choice for Caesar salad. The pale yellow inner leaves are
crisper and sweeter than the outer green leaves, and some
people like to discard the darker leaves. It holds up nicely
to creamy mayonnaise-based dressings. Closely related is
Little Gem or Sucrine lettuce, a smaller, more tender
variety.
- Green leaf and red leaf, along with other loose-leaf
lettuces like oak leaf, Lollo Rosso, Lollo Bionda, and
Salad Bowl, are far more delicate than Romaine or
iceberg, with loosely packed leaves that are tender around
the edges. Most varieties have a very mild flavor. Creamy
dressings will work fine, but you’ll want serve the salad as
soon as possible after dressing, before the leaves turn
limp. Mild vinaigrettes also work well.
