Levantine
Herb Salad: Raw Herb as Primary Ingredient
Fresh herbs (parsley, mint, coriander, dill, tarragon) used in large quantities as salad leaves rather than seasoning — torn or left whole, dressed lightly with lemon and olive oil. The herbs provide both flavour and texture in a ratio that European cooking rarely approaches.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
Eight in town.
How the 8 are reached
- In town
- 8 · flat-leaf parsley, fresh mint, fresh coriander, fresh dill, fresh tarragon, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fine salt
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
30 g
20 g
20 g
fresh coriander
leaves and tender stems only, picked
15 g
fresh dill
fronds and tender stems only, picked
Origin · New ZealandIn town · SuperValu Gibsons · Gibsons →
10 g
fresh tarragon
leaves only, picked
Origin · FranceIn town · SuperValu Gibsons · Gibsons → · also IGA Gibsons · Gibsons, Seaweeds Health Food Store · Gibsons · 8 more
30 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
15 ml
1 pinch
Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.
The larder of Madeira Park →Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
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
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
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.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Herbs cut from a kitchen garden within the hour, still with field temperature in the leaf; cold-pressed single-estate olive oil; hand-squeezed lemon from an unwaxed fruit.
02
Estate — Bunched market herbs sold with roots or damp paper — bought the morning of service; a well-sourced extra-virgin olive oil with clear green-fruit character.
03
Market — Supermarket bunched herbs used on the day of purchase; a reliable extra-virgin olive oil; bottled lemon juice used only if fresh is unavailable.
04
House — Pre-washed packaged herb leaves; a light olive oil; bottled lemon juice — the salad is compromised but its structural logic remains.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Each leaf retains its upright, unbroken posture; no wilting or translucency at the edges.
◇Smell. The combined herbs release a layered scent — parsley's green minerality, mint's coolness, coriander's citrus — distinct and unmuddled by excess dressing.
◇Touch. Leaves feel supple and dry to the fingertip, not wet or limp; the dressing coats rather than saturates.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dressing must be applied at the last possible moment and with the lightest hand — heavy dressing or any delay collapses the herbs and extinguishes everything the dish exists to provide.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Riesling
Ancient Lakes Vineyard — Cave B · Ancient Lakes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Liberty Wine Merchants · Vancouver →See all 2 →Wine
Without alcohol
Tea
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
The working kitchen
Sourced through Provenance