Butter Lettuce Salad with Castelvetrano Olives
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This Butter Lettuce Salad with Castelvetrano olives is simple yet elegant, perfect for dinner with friends or family. It also makes a great lunch paired with a bit of chicken, tuna, or another protein of choice.
A salad to steal the show.
My friend Kelsey brought this salad into my life, figuratively and literally, as she introduced me to the idea of pairing tender butter lettuce leaves with briny olives when she brought the salad to my house to accompany dinner one night. I have zero memory of what I served for a main or for dessert that night, but I absolutely remember being wowed by the salad! Buttery Panko, zippy chives, light dressing, it just all works.
She brought the greens topped with olives and cheese in a large bowl we could chill, and the toasted breadcrumbs, chives, and dressing separately packaged to add just before we ate. It was magical. Kelsey has since moved with her family overseas; since I can’t enjoy her dinner company at the moment, I’m channeling her innate goodness by recreating this salad instead. It’s not the same, but it eases the blow.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Olives: Origins
While I enjoy kitchen experiments, my real zone of genius is research and analysis, so in fascination I turned to cookbooks and the internet in hopes of learning more about this combination.
My initial thought was that this channeled the elegant entertaining vibes of The Silver Palate, but a search of their cookbook turned up nothing similar. Google, predictably, offered more leads. The earliest published post I uncovered of a similar salad is on For the Love of Cooking, which does appear to have been inspired simply by a long-ago grocery haul and fridge clean-out. Don’t you love when inspiration strikes like that, and is passed along for all to enjoy?
At least two other sites (one, two) have shared essentially the same mix more recently, and The Cheese Gal has another take that she adeptly describes as “the salad that had everyone talking.” I couldn’t agree more!
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
This is just an at-a-glance overview of the main things you’ll want to grab.
- Butter lettuce aka “butterhead”. This type of lettuce, a family that includes Bibb lettuce and Boston lettuce, is the kind typically sold in a full head with the roots still attached. It’s available year-round. The leaves are very tender and almost velvet-like, with a very mild, almost sweet taste.
- Pitted olives. You can toss these on whole or slice them in half, your choice.
- Cheese. Nutty, tangy Manchego is a match made in heaven for olives. Iberico or another crumbly Spanish cheese makes a good swap.
- Panko. These flaky breadcrumbs are divine toasted in a pat of butter. They make the whole salad feel elevated for the price of five minutes work.
- For the dressing: apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.
Pro Tip
Butter lettuce is also my favorite to use for lettuce wraps, like these filled with jerk chicken or these filled with Korean-style ground beef and extra veggies. If not torn, the leaves are a nice size to make little cups and naturally curl up around the fillings.
Castelvetrano Olives Stand Out
It’s easy to find food enthusiasts raving about the Castelvetrano olive. Apart from being fun to say, they stand out for having a mild, buttery flavor that can appeal to even the olive skeptics of the world. These rich green gems are substantial in texture, almost meaty, but somehow stay lightly crisp even when marinated and packed. Castelvetranos are sourced from southwestern Sicily and cherished both for table olives and olive oil production.
The only drawback is that Castelvetrano olives can be more difficult than others to source. I always stock up when at my hometown DeLallo market, but jars are typically available with a quick hunt through the jarred olive section at my big box grocers in Virginia, as well. And there’s always Amazon.
Make It a Lunch
This salad is equally at home as the base of a decidedly exciting lunch. My favorite thing is to make the salad exactly as is and add several ounces of well-drained tuna, which is satisfying and super easy to stock. I also like the salad with strips of grilled chicken — this lemon pepper marinade is light and complementary — or pieces of cold oven-roasted salmon.
Tips & Tricks for Success
Be gentle when drying the lettuce leaves. Tender butter lettuce leaves require a gentle touch after washing so as to not crush them. I like to lay the rinsed leaves out across a large, clean kitchen towel, then softly pat another clean towel on top.
Use a lettuce leaf to test the dressing. A super simple apple cider vinegar-honey vinaigrette dresses this fun mix of ingredients with flavor and little fuss. But every family will prefer a little more or less honey, salt, etc. The best way to test? Dip a clean lettuce leaf straight into the dressing, then sample. You’ll immediately sense how the dressing tastes to you in relation to the actual salad you’re about to eat, so you have a chance to make it more tangy (add more vinegar), sweet (more honey), or lively (more salt and pepper) to taste.
Dress just prior to serving. You can prep everything ahead of time, but be sure to wait on the dressing and breadcrumbs until just ready to eat. This lets you fully enjoy that beautifully crisp Panko texture.
Related Recipes
If you love stellar side salads, try my peach arugula, kale blueberry, or white bean tomato cucumber salad next.
Craving a healthy lunch full of greens? Some of my favorites include a berry pecan salad with chicken, spinach blackberry balsamic chicken, Greek salad with salmon, and this extra quick and easy take on the viral Jennifer Aniston salad.
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Butter Lettuce Salad with Castelvetrano Olives
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 heads butter lettuce leaves washed and roughly torn
- 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
- 4 ounces Manchego or Iberico cheese crumbled
- 2 Tablespoons minced chives
- black pepper
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- First, toast the breadcrumbs. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add panko and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.2 Tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- To make the dressing, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper, then set aside.1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons honey, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, sea salt and black pepper
- To assemble the salad, add washed lettuce leaves to a large bowl or platter. Scatter the olives, cheese, and chives on top, then sprinkle with a few turns of freshly-cracked black pepper.2 heads butter lettuce, 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, 4 ounces Manchego or Iberico cheese, 2 Tablespoons minced chives, black pepper
- Immediately before serving drizzle, drizzle as much dressing as desired on top. (I usually use just over half, then save the rest for a future salad, but the amount you prefer will vary.) Finally, sprinkle with the toasted panko and serve.
Notes
- Make it a Lunch: Add several ounces of well-drained tuna, grilled chicken, or cold roasted salmon.
- Dry Lettuce Gently: I like to lay the rinsed leaves out across a large, clean kitchen towel, then softly pat another clean towel on top.
- Use a lettuce leaf to test the dressing. Dip a clean lettuce leaf straight into the dressing, then sample. You’ll immediately sense how the dressing tastes to you in relation to the actual salad you’re about to eat, so you have a chance to make it more tangy (add more vinegar), sweet (more honey), or lively (more salt and pepper) to taste.
