A Green Salad Recipe to Feed — and Please — a Crowd

What does it take to make a green salad fit for a party? Plenty of cheddar and pickles.

At the Commodore, a bar on New York’s Lower East Side, you’ll find a menu full of food that’s better than bar food has any right or responsibility to be: spicy chicken sandwiches, salsa-strewn nachos, and grilled pimento cheese — and, of course, the green salad with cheddar and new pickles. As both a counterpart and jolly green riposte to menu’s impressive excess, it’s also a natural fit for any birthday party, where the lineup typically errs on the side of hedonism.

The salad’s tangy, earthy clothbound cheddar brings some sweetness to the mix, and its crunchy quick-pickled cucumbers act as a nice foil to its boatload of alliums and greens. It’s no wonder that the salad has been a staple of the menu at the original Commodore bar, in Brooklyn, ever since it opened 15 years ago. When Lucas Walters, the Commodore’s owner, opened a second location in Manhattan a year ago, he didn’t change a thing. “The salad is the same as it was 15 years ago,” he says. “People are very into the original.” Part of its appeal, he adds, is that you can modify it easily with chicken or other ingredients. “It’s such a simple recipe,” he says. “You could say it’s a sleeper hit.”

The Commodore’s Green Salad With Cheddar and Pickles Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the pickles:

2 Persian cucumbers
½ cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup white vinegar

For the vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper

For the salad:

2 large heads romaine, cleaned
1 small bunch parsley, cleaned and coarse stems removed
3 scallions, cleaned
½ pound Cabot clothbound cheddar, or another natural-rind cheddar

Instructions:

Step 1: First, make the pickles: Slice the cucumbers, skin-on, into roughly ¼-inch discs and set aside in a medium bowl. Heat the water in a microwaveable dish for 45 seconds until simmering. (Alternatively, you can heat the water on the stovetop.) Stir in the sugar and salt to dissolve. Add the vinegar, stir to combine, and pour the mixture over the sliced cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Step 2: While the pickles are marinating, make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard until fully combined. Add the garlic, salt, and black pepper and combine. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the salad: Roughly chop the romaine and place in a large serving bowl. Roughly chop the parsley, thinly slice the scallions, and add them to the same bowl. Crumble the cheddar over the greens. Remove the pickles from the refrigerator and drain well before scattering over the salad. Dress the salad just before serving and toss to combine.

Jutharat ‘Poupay’ Pinyodoonyachet is a New York-based photographer.
Drew Aichele is a food stylist and master baker based in New York City.