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The inspiration for this spinach salad came from two women in my life who are both phenomenal pianists, and who both know how to play Debussy’s Arabesque effortlessly. If you’ve never heard the piece, you can find an enchanting rendition here.
My mother came up with the ingredients for the actual salad a few years ago. And my dear friend, a California native, shared this dressing recipe with me over fifteen years ago. The fluid compliment of the salad and dressing left me with no better name for it than Arabesque Spinach Salad to honor the women who influenced it. I’m grateful for the happy combination.
Spinach, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, slice almonds (toasted), green onions, and chow mein noodles (optional for gluten free). But you don’t have to use them all to have a delicious salad. Use what your budget allows. Or what your preferences/diet require. This can be a main dish, or a side to a large spread.
Prepping ingredients the day before, like the hard-boiled eggs and bacon, can be very helpful. For instance, the hard-boiled eggs need time to cook, be peeled and cool. If you have an instant pot, I really like this fool-proof way to hard boil eggs from paleopot.com. They turn out perfect every time.
Likewise bacon needs time to cook and cool. I like to bake 8 – 10 slices on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Drain the grease off after ten minutes and put it back in the oven until it reaches the level of crispiness I prefer. For the specific directions, go to my post on How to Cook Bacon in the Oven. Very easy and not as messy as frying.
For toasted sliced almonds, I spread the half cup of almonds on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350° oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Watch them! I’ve burned my fair share by waiting too long. Use your nose to smell the fragrant toasted scent, then pull them out and immediately transfer almonds to a plate to stop the baking process. One cup of sliced almonds needs about 4 and a half minutes tends to be successful.
The dressing, originally called Hawaiian Dressing, is simple. It’s recipe is included with the Arabesque Salad recipe for user-friendly cooking. For a stand-alone recipe of the dressing (which is double), go here. The sweetness and tang compliment all the other salad ingredients and contains:
I really like this Oxo salad dressing shaker. It is SO handy when measuring and mixing dressings. Easy storage and pouring too! Homemade dressings just taste better and by default are preservative-free.
Once you have your spinach salad ingredients ready, layer it up in a salad serving bowl any pretty way you feel. And to prevent a soggy salad, add dressing just before serving. Enjoy!
This spinach salad brings so much flavor with bacon, hard boiled eggs, mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, green onions, sliced almonds, and chow mein noodles, dressed with a sweet Hawaiian dressing. Great for any occasion as a meal or side!
I’d love to see a picture of your Arabesque Salad. Share it on Instagram @nickelplatekitchen or #nickelplatekitchen.
Welcome to Nickel Plate Kitchen! I'm Elizabeth, wife of Jim and mom of two boys (a 3yo and a newborn). I'm passionate about good food on a budget with room for extravagance now and then. I hope you find something helpful while you're here. Thanks for stopping by!