using a strainer/spider, run them under cold water and drain.

For five medium red potatoes try a dressing of—2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup salad oil, 2 teaspoons anchovy based fish sauce, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon sea salt.

From here, add what you like — pickles, green onions, and boiled eggs. Remember that potatoes need plenty of time to soak in the dressing, even overnight. Always taste your salads before serving because cold foods usually need an extra boost of salt and sour before serving.

Use fresh herbs like dill, parsley or tarragon. Instead of boiling try roasting the potatoes with garlic, lemon and olive oil.

#3 Kale Salad:

Skip the Massage and Blanch Instead

Instead of massaging the kale, try blanching in boiling water until tender. This quickly breaks down the fibers, significantly reducing oxalate content and keeps the kale bright green. The blanching time depends on the kale. For tender overwintered kale it can be 1 ½ minutes, and for tough kale up to 4 or 5 minutes. I like to pull out a piece and taste it, just like for pasta. Run the finished kale under cold water and use a salad spinner or towels to dry it completely.

A kale salad also needs several hours to soak in a dressing, and love lots of goodies like—pepita seeds, toasted almonds or pistachios, sliced figs and black pepper.

Quimper Kale Salad

Serves 4-6

2 big bunches of curly or red Russian kale, tender is best, remove the stems, cut fine—chiffonade into small pieces. (You can also use a mix of kale and sprouting broccoli, blanch both until tender.)

1 teaspoon sea salt for the water

1 cup fresh basil leaves, briefly blanched and cut fine    

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup pepita seeds

½ cup grated parmesan cheese 

Dressing

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon Korean red chili flakes (Gochugaru) or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne 

1 teaspoon fermented black beans, or dark miso

1 teaspoon runny honey

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon anchovy fish sauce    

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, I used homemade tarragon apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons avocado oil, or olive oil

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add 1 teaspoon sea salt.

• In a small food processor, blend the dressing together.

• In batches, blanch the cut kale until just tender. Depending on the kale this could take from 1 ½ minutes to 5 minutes. Start timing when the water comes back to a boil after adding the kale. Use a skimmer/spider to remove the kale, submerging it in cold water. Spin the kale in a salad spinner after blanching until completely dry and add to a large salad bowl. (you may also need to dry the kale with a tea towel.)

• Blanch the whole basil leaves for 30 seconds, or until just wilted and chop fine. Mix the basil and scallions into the kale. 

• Add the dressing and toss. Sprinkle the pepitas and parmesan over the salad, taste and serve. 

Note: It gets better if allowed to marinate. Taste and add more salt and vinegar if needed, or a squeeze of lemon before serving.