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Bon Appétit

Crunchy Greens With Fat Choy Ranch

4.4

(20)

Crunchy Greens With Fat Choy Ranch from chef Justin Lee of Fat Choy
Photograph by Frank Frances, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Sophia Pappas

One of the few vegetables Fat Choy chef and owner Justin Lee would eat as a kid was romaine lettuce—but only when it was served with ranch dressing. (“To be honest, it was mostly ranch with a touch of lettuce,” he says.) With vibrant herbs and peppery watercress, this salad is a grown-up version of that childhood favorite.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

Dressing

1

small shallot, coarsely chopped

3

garlic cloves, crushed

1

small jalapeño, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, coarsely chopped

⅓

cup coarsely chopped dill

¼

cup extra-virgin olive oil

3

Tbsp. tahini

2

Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

1

Tbsp. chopped bread-and-butter pickles

Kosher salt

Salad and assembly

½

head of romaine lettuce or 1 romaine heart, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise 1" thick

2

baby bok choy, coarsely chopped

1

cup watercress

Kosher salt

1

cup coarsely chopped cilantro, dill, Thai basil, and/or chives

Preparation

  1. Dressing

    Step 1

    Purée shallot, garlic, jalapeño, dill, oil, tahini, lime juice, vinegar, pickles, and ¼ cup water in a blender until smooth; season dressing with salt.

  2. Salad and assembly

    Step 2

    Combine romaine, bok choy, and watercress in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat; season salad with salt. Scatter herbs on top.

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Reviews (20)

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  • Not a fan. Almost a bitter aftertaste. Was it the combo of dill/lime/tahini?

    • A cook from Buffalo

    • Buffalo, NY

    • 7/16/2024

  • Deeeelightful! This dressing is where it’s at. Kept the seeds in my jalapeño and glad I did. Added rotisserie chicken, edamame, scallion and dry roasted peanuts to make this a meal. Would be great with tofu to keep it vegetarian. Perfectly refreshing salad for a heat wave dinner.

    • PawelyD

    • Chicago

    • 6/21/2024

  • Very refreshing! Didn't have dill or bread n butter pickles, but had basil and pickled watermelon rind and they subbed in great.

    • Jen

    • NY

    • 8/7/2022

  • This was really nice. I'm always looking for new flavor combinations for salads and this was a great one. I turned it into a whole meal by adding shelled edamame and avocado to the salad and then a piece of fish on top. I couldn't get watercress at the store, but I'm sure that would have made it even better.

    • CJ

    • San Diego

    • 11/24/2021

  • This is a delicious, very easy salad. Because jalapeños' heat varies so wildly, I'd just say to taste as you go. For me, a whole one was too much.

    • Barry

    • Kansas City

    • 8/27/2021

  • So, I just made this. I made it exactly as written. Having tasted the Bok Choy and the Watercress separately as I was preparing the salad, I was ready for this to taste strange. However, when it all came together I couldn't stop eating it. The more I ate, the more I liked it! My husband really enjoyed it as well. Avocado may have been a nice addition but really it's just a nice herbal mix of greens which don't need to be messed with. I feel healthy after eating 2 portions of this!

    • Denise

    • California

    • 4/28/2021

  • Such a versatile salad!

    • Rebecca

    • Scotland

    • 4/22/2021