Maroulosalata, pronounced mar-U-lo-salata, is a lettuce salad from Greece made with finely chopped romaine, fresh herbs, creamy feta, and a lemony dressing. As simple as this lettuce salad is, it packs loads of flavor and a great crunch.
Maroulosalata, like the crisp vegetables in a traditional Greek salad or crunchy day-old bread in Italian Panzanella, proves that the secret to vibrant Mediterranean salads is the crunch. Sure, we like big bold flavor and we’ll settle for nothing less. But the real difference in the way we approach salads along the Mediterranean is that they also need big bold texture!
That addictive crunch keeps salads interesting and actually creates a craving for fresh, nutritious salads when hunger calls. This lettuce salad couldn’t be simpler, but the variety of textures and flavors–from creamy feta cheese to cooling mint and bright dill–make it simply delicious.
Maroulosalata is quick and easy: Just chop a handful of ingredients and it’s ready in 10 minutes or less. You can make it while you bake Easy Greek Salmon and call it dinner. Plus, the versatile lettuce salad goes well with just about any main. Make this refreshing salad on a hot day, any night of the week, for a dinner party, or light lunch—you really can’t go wrong with this one.
Table of Contents
Maroulosalata Ingredients
Maroulosalata in many ways reminds me of Greece’s version of Caesar Salad. It shows you don’t need a page-long ingredient list to make something special. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Greek salad dressing: This recipe uses a simple Greek-style salad dressing made from lemon juice, salt, dried oregano, and extra virgin olive oil. I use a full flavor Greek olive oil, like our Koroneiki. The Greek-style salad dressing is very similar to Ladolemono, so if you have a batch of that in your fridge feel free to use that instead.
- Romaine: The best lettuce for this salad recipe, as it has a nice crunch and mild flavor. Little gem lettuce would also work here.
- Green onions: Add a sweet and savory depth of flavor without overpowering. I wouldn’t suggest substituting with other onions as they’ll dominate the herbs, but if you must, go for a small amount of chopped shallot or red onion.
- Herbs: Dill and mint are the real stars of this simple salad recipe, bringing most of the fresh, delicate flavor.
- Feta: Adds a nice creamy tang to the salad. For the best flavor, use sheep’s milk feta packed whole in brine (not the pre-crumbled stuff, which tends to be rather dull). Simply leave off the feta for a vegan or dairy-free option.
How to Make Maroulosalata
To make Maroulosalata, grab a bowl, knife, whisk, and cutting board. That’s all you need! You can dirty salad tongs if you’d like, but Greek yiayias (grandmas) are known to go hands-on, gently massaging the dressing into the lettuce for the best flavor. Here’s how it’s done:
- Prepare the lettuce. Prepare a large mixing bowl with ice or ice water. Wash and very thinly slice 2 hearts of romaine lettuce. Add to the ice water to crisp while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Prep the herbs. Trim and finely chop 4 green onions (both the white and green parts). Finely chop 1/2 bunch of dill and mint leaves, discarding the stem.
- Make the dressing. In a medium mixing bowl, add the juice of 1 lemon, a large pinch of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking as you drizzle in 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk until emulsified. Set aside for now.
- Drain. Drain the salad from the ice water and dry very thoroughly. A salad spinner helps if you have one, or use paper towels. Add to a large serving bowl. Add the herbs, 1/2 cup of crumbled feta and give everything a gentle toss. If you’re not serving right away, cover the salad and dressing separately and store in your refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
- Serve. Just before serving, give the dressing one more quick whisk and pour it all over the salad. Mix well, or use your hands to massage the salad and coat it well with the dressing. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Maroulosalata
I like this light, refreshing Maroulosalata salad alongside seasonal fare, particularly in the summertime when temperatures are high. For lunch, summery zucchini fritters, with their equally impressive lemony, herbal flavor and crispiness is a match made in heaven.
For dinner, serve with a hearty savory main like Greek chicken, pork souvlaki, shrimp saganaki or briam, a traditional Greek roasted vegetable casserole.
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Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad)
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 hearts of romaine
- 4 green onions
- 1/2 bunch dill
- 1/2 bunch mint
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the Dressing
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Crisp the romaine. Prepare a large mixing bowl with ice water. Thinly slice the romaine lettuce, then add to the ice water for 5 minutes to crisp while you prepare the dressing and remaining ingredients.
- Prep the herbs. Trim and finely chop the green onions (both the white and green parts). Finely chop the dill and mint leaves, discarding the stem.
- Make the dressing. In a medium mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, a large pinch of kosher salt, and the oregano and whisk to combine. Continue whisking as you drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Whisk until emulsified. Set aside for now.
- Drain. Drain the salad from the ice water and dry very thoroughly. A salad spinner helps if you have one, or use paper towels. Add to a large serving bowl, along with the chopped herbs, and feta. Give everything a gentle toss.
- Serve. Just before serving, give the dressing one more quick whisk and pour it all over the salad. Mix well (or use your hands to massage the salad and coat it well with the dressing). Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you’d like to get ahead, store the salad and dressing separately in your fridge for a few hours and save in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Dress just before serving to keep its crunch.
- The dressing is very much reminiscent of ladolemono. If you’ve already made ladolemono and have some left, you can use about 1/3 cup of it here.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams and spices.
The most refreshing and delicious salad. Super simple and super tasty.
Great to hear, Gabriela! Thank you!
So easy, fresh and tasty. I served alongside a roasted lamb shoulder. This salad will be on regular rotation in our house.
Yum! Thanks for sharing!!
Best salad ever! Such a big hit at our house. So easy & quick to make. Thank you
I forgot to add the onions but this was amazing. Great salad!
This is an excellent salad to have with soups and fish. I added thinly sliced celery (had some to use up).
Crisp, refreshing, delicious! This salad was a hit for all ages in our house, teens to grandparents, for Sunday dinner. It will be in regular rotation for us along with so many of Suzy’s other recipes. Thank you for producing consistently delicious meal ideas!
Thank you so much, Jenn!
Love love you and your recipes!
A very yummy simple salad. Thank you for posting
Another refreshing salad recipe especially with the heat we’ve had this summer. I love the combination of flavors! I always look to see how many servings your salad recipes are for, but I usually end up eating it all by myself. I hope I’m not the only one 🙂
My Greek husband does not care for mint. Do you think this salad would be just as good if I left that out? It really does sound delicious! Thank you!
Hi, Penny. Yes! The mint just adds a bit of extra pizzaz, but I think the salad would still be pretty darn delicious without it :). Enjoy!
Love it! Nice companion to my spanakopita!
Yes! A great combo, for sure!
Hello there Suzy my name is Michael I am a retired 66yrs old man. I enjoy to cook and find different recipes that I have never tried. And as I am Italian I like things to come out prefect salad’s could become pretty dull. But as I tried yours when I made it exactly like you did it on the Video I loved it 😊.
That’s wonderful to hear, Michael! Thank you!
The “Greek” salads found in Florida’s Greek community (Tarpon Springs) almost always come with a scoop of potato salad. They normally also have Kalamata olives, pickled Greek peppers, and Feta (of course) and are topped with a tangy Greek dressing. It’s a nice change to find something a bit less heavy but bold in taste.
I want to try this recipe but I need help and the amount of lemon juice. I have an electric juicer so when I buy lemons I juice them right away and store the juice in a mason jar in the frig. Do you know about how many tablespoons a large lemon would have?
Hi, Kristine. I large lemon typically contains 4-5 tablespoons of juice. If that seems like too much, you can always start with less and add more to suit your taste. Hope you love the salad! It has become a new favorite around here!
Will have to make a quick trip to the grocery store for some romaine…. Seems like a nice, simple salad! YUM
It will totally be worth the extra trip to the store :).
Suzy, Is there an error in the Dressing recipe with regards to the amount of lemon? It always calls for 1 large lemon whether it’s for 6 servings, 12 or 18. Looking forward to trying this yummy recipe once clarified.
Murielle
Canada
Hi, Murielle! I’m Summer and I work with Suzy at The Mediterranean Dish. If you’re doubling or tripling the recipe you’ll want to increase the lemon as well. Not sure why the calculator isn’t doing that automatically for you. Of course you can always taste and adjust as you go a long too. Enjoy the salad! It’s delicious.
This is a delicious and simple salad. I’ve never had it with mint, but other than that addition, it is identical to salads I’ve seen referred to as prasini salad. Definitely going to try it with the mint though, that sounds super refreshing!
It’s VERY refreshing! Hope you give it a try!