7 salads from another planet in Madrid for those looking for something more than a mixed one

Revised classics, with ‘premium’ products, with exotic sauces… these proposals leave no one indifferent

Lettuce, tomato and onion. It is normal that this trilogy is seen more than the first of ‘Star Wars’ or ‘The Lord of the Rings’. This combination, washed down with oil, vinegar and salt, has been the hegemonic salad for decades in homes and restaurants..

In recent years, recipes and possibilities have grown like foam but there are always proposals that, thanks to one ingredient or several, manage to stand out above the rest. Here are seven salads that you can try in Madrid and that are surprising. Much.

1. Riverita zucchini carpaccio salad

Outside the lettuce, inside the zucchini. If a few years ago it was unthinkable to take this vegetable raw, in the newly opened Riverita tavern (Ponzano, 31) they cut it in the form of ‘carpaccio’ and they use it as the base of a salad in which two types of tomato coexist (natural and semi-dry), Parmesan cheese flakes, dried fruit and the house vinaigrette. Delicious, full of texture contrasts and very refreshing.

2. Smoked sardine salad with pink tomato and Manchego cheese foam from Casa Mories

Award Winner for best salad made with extra virgin olive oil from Castilla-La Mancha at the last World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE), it is proof that creativity has no limits even when it comes to cold dishes. In this case, the pink tomatothe smoked sardine and one PDO manchego cheese foam come together in a magical combination. The final touch is put by an oil of the cornicabra variety from the DO Montes de Toledo.

3. Papuan Grilled Chicken Roll Caesar Salad

Yes one Caesar salad There is nothing new about it, but it is in the version of the Papúa restaurant (Plaza de Colón, 4). In one of the fashionable restaurants in Madrid, they serve ready to eat by handin a nod to ‘finger food’ in which the chicken -roast, in this case- is wrapped with lettuce as a ‘saam’ and the bread is presented in the form of an elongated peak. There is no lack of bacon or Parmesan, of course.

4. Urrechu Velázquez’s lobster salad

A Inigo UrrechuIf it didn’t exist, it would have to be invented. Few chefs like him, with an excellent track record spanning several decades, are still as fresh as the first day. Going to Urrechu Velázquez (Velázquez, 150) is meeting a refined proposal that, despite sounding traditional, is insultingly modern in the hands of the Biscayan chef. Or should we say timeless? The lobster salad on truffled spring onion and with its coral vinaigrette is a dish that is a celebration in itself. And it’s just a starter: imagine what comes next.

5. BIBo ‘bimi’ and ‘kale’ salad

In the informal restaurant of Dani García (Paseo de la Castellana, 52) ‘comfort food’ alternates with an ode to the product and the taste for following the latest gastronomic trends. The latter is noticeable to the league in the salad of ‘bimi’ -a hybrid between broccoli and Chinese cabbage- and ‘kale’ -that ‘hipster’ relative of cabbage- with a dressing based on mustard and flower honey, along with peanuts and sesame. Perfect for those looking for new ingredients.

6. Zuma’s watercress salad with avocado and ‘wasabi’

7. The ‘burrata’, ‘muhammara’ and ‘raf’ tomato salad from the Moemia tavern

Although the ‘muhammara’originally from Syria, is often served as dipping sauce, at the Moemia tavern (Avenida de los Andes, 8) they present it crowning a ‘burrata’ and ‘raf’ tomato salad. In this restaurant, the ‘muhammara’ It is made by roasting peppers to which cumin powder, garlic, sweet paprika from La Vera, walnuts and semi-dried tomatoes are added.. All this mixture is crushed and sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil are added. Pure concentrated flavor.

Revised classics, with ‘premium’ products, with exotic sauces… these proposals leave no one indifferent