The Fort's Famous Green Salad Recipe
True fans of The Fort know that every savory entrée comes with a famously flavorful Fort salad. What makes this salad so special? Founder of The Fort Sam’l P. Arnold loved how all the flavors and textures came together – so much so that he kept adding extras to the mix to make it the best salad there is! The last flavor delight Sam’l added was in 1999, when close foodie friend Suzanne Roser introduced him to the peppadew pepper. It’s added a sweet and tangy kick to The Fort salad for the past 20 years.
Recreate our signature salad at home by following the recipe below, and be sure to share your finished product with us on Instagram via @thefortrestaurant.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 c. cubed herb bread
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tbsp. raw or roasted hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
6 c. mixed fresh salad greens (mesclun)
1 ¼ to 1 ½ c. of your favorite Fort salad dressing
½ c. finely diced jicama
12 slices tomato or 24 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tsp. beni-shoga (kizami-shoga) red pickled ginger
12 pickled, hard-cooked quail eggs (sold in jars)
4 to 6 peppadew peppers, diced
2 (6-oz.) smoked duck breast fillets, sliced ¼ inch thick (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil. Arrange in a single layer in a baking dish. Bake for about eight minutes, until golden but not dry, then toss with the cheese. Set aside.
If you use raw pepitas, roast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking it periodically until they begin to pop.
To make the salad, toss the greens with the salad dressing and divide among chilled salad plates or shallow bowls. Add, in order, the jicama, pepitas, tomato, beni-shoga, quail eggs and peppadew peppers. Sprinkle the croutons on top. To make this an entrée salad, top with sliced smoked duck breast fillets or your preferred protein.