This 1905 salad will delight you as either a main course or a side dish. I think of it as a mini Chef salad. The ratio of “goodies” to lettuce is generously perfect, in my humble opinion. Aren’t the goodies the best part of any salad?
This one is loaded with Swiss cheese, ham, tomatoes, and Spanish olives. You can use sliced deli ham, ham steak, or leftover ham for this salad. The homemade dressing is light and lemony and takes about 2 minutes to put together. This salad is made all from scratch and you’ll taste the delicious results in every bite!
Listen, I grew up hating salads. I’ve made it my life’s mission to only serve salads that everyone in my family loves! If you’re looking for more interesting salads, I hope you’ll try my Mediterranean salad, strawberry spinach salad, Portillo’s chopped salad, and my homemade KFC coleslaw next.
What Is 1905 Salad?
This salad was originally created by waiter, Tony Noriega, in the 1940s. It was adapted and popularized in the 1970’s in Ybor city, Tampa Florida at a restaurant chain called, Columbia Restaurant. This now famous salad was their answer to the popular at the time, salad bar. The salad made the USA Today’s list of top 10 America’s Best Salads.
1905 Salad Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- Lettuce: This original recipe calls for iceberg lettuce. Slice just before serving so the lettuce doesn’t brown.
- Ripe Tomatoes: I like Roma tomatoes for this salad. If they’re small, feel free to add another one.
- Cheese: Swiss is the cheese of choice for this salad. I like to buy it sliced, then cut the slices into strips. That way the strips are the perfect thickness for the salad.
- Julienned Ham: You can use leftover ham or deli ham.
- Olives: I grabbed the green Spanish olives from Costco. They are sized as jumbo, so I cut mine in quarters.
- Romano: If you need to you can substitute this with Parmesan cheese.
1905 Salad Dressing:
- White Wine Vinegar: This type of vinegar is made from white. Don’t confuse it with the harsher-tasting white vinegar.
- Olive Oil: The original recipe calls for Spanish olive oil. I must admit I generally use what’s on hand, which is generally Italian extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic: For the best taste, please use fresh garlic, not the stuff in the jar that’s already minced.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This fermented condiment adds all kinds of flavor and depth to the dressing.
- Oregano: Dried.
- Lemon Juice: I use fresh.
- Salt + Pepper
Variations
Switch The Protein: I love this salad with the originally called for ham. That said, I make this often and switch up the protein. Try turkey, shrimp, roast beef, or chicken.
Switch The Lettuce: The original recipe calls for iceberg lettuce. Try it with romaine, spring mix, or butter lettuce. You can also really mix it up and combine lettuce.
Add Onion: This salad is delicious with some very thinly sliced red onion.
Add Crunch: This is nice with a little crunch. We like a few stalks celery, thinly slice, or sprinkle few croutons over the salad.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Salads love fridges! Store undressed salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? No! Sadly, frozen greens do not do well. Eat your salad fresh and chilled!
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can slice the Swiss, ham, and olives then make the dressing ahead of time, and store it in the fridge.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How to Make 1905 Salad
- Mix all the salad ingredients, except Romano cheese.
- Prepare all the dressing ingredients.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Whisk or shake to create an emulsion. (Use a mason jar for convenience!)
- Toss half the salad dressing in to the salad. Sprinkle Romano cheese on top.
***See the full instructions below.
More Refreshing Salad Recipes
- Strawberry Salad (with Blue Cheese and Arugula)
- Carrot Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- California Spaghetti Salad
- Grape Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Pea Salad
- Pizza Salad
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1905 Salad {Columbia Restaurant Salad}
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths
- 1/2 cup ham, (deli sliced, ham steak, or leftover ham) cut into strips
- 1/2 cup swiss cheese sliced and cut into strips
- 1/4 cup Spanish olives, cut in halves of quarters, depending the size
- 1-2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
Salad Dressing:
- 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients, except Romano cheese. If ham and cheese pieces are sticking together, try to separate the pieces.
Make Dressing:
- In a small bowl, or a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients. Whisk or shake vigorously to evenly combine.
- Add half the dressing to salad, toss to evenly dress. Taste and adjust amount of dressing to your taste. Sprinkle Romano over the top of the salad bowl or on individual plated servings.
I’m trying to explore other salad dressings, instead of ranch and other mayo based. I really enjoyed this!
Yaaay! Thanks, Sandra. I’m happy you tried this. 🙂