A Classic American Iceberg Wedge Salad Takes a Trip to the Mediterranean
When we see the beautiful words “wedge salad” on a menu, our order can’t be placed fast enough. And this Mediterranean wedge, it’s what dreams are made of! We took everything we love about a classic iceberg wedge salad, let our minds wander to the azure waters of the Mediterranean coastline and this salad was born. Crisp, cool iceberg lettuce, salty olives, and tart pickled red onions, topped with a creamy feta dressing make for a salad recipe that you’ll be craving all the time. We truly cannot think of anything more delicious to enjoy on a beautiful summer evening, or of a more perfect partner for just about anything you’d cook on a grill. Steak, salmon, chicken skewers—really, it pairs well with just about anything.
What Is an Iceberg Wedge Salad?
A classic iceberg wedge salad is a recipe with some history. It’s an iconic staple of dimly-lit, red-boothed mid-century-chic steakhouse restaurants. It’s as cool and refreshing as a 3-martini lunch, sans hangover. The recipe for a traditional wedge salad is deceptively easy. Just crisp iceberg lettuce, chunky blue cheese dressing, and (often) bacon, avocado and chives to garnish. Even a mediocre wedge salad hits the spot, but to eat a great one is to fall in love for life. There’s blue cheese dressing and then there’s really, really great blue cheese dressing—with big pieces of blue cheese and plenty of buttermilk tang. Iceberg wedge salads are a funny combination of light—it’s a salad, after all—and really, really indulgent. They’re satisfying, but never overly-filling. In a word, perfection.
What Makes This Wedge Salad Recipe Mediterranean?
We’ve swapped some of the classic wedge salad ingredients for some of their mediterranean counterparts. Instead of bacon, briny olives. Instead of avocado, creamy-cool cucumbers, and instead of blue cheese crumbles, lots and lots of salty feta cheese. Here’s what you’ll need to make this salad sing:
Cherry tomatoes
Pitted greek olives
Feta (and feta dressing, too! More on that in a minute.)
Cucumbers
Pickled red onions
Iceberg lettuce
Feta dressing
A Different Take On Iceberg Salad Dressing: Creamy Feta Dressing
Feta
Heavy cream
Lemon juice
Chives
Garlic
Dill
Sour cream
Champagne vinegar
How Do You Eat an Iceberg Wedge Salad?
This might be one of the things we love most about all wedge salad recipes—and this Mediterranean version is no exception. You serve it whole. Well, quartered. And not only does this mean that prep is about as easy as can be, it also means that wedge salads are fun to eat. They feel like a real knife-and-fork affair, which always makes a salad feel just a little dressed up, you know? A little restaurant-y. But, of course, an iceberg lettuce-based salad can only ever be so “pinkies-up”, so things don’t ever get annoyingly prissy. Just good fun with a knife-and-fork!
How to Make a Wedge Salad
Making wedge salads is really more of a process of assembly rather than cooking. They’re kind of all about the dressing, too, so as long as you nail the wedge salad dressing—and with this feta dressing, you cannot go wrong—you’re in good shape. Here’s your plan of action for making this Mediterranean wedge salad recipe:
A day or two ahead of time: make the pickled red onions. Caution! They are really good, and really easy. You’ll be wanting to eat them on everything.
Up to a few hours ahead of time: whisk together the feta dressing.
When you’re hungry and ready to eat: cut the iceberg lettuce into four wedges. Grill the wedges if you want, and lay them on plates.
Top with all of the goodies, the dressing and the pickled onions. Serve!
Tools You’ll Need
More Refreshing Green Salad Recipes to Try
Let The Salad Days Begin!
Dining al fresco is the peak of luxury, as far as we’re concerned. It’s such a beautiful feeling to gather around good food on a summer night, and this wedge salad recipe is ideal for serving to friends. It’s a little special, but still so easy to make. We really hope you try it! And if you do, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
