Nüsslisalat (Lamb’s Lettuce) Two Ways

Nüsslisalat (English: nut lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, field lettuce, corn salad) is a staple winter salad in Switzerland. Lamb’s lettuce is a pretty sturdy plant when it comes to colder temperatures, as a child we always used to have a big batch of it in our garden and had to free it from the snow for the harvesting in winter. It’s a nutricious plant too, of all lettuces the lamb’s lettuce contains most vitamins: A, C, E, B9 and potassium. The main season for lamb’s lettuce in Switzerland is September to April, but these days it’s available all year round. The salad can be cooked but the Swiss way of eating it is raw, preferrably with toppings like boiled eggs, fried bacon, bread croutons, sunflower seeds or fish fingers. Below are my two favourite ways of Nüsslisalat.

Lamb’s lettuce with egg and mushrooms

This is the most popular way of eating nut lettuce in Switzerland, called Nüsslisalat mit Ei. It often contains fried bacon too which is delicious if you like bacon.

Ingredients for 4 salad bowls

• 200g lamb’s lettuce
• 10 mushrooms
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsps white vinegar
• 1 tsp mild mustard
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 7 tbsps sunflower oil
• 3 tbsps cream
• salt and pepper

Method

Boil the eggs and slice them. Make the dressing with 6 tbsps of the sunflower oil, the vinegar, cream, mustard, mayonnaise and a little salt and pepper.

Slice the mushrooms and fry them in a frying pan with 1 tbsp of sunflower oil until soft.

Combine everything in a salad bowl and mix. Eat while the mushrooms are still warm.

Lamb’s lettuce with fish fingers and sunflower seeds

This salad combines lamb’s lettuce, fish fingers and a lemony salad dressing which goes so well with both the fish and the salad.

Ingredients for 4 small meals

• 200g lamb’s lettuce
• 400g fish fingers
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 3 tbsps lemon juice
• 1 tsp mild mustard
• 7 tbsps olive oil
• 3 tbsps cream
• salt and pepper

Method

Fry the fish fingers in 1 tbsp olive oil and wash the salad if needed. Make the dressing with 6 tbsps olive oil, the lemon juice, mustard, cream, salt and pepper. Place the lettuce onto plates, add the cut up fish fingers and the sunflower seeds. Add the salad dressing.