A Fresh Green Starter, Dressed with Herbs

Some sauces need cooking. This one doesn’t. The Full Feast Herbal Sauce already carries everything a good dressing needs — fresh herbs, acidity, a little garlic and onion depth, and that clean Caribbean brightness. So all I do is loosen it with lemon and oil, and let the greens do the rest.

This is the kind of starter I put out when people arrive: crisp Little Gem and chicory, ripe avocado, a scatter of cucumber and spring onion. It reads lighter and more premium than a heavy peanut-style dressing, and it comes together in the time it takes to pour a glass of rosé.

Recipe at a glance

• Cuisine: French Caribbean
• Prep: 15 minutes • No cooking
• Serves: 4 (as a starter)
• Featured sauce: Full Feast Fresh Herbal Sauce
• Heat level: No heat — fresh and herby
• Diet: Vegetarian and gluten free (vegan if you leave out the honey)

What you’ll need

For the salad:

• 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated
• 1 head chicory, leaves separated
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, stoned, cut into chunks
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• ½ cucumber, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp Full Feast Herbal Sauce
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey (optional)
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch sea salt (only if needed)
• 1 tsp lemon juice, extra, for tossing the avocado

Method

1. Prep the avocado. Cut the avocados into chunks and toss immediately with the extra teaspoon of lemon juice to stop them browning. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the Herbal Sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, honey and black pepper until smooth and pourable. The sauce is already seasoned, so taste before adding the pinch of sea salt.
3. Build the salad. Arrange the Little Gem and chicory leaves in a large shallow dish. Scatter over the avocado chunks and sliced cucumber.
4. Finish and serve. Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad and sprinkle with the chopped spring onions. Serve immediately.

Chef’s notes

The Herbal Sauce carries herbs, acidity, and garlic and onion depth on its own — that’s why this reads lighter and more premium than a heavier dressing. It’s vegetarian and gluten free as written, and vegan if you leave out the honey.

To turn it into a signature main course, add grilled prawns, smoked salmon, mango slices or grilled chicken strips.

Final word from me

Good greens don’t need much. A ripe avocado, a sharp dressing, and a little patience with how you lay it on the plate. Serve it cold, serve it first, and let it set the tone for everything that follows.

JP