Food Recipes Salads Green Salads Wedge Salad with Coconut Ranch and Furikake Be the first to rate & review! Save leftover dressing for crudités or to serve with grilled salmon or shrimp. By Ann Taylor Pittman Ann Taylor Pittman For 20 years, Ann Taylor Pittman built a career of creating healthy recipes at Cooking Light magazine, where she most recently served as Executive Editor. She is the recipient of two James Beard Foundation Awards: a feature writing award for "Mississippi Chinese Lady Goes Home to Korea" and a cookbook award for The New Way to Cook Light. She is now a freelancer specializing in recipe development, writing, and video. Ann lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, their 13-year-old twin boys, one big dog, and one little dog. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Scott Mowbray Scott Mowbray Scott Mowbray is an editor and writer, and the former editor of Cooking Light and Eating Well. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 4, 2024 Tested by Nicole Hopper Tested by Nicole Hopper Nicole Hopper is a recipe tester and developer based in Birmingham, Alabama. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 6 servings This lighter version of the classic wedge salad replaces bacon and cheese with extra crunch and earthy flavors from bits of sesame seeds and seaweed in the Japanese spice mix furikake. The dressing, essentially a coconut-based ranch, gets its body from coconut cream. For a subtle allium bite, it’s spiked with fresh chives. Make this the grand opener for a dinner party or the main event at lunch. This recipe comes from The Global Pantry Cookbook by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray. Frequently asked questions What is the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream? Coconut milk is 10% fat, while coconut cream has twice as much and makes for richer dishes. (Be careful to not confuse coconut cream with cream of coconut, the sweet syrupy stuff used for piña coladas.) Manufacturing standards allow for plenty of leeway in terms of fat and solids content so check the ingredient list on the can and opt for the fewest ingredients possible. Most supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Asian food stores, carry coconut cream. What is furikake? Furikake is a Japanese condiment made with sesame seeds, seaweed, dried herbs, and fish flakes. Find it at Asian grocery stores or online at bokksumarket.com. There are lots of flavors of furikake; in our tests, we used a nori komi furikake (just salt, sugar, nori, and sesame seeds). Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Use leftover dressing just like you would use any traditional ranch: on another salad, as a dip for crudités or wings, in wraps, or with grilled salmon or shrimp. It would also be great as a dressing for potato salad or macaroni salad (which you can also sprinkle with some furikake!). The coconut cream firms up and thickens the dressing as it chills — if you prefer a thicker dressing, leave it in the fridge for longer; if you prefer a thinner consistency, let it come up to room temp before serving. Make ahead While the salad is best dressed right before serving, the dressing itself can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Suggested pairing Choose a substantial, oaky Chardonnay, such as Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay. Ingredients Dressing 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk 1/2 cup well-stirred coconut cream (from 1 can) 1/2 cup sour cream 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard Salad 1 large head iceberg lettuce (about 2 1/4 pounds), outer leaves removed, cut into 6 wedges 2 tablespoons furikake Black pepper, for garnish Directions Make the dressing Whisk together buttermilk, coconut cream, sour cream, chives, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard in a medium bowl. Season with additional salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Make the salad Arrange lettuce wedges on individual plates. Pour 1/4 cup dressing over each wedge. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon furikake, and garnish with black pepper. Serve remaining dressing on the side. Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, December 2023 / January 2024 Rate It Print