The Sweet And Chunky Addition Your Salads Have Been Missing

Salads are at their best when full of lush, varietal ingredients. Like most meals, they taste well-balanced when they hit a variety of taste buds: sweet, salty, sour, umami, and bitter. With honeycomb, you can achieve those sweet notes throughout the dish. The hexagonal comb, a byproduct of honeybees, is where honey is typically stored.

In addition to the many ways you might not have thought to cook with honey, you may not have considered using honeycomb as a salad topper. However, this specific ingredient brings a satisfying crunch, sweet flavor, and floral notes all at once. It's unique and, depending on the type of honeycomb, can offer different flavor profiles.

Better yet, honeycomb allows your salad to feature pops of sweet, crunchy notes rather than saturating it with the sugary sweetness of liquid honey. This way, each bite of lettuce, a small chunk of comb, and your chosen toppings creates a salad that hits all the taste buds. This secret ingredient also helps build a salad with contrasting flavors and textures.

Each type of honeycomb tastes slightly different, offering various notes and undertones. Choosing the right one is key to creating a satisfying flavor explosion. Basswood honeycomb has slightly minty and citrusy notes, making it a perfect match for a citrus salad with arugula and ricotta salata. The creamy, mild ricotta pairs well with the bright, zesty bitterness of grapefruit and oranges, while the peppery arugula takes the dish over the top. The honeycomb guarantees a sugary crunch that tastes delicious with an acidic vinaigrette.

Summer blossom honeycomb, made from bees that have fed on summer blooms, offers a light, delicate sweetness. Pair it with a strawberry spinach salad, where the jammy berries taste even fresher with honeycomb. Alternatively, jewelweed flower honeycomb, with its herbal flavor, is ideal for a winter squash and couscous salad. The sage and rosemary in the dish work harmoniously with the honeycomb's herbaceous notes, and the rich orange squash's natural sweetness gets amped up by the honeycomb's sweetness.

Sweet clover honeycomb presents a faint cinnamon flavor, making it a great choice for an apple and celery salad with toasted hazelnuts. The apple and cinnamon meld with the buttery, nutty warmth of the toasted hazelnuts for a yummy side dish. Finally, prairie flower honeycomb, with its notes of black tea, pairs wonderfully with a grilled peach and arugula salad. The caramelized sweetness of the charred peaches, combined with the bitter arugula and malty honeycomb, creates an unforgettable salad.