Arugula Salad with Lemon and Parmesan
Peppery baby arugula tossed in a bright, simple lemon and olive oil dressing, then topped with shaved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Ready in 15 minutes and perfect beside pasta, roast chicken, or pizza.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 4 min
- Wait
- 3 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Makes
- 4 side salads (about 2 cups / 60 g each)
Steps
Before you start
- Wash and thoroughly dry the arugula; wet leaves dilute the dressing and wilt quickly.
- Use a block of Parmesan (not pre-grated) so you can shave thin, wide curls.
- Dress the salad only right before serving; arugula wilts within minutes once dressed.
- Taste your lemon juice: very tart lemons may need a pinch more salt or a tiny drizzle of honey.
Toast the pine nuts
- Set a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the pine nuts and cook, shaking the pan or stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Tip them onto a plate right away to stop the cooking.
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Ready when: Nuts are light golden brown with a nutty aroma, with a few darker spots.
Tip: Pine nuts go from golden to burnt in seconds because of their high oil content. Don't walk away.
Zest and juice lemon
- Using a fine grater, zest the lemon to get 1 teaspoon of zest.
- Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of juice through a small strainer to catch the seeds.
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Ready when: You have 1 teaspoon of fragrant zest and 3 tablespoons of seed-free juice.
Tip: Zest the lemon before cutting it; a whole lemon is much easier to grate.
Whisk the dressing
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking with a fork or whisk for about 30 seconds.
- Taste on a piece of arugula and adjust with a pinch more salt or pepper.
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Ready when: Dressing looks slightly thickened and cloudy (emulsified) and tastes bright with a balanced tang.
Tip: The dressing should taste a little punchy on its own; it will mellow when spread over the greens.
Shave the Parmesan
- Hold the block of Parmigiano-Reggiano firmly and pull a Y-shaped vegetable peeler down its flat side, pressing lightly, to make wide thin curls until you have about 2 oz (55 g).
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Curls are thin, wide, and hold together rather than crumbling.
Tip: Cheese that is cool but not ice-cold shaves most cleanly; let it sit out for 10 minutes if it crumbles.
Let pine nuts cool
- Leave the toasted pine nuts on the plate for about 3 minutes so they crisp up and stop cooking from residual heat.
- Meanwhile, put the dry arugula in a large bowl.
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Ready when: Pine nuts are no longer hot to the touch.
Toss and serve
- Right before serving, drizzle about three-quarters of the dressing over the arugula.
- Toss gently with your hands or salad tongs for 10 to 15 seconds, just until the leaves are lightly glossy.
- Taste a leaf and add more dressing only if needed.
- Divide among 4 plates, then top with the Parmesan curls and pine nuts.
- Finish with a little extra black pepper if you like.
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Ready when: Leaves are lightly and evenly coated, still perky and bright green, with no pooling dressing in the bowl.
Tip: Add the cheese and nuts after tossing so they stay crisp and don't sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Good to know
Tips
- Dry the greens very well; even a little water keeps the dressing from clinging and makes the salad soggy.
- Use a good extra-virgin olive oil; with so few ingredients, its flavor really shows.
- Dress lightly. Start with three-quarters of the dressing, since you can add more but can't take it away.
- Add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes or thinly sliced fennel for a heartier salad.
Make ahead
"Whisk the dressing up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate in a sealed jar; let it come to room temperature and shake well. Toast the pine nuts up to 2 days ahead and store airtight at room temperature. Shave the Parmesan up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate covered. Toss everything together only at serving time."
Storage & reheating
Best eaten immediately. Undressed arugula keeps in the fridge in a container lined with a paper towel for up to 2 days. Leftover dressed salad will wilt and keeps only about 2 hours at room temperature or until the next day in the fridge (soft, but still edible). Dressing keeps in the fridge for 4 days. Do not freeze; no reheating needed.
Substitutions
- pine nuts → sliced almonds or chopped walnuts. Toast the same way; almonds take about 3 minutes, walnuts about 4. Use the same amount.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano → Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano. Pecorino is saltier and sharper, so reduce the salt in the dressing to a pinch.
- baby arugula → half arugula and half baby spinach or butter lettuce. This softens the peppery bite for those who find arugula too sharp.
- fresh lemon juice → white wine vinegar. Use 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) vinegar with 1½ tablespoons water and skip the zest for a milder tang.
