Hector’s Salad

Click here to view recipe.

Hector’s Salad (My Version)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: one of my superpowers is being able to order just the right thing at a restaurant – dishes that I simply love and want to re-order over and over again.  Being a little restaurant averse these days (I always think I can make a dish better than the restaurant), I try to analyze whatever I love, jot down notes, go home, and try to replicate said dish.  

Such is the case with “Hector’s Salad.”  Hector’s Bistro is in Antigua, Guatemala, where I stay for a month at a time several times a year.  I always order a massive Hector’s Salad and share it with a friend or my husband. The only salad on the menu, it is particularly notable for the intense basil dressing that contains a LOT of fresh basil.  

It’s interesting that I love this salad. It has cherry tomatoes as well as thin apple slices, and I usually don’t love tomatoes and fruit combined in my salads. However, this salad contains just the right balance of herbs, lettuce, and toasted candied nuts for crunch, so I can overlook the pairing.  

I nailed this “copycat” recipe exactly right on the first try! An added bonus for me is that I am able to use my homegrown mix of lettuce I planted this spring, cherry tomatoes from my garden, fresh basil that I grew for culinary purposes, and even apples from my trees..  For me, there is nothing more wonderful than growing your own food! 

Everything in this salad is what is in the OG Hector’s salad, but I think the ingredients can be switched out very easily: grapes for apples, shaved parmesan, sweet pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds, etc. You catch my drift.

Hector’s Salad – My Version 

Serves 2

Salad Ingredients

• About 5 cups of soft mixed leaf lettuces, washed and dried and torn into small pieces
• ¼ cup English cucumber, sliced 
• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ apple of your choice, cored and sliced very thinly with the skin left on
• 2 Tbsp candied nuts, chopped coarsely
• 3 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients*

• 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (3 oz)
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 ½ Tbsp minced fresh basil
• 2-3 tsp of pure maple syrup, or to taste
• ½  cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 10 grinds of fresh white or black pepper

*For the dressing – this makes enough for about six salads.

Instructions

Put everything into a tall narrow container and use an immersion blender to puree it all together. Or, if you have a Nutribullet, use it to blend everything together.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for a week or longer.