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.
I love this stuff. I think in Australia it’s called Lamb’s Lettuce (or at least that is similar)
Yes in the UK too. There‘s also nut lettuce and some other names. Confusing!
Yes its Lamb’s Lettuce in UK too . Nut Salad is a literal translation !
There are many names, officially English ones are nut lettuce, lamb‘s lettuce, corn salad, field salad (and some more). It was difficult to pick a name for the post but will add the other names too for more clarification
I lived in Switzerland for a while and when the lambs lettuce came into season it arrived in big trays and you bought it by weight not in these stupid little bags that are in UK. SO irritating and so expensive!
I LOVE nusslisalat! That’s the second stop after Sprungli, a big bag of nusslisalat. I could live off of chocolate, nusslisalat and a crispy bread. In fact, we do when ever we get over for a visit. It doesn’t exist in the hot climate we have. Thank you for the correct recipe. I just use oil and lemon but yours sounds so much better!
Where can I buy lambs lettuce seeds?
I see you are in the UK, I had a quick Google, they can be bought in various online shops in the UK, for example here https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_1358K_lambs_lettuce_baron Sometimes they’re called lambs lettuce, sometimes corn salad
I was lucky enough to have some grow, when I bought a punnet of english spinach. Born in Switzerland i recognised it, and collected some seeds. It has been a staple in our garden
That’s great!
Decided to grow my own. Got some seeds off Amazon. They are growing so nicely here in Virginia. Served my Swiss husband this salad topped with bacon crumbles and he asked for seconds. We just pick the largest leaves and have a continual harvest.