Herb Salad: Raw Herb as Primary Ingredient

Ingredients

• 30 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems only, picked
• 20 g fresh mint, leaves only, picked
• 20 g fresh coriander, leaves and tender stems only, picked
• 15 g fresh dill, fronds and tender stems only, picked
• 10 g fresh tarragon, leaves only, picked
• 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. 1
   Pick the leaves and tender stems of the parsley, coriander, dill, and tarragon; pick the mint leaves alone, since the mint stems turn sharp and grassy in a way the other varieties do not. Discard all thick stems — they are bitter and fibrous. Keep the varieties separate until ready to dress, so you can judge the balance of each herb by eye before they meet.
2. 2
   Immediately before serving, combine all the picked herbs in a wide bowl, then drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice and season with a pinch of salt. Toss once, with the lightest possible hand — this is where the dish lives or dies: a heavy coating suppresses the fragrance of the herbs entirely, and over-tossing begins the wilt before the plate even reaches the table. The leaves should glisten, not pool with dressing.
3. 3
   Transfer at once to a serving plate and bring immediately to the table, because dressed herbs wilt within minutes and the dish has no second life once the leaves have collapsed. The window between dressed and wilted is the dish's entire lifespan.