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The Maurice Salad isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s pretty old. It originated in the early 20th century at the J.L. Hudson Department store in Detroit, Michigan. That landmark might have been gone for 20 years now, but the Maurice Salad is one of its lasting legacies thanks to its unique flavors that balance so well. Detroiters aren’t the only fans — it’s well loved by people all across these great United States.
The J.L. Hudson Department store was one of the world’s tallest department stores at the time and it’s where this wonderful salad originated. Since then, other stores and restaurants have started to carry it as well — you can find it in some Macy’s cafes and in restaurants all over the U.S.
What’s in a Maurice Salad?
It’s a salad not quite like any other. The base is made of iceberg lettuce but it also features some quirky stuff. There’s sweet gherkins and stuffed green olives, there’s Swiss cheese, turkey, and ham. The dressing features grated onion and hard-boiled egg, and a creamy lemony-mayo flavor you don’t really find anywhere else. It’s a salad that’s all about balance of flavor and it executes perfectly.
To make it yourself you’ll need:
- Iceberg lettuce.
- A pound of ham, sliced.
- A pound of turkey, sliced.
- A pound of Swiss cheese. Again, sliced.
- Sweet gherkin pickles.
- Pimento stuffed green olives.
For the dressing, you’ll need:
- Mayo.
- Lemon juice.
- White vinegar.
- Yellow onion. Grated.
- Granulated sugar.
- Dijon mustard.
- Mustard powder.
- Fresh parsley.
- 1 hard boiled egg.
The dressing is a case study in the balance of sweet and tangy! It belongs on much more than just Maurice Salad.
How Do You Make a Maurice Salad?
For the dressing, it’s easiest to use a blender, but you can chop and whisk by hand instead and it works just fine. Blend the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard, dry mustard, grated onion, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Then, simply stir in the parsley, grated hard-boiled egg, and mayo and chill it until you’re ready to assemble.
When it’s assembly time, get a very large bowl and toss all the ingredients with about a cup and half of the dressing until it’s well coated. You’ll have dressing left over (which is a great thing). Top it with some green olives and you’re ready to dig into this Detroit classic!
Maurice Salad
Yield(s): Serves 4
15m prep time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon yellow onion, grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 hard-boiled egg, grated
For the salad:
- 1 lb cooked ham, cut into strips
- 1 lb turkey breast, cut into strips
- 1 lb Swiss cheese, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup sweet gherkin pickles, sliced
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 12 pimento stuffed green olives
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- For the dressing:
- In a blender, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard, dry mustard, onion puree, and sugar. Blend until sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a serving container, and stir in parsley, eggs, and mayonnaise. Chill until ready to use (up to 5 days).
- To assemble:
- In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, pickles, and dressing (about 1 1/2 cups; you may have some leftover). Season to taste with salt and pepper, toss again, then serve topped with green olives. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Macy's Restaurants.