How can you prevent the lettuce from wilting if covered with something hot?
If I want to make a shrimp salad, I put the lettuce and other raw vegetables on the plate, cook the shrimps and put them on the veggies. However, after a minute or so, the lettuce becomes soft, like it's wilting, probably because of the heat.
Is there a way to slow this process down? It's not easy to make a simple salad for multiple persons that looks nice when you deliver it.
I'm pretty sure this also applies to other vegetables and other cooked food. If not, please mention so in your answer.
Best Answer
Wilting in greens is triggered by temperature, pH, and salt content. To reduce wilting, you can cool the vegetables or shrimp, make the vegetables more acidic*, or decrease their salt content.
My suggestion would be to cool the shrimp with an ice water bath or cold running water. This is the most traditional approach for shrimp salad. Alternately, you could apply an acidic dressing before topping, but wait to salt it until the shrimp have cooled to 140F.
Alternately, wilting of vegetables adds a rather interesting variation in flavor or texture to a salad. This technique has been desirable and in vogue at various times.
Why does this all happen?
Plant cells wilt when cooking breaks apart the cellulose-based cell walls, and allows water to escape, causing them to soften. To quote On Food and Cooking (pp 282):
When the tissue reaches 140F/60C, the cell membranes are damaged, the cells lose water and deflate, and the tissue as a whole goes from firm and crisp to limp and flabby.
Acids will impede wilting, because the cell walls are held together with hemicellulose, and it is "not very soluble in an acid environment" (pp 282). Table salt is a problem, because "its sodium ions displace the calcium ions that cross-link and anchor the cement molecules in the fruits and vegetable walls, thus breaking the cross-links and helping dissolve the hemicelluloses" (pp 283). Calcium has the opposite affect, so if you can use hard water or add calcium salts, do so.
*Acidic solutions will reduce green colors(On Food and Cooking, pp 280-281), but preserve texture (282).
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Quick Answer about "How can you prevent the lettuce from wilting if covered with something hot?"
Keep Lettuce Plants Well-Watered The evaporation of water from soil provides natural cooling. Water your lettuce plants every day—and even more often if it is extremely hot and dry. The lettuce leaves are mostly water and will desiccate and wilt in strong sunlight and dry soil.How do you stop lettuce from wilting?
To store a full head of lettuce, wrap in a damp paper towel and put the head inside a plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator. If you're storing individual lettuce leaves, spin them dry after washing and place in a lettuce keeper in the fridge. A container is best to avoid bruising and bacteria buildup.Does lettuce wilt with heat?
Lettuce may bolt in response to the stress of high temperatures, and the leaves may become bitter as the plant puts its growth into flowering (see photo at right). Leaves wilt, toughen, and get bitter if the plant becomes water stressed in heat.What is the best remedy to prevent wilting in green salads?
The best way to protect and prolong the life of your greens is by storing them in a large container lined with damp\u2014not dry, but not sopping\u2014paper towels. \u201cIf you wrap the leaves in a totally dry paper towel, the moisture from the leaves will be absorbed more quickly, and the leaves dry out,\u201d says Ayoob.How do restaurants keep their lettuce so crisp?
But removing the air is exactly the opposite of what lettuce needs. Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture, in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.How to revive the wilted lettuce with this chilling life hacks! | Alyssa Danica Rimbao Morado
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Answer 2
Besides BobMcGee's answer, which is quite thorough, one option would be to avoid using lettuce in your salad. For example, you could make a salad of wild rice, and sauteed asparagus and mushrooms. Placing hot shrimps on top won't wilt anything, and you can garnish with sprigs of parsley or other herbs that will remain nice and crisp because they don't have a large surface area in contact with the shrimp.
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