Charred cos with green dressing

This well-dressed salad recipe chars cos lettuce over a chargrill pan or barbecue, adding notes of complex, caramelised sweet flavour to the crisp lettuce. Topped with a herby dressing with a secret fruity ingredient and harissa spiced pepitas, this simple salad is unforgettable.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Well Dressed

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

Ingredients

• 4 baby cos lettuce hearts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Sumac, black sesame seeds, and crusty bread, to serve

Spiced pepitas

• 20 g butter, room temperature
• ½ cup pepitas
• 1 - 2 tsp harissa, to taste
• Salt and black pepper

Green dressing

• ½ avocado
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 mango cheek, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp seeded mustard
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp baby capers
• ½ cup each mint, coriander and parsley leaves
• ¼ cup chives
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• ½ cup Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender and blend to a thick and smooth consistency. Add 1-2 tbsp water if required to assist with blending. Taste and add extra salt, pepper, maple syrup or lemon juice to your liking.
   
2. Heat a char-grill pan over medium heat. Halve the baby cos lettuce hearts, ensuring the root remains intact so the leaves stay in place. Rub the cut-side of the cos lettuce with the olive oil and sesame oil, then grill, cut-side down for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly charred (but not burnt). Turn and grill for a further 2-3 minutes, then transfer directly to a serving dish, cut-side up.
   
3. To make the spiced pepitas, melt the butter in a large frying pan, then add the remaining ingredients and cook, tossing, until the pepitas are slightly charred (taking care not to burn them). Remove the pan from the heat.
   
4. To serve, brush the charred lettuce with plenty of the green dressing, ensuring you spoon some in between the leaves. Sprinkle with the spiced pepitas, a pinch of sumac, black sesame seeds and salt. Serve the charred cos with green lettuce with crusty bread on the side.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Well Dressed

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG