Lettuce & Salad Greens — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Lettuce & Salad Greens is a vegetables available in New Zealand during September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, peaking in October, November, December, January. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy lettuce & salad greens, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
NZ grows lettuce almost year-round but it bolts (goes bitter) in hot weather. Best in spring and autumn.
How to pick a good one
Crisp, vibrant, no browning. Whole heads last longer than bags. Cos and butter lettuce have more flavour than iceberg.
How to store it
Wash, dry thoroughly, wrap in tea towel, fridge. Lasts up to a week.
Goes well with
lemon dressing: Acid brightens lettuce and makes the green taste more intensely of green. Lettuce is mild enough that dressing is not optional -- it does the flavour work the leaf cannot do alone.
anchovy: Anchovy's intense savoury flavour cuts through lettuce's watery mildness. Caesar salad exists because of this pairing's ability to make a very boring vegetable interesting.
avocado: Avocado's creaminess and fat sit well against lettuce's crunch and water content. The textural contrast is as important as the flavour.
radish: Radish's peppery bite gives lettuce a flavour contrast it cannot provide itself. The colour contrast is also excellent.
Recipes
Caesar Salad
The salad people actually want to eat.
Ingredients: 1 cos lettuce, 3 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic (minced), 2 anchovy fillets (mashed), parmesan, croutons
Method: Tear lettuce. Whisk mayo, lemon, garlic, anchovy. Toss with lettuce. Top with shaved parmesan and croutons.
Lettuce Cups (San Choy Bau)
Quick, fresh, fun to eat.
Ingredients: 1 butter lettuce, 300g mince, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 carrot (finely diced), 2 spring onions, water chestnuts (optional)
Method: Fry mince until browned. Add diced carrot, sauces, sesame oil. Cook 3 min. Spoon into lettuce leaves. Top with spring onion.
Butter Lettuce with Simple Vinaigrette
When you want to taste the lettuce.
Ingredients: 1 butter lettuce, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, pinch sugar, salt
Method: Whisk dressing ingredients. Gently tear lettuce. Dress lightly. Eat immediately.
Nutrition
One cup of cos (romaine) provides 80% of your daily vitamin K, 40% of your vitamin A, and 15% of your folate. Only 8 calories. The darker the leaves, the more nutritious: cos has 10x the vitamin A of iceberg. Iceberg lettuce is essentially crunchy water. Choose cos, butter, or oak leaf for actual nutrition.