In 1965, single mom of two boys and New Orleanian, Ruth Fertel mortgaged her home to purchase the (then) popular Chris Steak House. After a fire broke out and destroyed the original location, she rebuilt, added her name to original and Ruth’s Chris Steak House was born. Ruth’s Chris is the largest upscale steakhouse chain in the world, with over 170 locations worldwide.
I had the distinct pleasure of working at Ruth’s Chris Steak House corporation, for 10 years, when Ruth Fertel was still largely involved with the company. This gave me the opportunity to work for her and she became one of my largest inspirations in the hospitality industry. I also socialized and dined with her, several times, and she was one of the most charming and funniest people I have met. Man, did she have the stories and she told them with as much passion as she ran her restaurants. All while smoking her cigarettes and drinking her whiskey.
It is no exaggeration to state that I may have eaten this salad every day for 10 years. Or, at least some variation of it. I truly LOVE it that much! Every ingredient of this salad brings its own unique flavor to the overall delicious-ness. The green olives bring a salty quality. The croutons, a crunch. The red onion, a spiciness. The blue cheese, a tang. And the bacon…well, ‘cuz bacon. Lest we forget the fried onions on top. Oh, the stuff of dreams.
Serve the Chop Salad with Ruth’s Chris Stuffed Chicken Breast, their Barbequed Shrimp and their Berries & Sweet Cream and RCSH Prime is on your table tonight! Crack open a great Red and Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Salad Ingredients:
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cored and julienned (approx. 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup radicchio, julienned
- 1/2 cup baby spinach, julienned
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 can hearts of palm, sliced
- 2 hardboiled eggs, diced
- 4 slices of thick cut bacon, extra crispy and chopped
- 3 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup green olives, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2/3 cup croutons (homemade preferred)
- Cherry Tomatoes for garnish
- Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup mayo (Duke’s preferred)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
- 3 cranks black pepper
- Crispy Fried Onions Ingredients:
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 dashes of Crystal hot sauce
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/2 cup flour
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Soak the onions in buttermilk and hot sauce for 25 minutes. Mix the corn meal, flour, salt, and pepper to make the dredge. Dredge the onions from the wet mixture to the dry mixture and coat the onions well with the dry dredge. In a shallow fry pan, heat 1” canola oil. When oil gets to 350 degrees, drop the dredged onion slivers into the oil, knocking off any excess dredge. Fry until crispy and brown. With a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain and cool.
In a very large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Make the dressing separately. Make the fried onions. To compose the salad, toss the salad in the dressing. Plate the salad and top the salad with the fried onions. Serve halved cherry tomatoes on side for garnish.
Serve with Ruth's Chris Steak House's Stuffed Chicken Breast and Ruth's Chris Steak House's Berries & Sweet Cream and Enjoy!
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
