Summer Love: Butterhead Lettuce
It’s almost summer, which means we can once again joyfully indulge in strawberries, tomatoes, berries, cherries and other juicy-red summer royalty. But the fresh green butterhead lettuce is also a summer classic. And delicious, to boot.
Because, like cucumbers and green beans, it is available in supermarkets all year round, we have long forgotten that butterhead lettuce is actually a summer vegetable. We hardly remember what this leafy vegetable is supposed to taste like—or even that it has any flavour at all. It is mainly used as filler or garnish, or drenched in a lake of sauce. When was the last time you ate butterhead lettuce for the lettuce itself? It is also known as butter lettuce—not because it tastes like butter, but because, at its best, it has the tenderness of butter.
Tender leaves
From around June onwards, freshly pulled from the soil, butterhead lettuce is a compact, spherical bundle of tender green leaves with a fresh, summery flavour. Closer to the heart of the head, the leaves become paler, smaller and even fresher-tasting.
Fresh summer butterhead lettuce deserves to be a dish in its own right. Rather than merely playing supporting roles: as a base for a hamburger in a bun; pressed between a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese on a healthy skewer, or drenched in salad dressing alongside fried potatoes and a piece of meat or fish. That salad dressing is a phenomenon in its own right. The tangy dressing made with, among other things, mayonnaise and vinegar is one of the few condiments named after and used exclusively for butterhead lettuce. The bottled version is unbearable. But the sauerkraut sauce in this recipe from restaurant Bak is the best ‘salad dressing’ ever. More than worthy of the butterhead lettuce, halved and roasted on the barbecue.
Lettuce soup
There are, by the way, quite a few true butterhead lettuce classics, such as lettuce soup and lettuce mash with new potatoes. Recently, I had a variation on eggs benny at lunchroom Gartine in Amsterdam, where many of the vegetables come from their own garden. To my delight, it came with a generous portion of freshly harvested butterhead lettuce. Not as cheap filler, but because its flavour perfectly complements that of toasted brioche, béarnaise sauce and egg.
Perhaps the most beautiful summer dish with butterhead lettuce is therefore one with croutons made from brioche or stale bread and a poached or soft-boiled egg: drizzle a light, subtly fresh dressing over the lettuce leaves in a deep plate. Toss together with the croutons and, optionally, pepper, salt and freshly picked green herbs, using both hands à la Nigella . Egg on top, ready for summer.
Read also:
- These are the 11 dishes you should be able to make by the time you’re 40
- These are the bakes you should have mastered by the time you’re 30
- Dishes to make when you’re too tired to cook
