I have been a fan of shaved salads ever since I had my first plateful at a Brooklyn neighborhood restaurant called Frankies 457 Spuntino many years ago. It was a pale but flavor-packed combination of thinly sliced raw ingredients, mostly fennel, red onion, and celery root — not a vegetable I had eaten uncooked before — lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon and scrapings of Parmesan. Not a single leaf of lettuce on the plate. It is a dish whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, knitted together by the tang of the lemon and earthy underpinning of cheese.
Since then, I have expanded my lineup of these salads to take advantage of what’s in the garden in the growing months or, during these last days of the late winter mud season, what is lying around in my produce drawer. The ingredients aren’t all strictly “shaved.” I use a variety of slicing tools, though a good sharp knife is really all you need. A mandoline works well for getting very thin slices of sturdier vegetables like celery root, cucumbers, cabbage, and onions; it also handles mushrooms well. Floppy ingredients such as parsley, scallions, or dill require chopping, while hard cheeses like Parmesan can be shaved with a vegetable peeler.
Keep the dressings simple: a squeeze of citrus and a drizzling of oil, to not distract from the delicate flavors of the raw ingredients, though any of the salads would be good with a swap of vinegar used sparingly.
I try to work with a theme. The Frankies fennel and celery root recipe is Italian-inspired, while the radish, cucumber, and salmon salad takes its notes from Scandinavia with the use of dill. The mushroom and cabbage salad is enlivened by two key ingredients of Chinese cooking: toasted sesame oil and minced ginger.
These easy salads invite improvisation, so make them according to what you have on hand. I’m not sure I have ever made a bad one. You can add different types of nuts, proteins such as shredded roast chicken (the store-bought rotisserie kind is perfect for this) or sliced ham, or various cheeses. Mainly, I aim for simplicity, especially during this time of spring awakening. It feels right to eat fresh raw vegetables as I move away from the grocery store shelves and back into my garden, where I can see the first shoots of overwintered herbs and even some holdover arugula just beginning to sprout.
These salads serve two people as a main, four as a side. The amounts are guidelines to what I consider ideal proportions; feel free to experiment. I never measure anything when I make them.
SHAVED RADISH AND CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SMOKED SALMON
I like to use walnut oil in this recipe for its light, nutty flavor, but olive oil also works nicely.
1 cup shaved radishes
1 cup shaved unpeeled cucumbers (I use the miniature seedless variety)
1 cup shaved fennel
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped dill
½ cup shredded hot-smoked salmon
Juice of one-half lemon
2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or olive oil)
Salt and pepper, allowing for the saltiness of the salmon
Lightly combine all the ingredients with the lemon and oil. Toss with a little salt and pepper and serve
SHAVED FENNEL AND CELERY ROOT SALAD
Slice the celery root as thinly as possible, as it can be a little tough when thick. Celery can be substituted if you don’t find celery root.
½ cup shaved red onion
Juice of one lemon
1 cup shaved fennel
1 cup shaved celery root
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup shaved Parmesan or pecorino Romano (shaved with a vegetable peeler)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper, allowing for the saltiness of the cheese
Pour the lemon juice over the red onion in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes or more so that the acid will lightly “cook” the onion — this will mellow its flavor. Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste. Toss and serve.
SHAVED MUSHROOM AND CABBAGE SALAD WITH SESAME OIL
I use Napa cabbage and cremini mushrooms, but other varieties will work just as well.
¾ cup sliced almonds
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 peeled carrots, shaved
3 medium celery sticks, shaved, with strings removed
1½ cup (about 8 oz.) shaved button or cremini mushrooms
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
1 to 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Salt and pepper
Lightly toast the almonds in a skillet for a few minutes, being careful not to burn them. Gently combine all the ingredients with the lime and oil, toss with a little salt and pepper, and serve.
