Mexican Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Here’s a springtime salad that will carry us into summer with no effort at all. Mexican Salad with Herb Vinaigrette uses super simple ingredients to make the easiest toss-up of a salad, dressed with an herby, limey, not-quite-creamy dressing.

All you need is grilled chicken or beef – or both – which can be leftover or freshly grilled, fajita-style or generic, marinated or plain jane. For this salad, I used the pre-marinated beef and chicken fajita meat you buy at Central Market’s meat counter. No thinking required. Add some grilled corn, cut off the cob, and some store-bought guacamole (again, Central Market’s is a good choice). Then you’ll whisk together an Herb Vinaigrette that takes its cues from a Green Goddess dressing but goes the way of lime instead of buttermilk. 

Altogether, Mexican Salad with Herb Vinaigrette is an outstanding entrée salad I bet you’ll be making variations of again and again. A perfect welcome for the warm weather coming our way.
 

Mexican Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

For the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, torn
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Grilled chicken and/or beef, cut into cubes
Grilled corn on the cob, kernels cut off the cob
Guacamole 
Grated Monterrey Jack–cheddar cheese mix
Chives, minced
Herb Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

For the Herb Vinaigrette:
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 ½ tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

To make the dressing, place the parsley, tarragon, chives, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, mayonnaise, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Pile the lettuce on a large platter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Layer with the chicken and/or beef, corn, guacamole, cheese, and chives. Drizzle Herb Vinaigrette over the salad.