Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Simple Watercress Salad Peppery watercress and a mild white-wine vinaigrette mingle in this simple salad recipe. Close Credit: Yuki Sugiura Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe Our watercress salad recipe pairs the peppery, unique-tasting greens with a simple white-wine vinaigrette. Watercress needs very little prep and is best paired with simple ingredients to allow its true flavor to shine, as it does in this recipe. Simply trim off any tough stems, then coarsely chop the greens into bite-size pieces, that's all the prep the washed watercress needs. For the vinaigrette, whisk together white-wine vinegar and olive oil and season it with just a touch of salt and pepper —we weren’t kidding when we said this was simple!). The salad makes a delicious complement to everything from roasted or seared meat or fish to a brunch frittata. How to Build a Better Summer Salad That Makes the Most of Fresh, Seasonal Produce All About Watercress  If you haven’t experimented with watercress at home, it’s time to start. We've got a quick primer on this unique green: Taste and Texture Watercress is tender with a pleasing crunch. Served raw, it has a delightful pepperiness that’s similar to mustard and wasabi (which makes sense given that it’s a part of the mustard family). When cooked, much of that pepperiness disappears, toning down its punch and leaving you with a much more mild green. Nutritional Value It's high in many nutrients, including vitamin K, which is important for blood and bone health (a one-cup serving contains over 100% of the recommended daily value!). How Its Grown As its name implies, watercress is a water-loving perennial that grows naturally along pond edges and thrives in soil that's saturated with water. Buying and Storing While not as widely available as spinach and arugula, you can find watercress at some grocery stores and health-minded markets. When you get it home from the store, keep it fresh by placing it in a jar with a few inches of water to keep the root ends moist. You can also wrap it in a damp cloth or paper towel and store it in a resealable bag, pressing out as much air as possible. If you can't find watercress but still like the sound of this salad, you can swap in arugula, which is similarly peppery, or spinach. Directions Make vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a salad bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Toss with watercress; serve: Add watercress and toss with vinaigrette to evenly coat. Serve immediately. How to Serve This Watercress Salad Pair it with grilled lamb loins or yogurt-marinated lamb and chicken skewers Serve it alongside a grilled spatchcocked chicken Set it out at brunch to accompany a cheesy frittata Use it to complement this mustard-brushed fish recipe More Watercress Recipes to Try: Mushroom, Parmesan, and Watercress Omelet Soy-Glazed Salmon With Watercress Salad Watercress, Strawberry, and Toasted Sesame Salad Watercress-Apple Relish Watercress Soup Orange Pork With Watercress Rice Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.