Do you love a little heat in your food, or perhaps you’re a proud pepper consumer and love to just pile it on? Either way, this collection of spicy salads showcases the different types of spicy ingredients that enhance the inherent flavours of the recipe. Enjoy!
What makes food spicy?
A nasty compound called Capsaicin!
Capsaicin is an organic compound that is produced by the seeds in the plants of the Capsicum genus. This active ingredient is what gives food that heat. Capsaicin is essentially a natural defence mechanism against being under attack, such as from us humans who wish to eat them!
Our tongue contains thousands of pain receptors called VR1 receptors. They can be found on our taste buds’ surface and actually on many other body parts too. When it comes into contact with Capsaicin, it causes a burning sensation, signalled by the brain through the trigeminal nerve.
The different levels of tolerance are due to desensitised receptors that can occur if you eat a lot of spicy food and become less affected.
How to measure the spiciness of foods?
The Scoville unit scale is the measurement by which one determines the heat level of chillies. This is done by getting human testers that get a series of dilutions of a specific pepper. They continue to dilute it until it is no longer spicy. The number of times it is diluted is the unit by which the levels of spiciness is measured.
This test is, of course, subjective as we all have different levels of tolerance. Still, it has been refined over the years to give a relatively good understanding.
Chillies or peppers that have a score of 0 indicates it is not spicy at all. The hottest pepper of all is the Carolina Reaper which comes in at a whopping 2,200,000 Scoville units! That is massively high when a regular jalapeno only comes in at 2,500 to 2,800 Scoville units.
Anyone here tried the Carolina Reaper?
How to cool down your mouth after eating spicy food
The first remedy that everyone instinctively does is to grab a glass of water. When in fact, that is the worst thing you can do. Capsaicin is an oil, which, as we all know, does not mix with water. Drinking water will only spread the burn across the receptors on your tongue.
If you thought that drinking a glass of milk would help alleviate spiciness was just an old wife’s tale, you would be wrong. It does actually work. It works because milk contains a protein called casein which helps to break the bonds of the Capsaicin from the receptors that have been too receptive!
This would explain why a lot of Mexican and Indian food are often accompanied by some form of sour cream or yoghurt. In fact, a good mango lassi is the perfect way to get rid of the heat.
Growing up, my mother used to always tell me to drink hot water. This was a completely counterintuitive move. My tongue is already on fire, and you want me to make it worse? However, it is sometimes so bad that I’d do anything to get rid of it, so I’d bite the bullet and drink hot water. The initial pain is awful, but the relief is almost instant!
Oh, and cucumber. Cucumber is the best thing to have to relieve your throbbing mouth!
Growing up in southeast Asia, eating chilli is an everyday occurrence. So much so that there are many people out there who believe that food is completely tasteless if there was any fresh chilli around.
We love a kick of heat in our salad. Not enough to blow your socks off but certainly enough to enhance the flavours of a recipe. Of course, the beauty of spicy foods is that you can adjust them to your liking. Feel free to pile it on if you’re after something that will produce beads of sweat!
Enjoy our collection of spicy salads!
Tofu Skin Salad with Cucumber and Cauliflower
1/14
Bold spicy Asian flavours that will definitely get your taste buds moving.
Delicious texture with tofu skin, cucumber and cauliflower mixed with a chilli black vinegar dressing that is spicy, sweet and sharp all at the same time.
Parmesan Chipotle Corn Salad with Black Beans
2/14
Smoky, earthy and salty, this Chipotle Corn Salad is accompanied by simple, fresh ingredients.
This budget friendly salad is easy to make and fantastic for those warmer months as you host a casual alfresco lunch with family and friends.
Gochujang Chicken Salad with Noodles and Tofu
3/14
This Korean inspired Gochujang Chicken Salad is an explosion of mouth-watering flavours and prickly heat. It’s almost too good to share!
Cilantro Chimichurri Prawn Salad
4/14
Elevate this summer prawn salad with an aromatic cilantro chimichurri sauce. Perfect for those balmy alfresco dining afternoons when your family and friends are over for a BBQ!
Zucchini and Cucumber Salad with Dried Shrimp
5/14
Dive into a traditional style salad that heralds from the intertwining of Chinese and British Malay cultures of centuries past.
This Zucchini and Cucumber Salad celebrates the fusion between the 2 cuisines, replicated nowhere else in the world.
Chicken and Gem Lettuce Salad with Sriracha Aioli
6/14
No boring Chicken and Gem Lettuce Salad with spicy, tangy sriracha aioli all balanced with sweet, crunchy and wholesome vegetables. This is a healthy and delicious meal in one.
Curried Vegan Cauliflower Steak Salad
7/14
Imagine infusing a Vegan Cauliflower Steak with some of the most aromatic spices found in curry powder.
Then imagine the smells in the kitchen as they roast themselves into delectable pieces of joy. What a salad!
Thai Prawn Salad with Chilli Tamarind Dressing
8/14
Freshly grilled prawns, aromatic Thai herbs and a zesty Chilli Tamarind salad dressing with a good kick of chilli, this Asian-inspired salad is mouth-watering goodness.
Spicy Green Salad with Avocado
9/14
Jalapeno chilli peppers are the perfect way to spice up your life! It certainly did so with this Spicy Green Salad as it elevated it to the next level.
Too hot? Let the avocado fan cool you down!
Tropical Mango Salad with Coconut Flakes
10/14
Sweet golden mangoes matched perfectly with roasted coconut flakes, crunchy red cabbage, fresh mint and salty peanuts with a tangy lime and fish sauce dressing.
A vibrant and healthy mango recipe that is punchy and with a whole lot of tropical vibes.
Baby Cauliflower and Spiced Chickpeas with Beetroot Tahini
11/14
What could be more scrumptious than whole roasted baby cauliflower? Combine them with spiced chickpeas and beetroot tahini, and you’ll have a middle eastern inspired salad that won’t disappoint.
Spicy Mango Salsa with Avocado
12/14
Outrageously easy to make, our Spicy Mango Salsa with Avocado is super popular for the crowds. Fresh, zesty with a good kick of jalapeno, you will love this delicious salsa variation.
Thai Green Mango Salad with Salty Tamarind Dressing
13/14
Combining exotic flavours in salty tamarind dressing served with prawns, crunchy green mango, grilled pineapple and cucumber, this Thai Green Mango Salad recipe is super refreshing.
Great starter to get the taste buds moving.
Spicy Chicken Salad
14/14
Asian-inspired Spicy Chicken Salad with a tasty mix of fresh crunchy vegetables all tossed together with a hot chilli garlic salad dressing; flavours to wake the taste buds for sure.
More Salad Collections
Here’s a fantastic array of other salad collections that just might take your fancy:
Easy Salad Dressing Recipes
Salad dressings are incredibly easy to make in the comfort of your own home. This way you can control the ingredients to suit your palate and you can make the exact portion you need for that one meal. Check out our collection!
Salad Ingredient Pairings
Here are some ingredient pairing ideas if you wish to create your own salad recipe:
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Jar Of Lemons
Wonderful tips to relieve the heat! Never heard of hot water. I will definitely give that a try next time! Great hot salad selection here as well!
The Devil Wears Salad
The hot water trick is something I grew up with and tbh, it burns when you first drink it but the relief is almost instant. Just be careful not to have boiling hot water and drink it slowly!
Debra
Oh, you’re totally speaking my language here. We love salad and also love spicy food! I’ve pinned so many of these so we can make them.
The Devil Wears Salad
Thanks so much Debra! Hope you find some in there you’ll really love.
Michele H Peterson
What a fantastic collection of spicy hot salads.And thanks too for the tips on how to reduce the heat if you’ve tried something too hot. I hadn’t heard of drinking milk so will give that a try instead of water. I wonder if it would also work if you get hot pepper on your hands?
The Devil Wears Salad
That’s a really good point! I’ve done that before and once, I rubbed my eye too…. what an idiot.
Angela
I don’t know which one to choose, they are all so good. I love spicy food and tonight I’m making Spicy Chicken Salad.
The Devil Wears Salad
We love spicy food too! Love being able to incorporate that into salads. Hope everyone enjoyed the spicy chicken salad:)
Maddie
I’m always looking for new salad recipes for lunches for myself and my husband. Can’t wait to try these out! Thank you for sharing.
The Devil Wears Salad
You’re welcome Maddie! Hope you find a new favourite!