Wo-zydeco Salad Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine and red leaf lettuce. Chop the romaine into bite-size pieces and tear the red leaf into similar-size pieces. Place both in a large salad bowl. Add the shredded green and purple cabbage and toss gently to combine.

Prep vegetables: halve the cherry tomatoes, seed and thinly slice the cucumber, thinly slice the red bell pepper, and drain the corn if using canned. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, corn, sliced green onions, and pickled okra or chopped dill pickles to the bowl with the greens. Toss gently to distribute.

Cook and prepare proteins: If the andouille sausage is uncooked, slice and pan-sear over medium heat for 4–6 minutes until browned; drain on paper towels. If using pre-cooked sausage, simply slice and warm briefly if desired. If shrimp are raw, sauté 8 oz of peeled shrimp in 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side until opaque; cool. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs. Add the sliced sausage, cooked shrimp, quartered eggs, crumbled cheddar, and toasted pecans to the salad bowl, arranging them on top of the greens or tossing gently according to your presentation preference.

Make the vinaigrette

In a medium bowl or jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, creole or whole grain mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, minced garlic, chopped parsley, chopped green onion, salt, and black pepper. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning—add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce if desired. If the dressing is too sharp, add an additional 1/2 tsp honey or another teaspoon of olive oil.

Chill briefly: For best flavor, let the dressing rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld, or refrigerate up to 1 hour. If refrigerated, whisk or shake again before using.

Dress the salad: Drizzle about half the Zydeco Creole Vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss to coat all components. Add more dressing to taste—reserve any extra dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Plate and garnish: Divide the salad among 4 plates or bowls. Sprinkle extra chopped parsley and toasted pecans over each portion. Place a lemon wedge at the side of each plate for squeezing over the salad just before eating.

Serve immediately so the greens remain crisp. Leftovers: store components separately (dressing and toppings apart from greens) to maintain texture; assembled leftovers will keep 1 day in the refrigerator.