Top 4 Catalan Salads

Esqueixada is a traditional Catalan salad prepared with cod as the main ingredient. Other ingredients may vary, but tomatoes, onions, red peppers, and olive oil are most commonly used. Cod should first be desalted, then flaked between the fingers, hence the name esqueixada, derived from esqueixar, meaning to tear. This Catalan summertime staple is sometimes garnished with hard-boiled eggs and black olives before serving.Expand

Xato is a traditional salad originating from Catalonia. It's made with a combination of endive leaves, anchovies, Arbequina olives, salt cod, and tuna. This traditional salad is dressed with the eponymous sauce consisting of breadcrumbs, garlic, hazelnuts, almonds, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and dried nyora peppers. The dressing is typically ground with a pestle in a mortar. This salad is often served as an appetizer before grilled meat dishes or botifarra sausage.Expand

Empedrat is a traditional bean-based salad originating from Catalonia. The salad is usually made with a combination of white beans (or sometimes chickpeas), cod, tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, eggs, onions, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. The cod is crumbled and mixed with the beans, diced onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and sliced hard-boiled eggs. Empedrat is seasoned with salt, olive oil, and vinegar, and it's then left to chill in the fridge for about an hour before consumption. This cold salad is especially popular in the summer. If white beans are unavailable, they can be replaced with chickpeas, lentils, or boiled potatoes. The name of the dish refers to its appearance because it resembles a plate full of pebbles.Expand

Amanida is a traditional salad originating from Catalonia. There is no fixed list of ingredients for the salad because each place (or even household) adds certain ingredients depending on their seasonal availability. It typically consists of vegetables (seasoned with salt, vinegar, and oil) and cured meats and sausages. The ingredients are arranged on a plate so that they don't touch each other. Otherwise, the meat and sausages can become oily if they come in direct contact with the dressing for the vegetables. Apart from the meat and vegetables such as radishes, green tomatoes, spring onions, and bell peppers, the salad also often contains tuna in olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, olives, celery, carrots, watercress, and chicory.Expand