Have you ever heard of a salad board? Nope, me neither, until recently, but I love this idea. For a salad board, you basically make a huge salad ahead of time, put it on a massive board in the middle of the table and it becomes a salad bar without those gross sneeze guards.
The dinner star: the gorgeous board
No flowers needed – the food is the centerpiece!
The table should be fun and casual, and not “too set.” Everyone is going to be grabbing from the middle of the table, which is the idea, so make sure you have plenty of utensils.
Hand-written name cards add a personal touch
My kitchen island was the setting for this dinner. Everyone usually hangs out in the kitchen anyway, so why not have dinner in there too? I love the color contrast between a white table and dark plates, so I used my set from Crate & Barrel. They have an irregular edge, which gives a cool, earthy vibe. A welcoming hand-written place card lets your guests know you’ve reserved a spot just for them.
Set a casual table
Casual table setting on the kitchen island – Palmer approved
For this dinner, I made an easy roasted salmon, and surrounded it with colorful veggies; blanched purple asparagus, halved cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, haricots vert, hard-boiled eggs, heirloom carrot shavings, purple potatoes, and arugula.
To top the salad, I whipped up my favorite quick dressing: 2 T. lemon juice, 1 T. dijon mustard and 1/8 c. olive oil.
On the side, this stunning salad board was accompanied by grilled bread, lemon wedges, pesto and individual salt & pepper shakers which allowed my guests to customize their salads. A crisp rosé was perfect with this dinner. When isn’t a rosé perfect, really?
Be creative with your salad board: Anything goes!
Keep your sides colorful for a beautiful presentation
There are a ton of ideas for salads, so pick your favorite and add or delete as your taste desires. You could do a Italian chopped salad, a California chicken cobb, a Mexican spicy shrimp, etc. I found my wooden board from Urbana, a favorite local home decor & design store. Vintage home stores in your area may have a good supplier. Tyler Florence sells a line of beautiful boards specifically for this: Tyler Florence Salad Boards. Or, if you’re good at DIY, you could easily make your own by finding an inexpensive piece of wood from your local lumber yard and sanding it down for a smooth finish.
Happy Salad Boarding!
[…] simple and perfect oven roasted salmon was a big hit at my Salad Board Dinner Party! Salmon is so easy (and fast!) to cook and everyone always loves […]