Iceberg lettuce may not be the sexiest number in the vegetable crisper but we reckon these underrated leafy greens deserve the right to a fair trial. Salad is just the tip of the iceberg in our defence of the overlooked lettuce.
Let’s get the obvious (ok, boring) one out of the way up top. Iceberg lettuce is really, really good for you. It’s high in vitamin A which is great for eye health, it’s easily digestible, is super high in water, and is a good source of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, and folate. It’s also relatively high in tryptophan, which can help you sleep.
Imagine your juicy burger without a big, crunchy leaf of iceberg lettuce. You can’t. It’s sacrilege. If anything, having that head of lettuce in your fridge gives you even more excuses to eat burgers. Go, you.
Vintage is in. Retro is cool. What’s more chic than a throwback salad? Too often the iceberg lettuce has been chopped into little pieces and added as an afterthought but we say give it the attention it deserves. Put your iceberg centre stage as a wedge salad, doused in a punchy vinaigrette and a blanket of salty parmesan cheese to highlight the sweetness. Green goddess dressing and iceberg lettuce are a match made in heaven. Prawn cocktails sing with some crispy iceberg.
We’ve all seen the bleak “naked” burgers on the pub menu. Shift away from “I wish I had my bread back” to “what can’t I turn into a lettuce wrap?” San choy bow is an excellent example of taking full advantage of the iceberg’s structural integrity and impressive wingspan. Spicy pork larb? Wrap it. Spring rolls and herbs? Wrap it. Burger patties? Wrap it. You see where we’re going.
