The perfect whole-meal salad features as much flavor, texture, and bulk as any other well-prepared meal, and the fact that the base is a pile of greens makes me feel like I’m getting away with something. This one takes about ten minutes longer than a plain green salad and by changing the topping can be made in different ways every time, always with a minimum of effort. Use a blender for the dressing; it makes quick work of dispersing the sesame paste or peanut butter throughout the liquid ingredients—something that can be a real hassle with a fork or a whisk—creating a perfect emulsion. And because the blender purees the garlic and ginger, there’s no need to mince them; just peel, chop roughly, and drop them into the blender with the other ingredients. My first choice for topping this salad is grilled scallops—they’re almost ludicrously fast and easy, and their texture and flavor complement both greens and dressing—though shrimp, steak, or chicken thighs all could be substituted.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1/4 cup soy sauce

　　1/4 cup rice wine or other vinegar

　　2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) or smooth peanut butter

　　1 tablespoon sesame oil

　　1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, cayenne, or ground dried chile, or to taste

　　1 tablespoon honey

　　1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

　　1 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger

　　1 1/2 to 2 pounds sea scallops

　　Salt

　　6 to 8 cups mesclun or other salad greens

　　1/4 cup torn fresh Thai or other basil (optional)

　　2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

　　

Step 1

Start a grill. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, tahini, sesame oil, hot pepper, honey, garlic, and ginger in a blender and whiz until smooth. When the grill is hot, sprinkle the scallops with salt and grill them for about 2 minutes per side; they should remain tender and undercooked in the middle.

　　

Step 2

Combine the greens and basil if you’re using it and divide among 4 plates. When the scallops are done, top the greens with them, then drizzle with the dressing; sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.