Grilled gem lettuce with anchovies, feta & quick-pickled apple

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the salad

• 4 little gem lettuces, or small romaine hearts

• 8–12 high-quality anchovy fillets

• 80-100 g feta cheese, cut into small cubes

• 50 g walnuts

• 2 tbsp golden raisins

• 1 small shallot, finely diced

• zest of 1 organic lemon

For the quick-pickled apple

• 1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp honey

• A small pinch of sea salt

For the vinaigrette

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• A small pinch of lightly crushed fennel seeds (optional)

How to make it

Step 1: Wake up the apple

Dice the apple into small cubes.

Mix the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and salt in a bowl. Toss in the apple and leave it to rest for 10–20 minutes.

The apple stays crisp, but becomes brighter, sharper and much more interesting.

A tiny cook’s trick: add 2–3 drops of oil from the anchovies to the apple marinade.

It sounds suspicious. It works beautifully.

That tiny touch of umami helps the apple, feta and anchovies become friends.

Step 2: Toast the walnuts

Place the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat.

Toast for 4-5 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden.

Add the raisins during the final minute, so they soften slightly and become a little plumper.

Set aside.

Step 3: Char the lettuce

Slice the little gems in half lengthwise.

Brush the cut side lightly with olive oil and place them in a hot grill pan or on the barbecue.

Cook for 1–2 minutes until the edges develop a little colour while the centres stay crisp.

This small step changes everything. The bitterness softens. The sweetness appears. The lettuce suddenly has a smoky little personality.

Step 4: Make the vinaigrette

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and black pepper. Taste.

It should be bright, savoury, and just sharp enough to wake everything up.

Step 5: Assemble

Arrange the warm lettuce halves on a serving platter.

Scatter over the shallot, quick-pickled apple, toasted walnuts, raisins and feta.

Drape the anchovy fillets across the top.

Spoon over the vinaigrette.

Finish with lemon zest and a tiny pinch of crushed fennel seeds.

A small lesson from a salad

The older I get, the more I appreciate contrast. Sweetness needs a little sharpness. Comfort needs a little challenge. And perhaps people are not so different from salads. Our most interesting qualities often emerge when opposites meet.

I first tasted a version of this salad during a stay at Hotel Molino del Arco, a beautiful old country house outside Ronda in Andalusia.

And I knew I would try to steal the idea. Try it yourself.