From citrus and fennel to a Caesar with crispy chickpeas — the salads worth building a dinner around.
Salad has a branding problem — it's still treated, in a lot of kitchens, as the thing you make while the real dinner cooks. These five make a case for the opposite.
If you only make one of these, make this one — twenty spring dishes built around what's actually in season right now.
Bright, a little sharp, and genuinely refreshing enough to eat on its own with good bread.

The recipe to reach for when the vegetable drawer needs using up before it goes soft.

Sturdy enough to hold up as a full meal, with just enough crunch to keep every bite interesting.
A loose framework more than a fixed recipe — useful long after April is over.

None of these need a main dish standing behind them. Make a big one, put good bread next to it, and call it dinner.
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