Written by Kristina Gustafsson and  Davide del Gatto, one of our fave cookbooks of late is Savage Salads.  Featuring seasonal salad recipes to indulge in all year round, we’re well and truly hooked. Below we share our must-try salads from the book. Enjoy!

GRILLED POUSSIN, SUMAC, ROCKET, CHICKPEAS, POMEGRANATE

Poussin, or baby chicken, is a great alternative if you don’t want to cook a whole chicken. Most butchers have it these days (and can spatchcock it for you), although chicken drumsticks and thighs would be an alternative. We marinate the poussin with sumac and olive oil and then drizzle a bit of pomegranate molasses over the bird once it’s cooked. This adds a wonderful sharpness to the smoky grilled meat.

FOR THE POUSSIN

– 4 poussins, spatchcocked

– 1 tbsp sumac

– 4 garlic cloves, crushed

– grated zest of 1 lemon

– 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil

– 4 thyme sprigs

– salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

– 500g/1lb 2oz/3 cups cooked or tinned chickpeas

– 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced

– 2 pomegranates, deseeded

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– 200g/7oz rocket (arugula)

– juice of 1 lemon

– 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

– salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

DRESSING SUGGESTION

Pomegranate dressing (see below)

Place the poussin in a large shallow bowl, add the remaining ingredients, except the salt, and turn the poussin until it is coated in the marinade. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2–6 hours.

Meanwhile, in another large bowl, mix the chickpeas, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and olive oil together. Set aside.

Take the poussins out the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat a chargrill pan, griddle pan or barbecue.

Once the poussins have come up to room temperature, place them skin-side down on the hot chargrill or barbecue. After a few minutes, gently begin to lift one of them from the surface: if it moves easily then shift them a little on the grill to brown more of the skin.

When the poussins are well browned on the skin-side, flip them over and either move them to a slightly cooler part of the grill or barbecue and cover with a large lid or put them in an ovenproof pan or dish and place in a hot oven, skin-side up. Cook for a further 8–10 minutes, or until the poussins are cooked through and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat.

Remove the poussins from the heat, cover loosely with foil and leave them to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the rocket leaves to the rest of the salad ingredients, squeeze the lemon juice over and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the salad on serving plates.

Cut each bird into 4 pieces, first removing the legs then halving each of the remaining pieces through the centre of the breast. Place the pieces on top of the salad and drizzle some extra pomegranate molasses over the whole dish, then serve.

POMEGRANATE DRESSING

The sweet tang of pomegranate vinaigrette is an interesting accompaniment to both meat and fish.

– 4 tbsp olive oil

– 50ml/2fl oz/scant ¼ cup pomegranate molasses

– 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

– salt

Approx 4 servings

Whisk the olive oil and pomegranate molasses together in a bowl, then add the vinegar and whisk again. Add salt to taste.

SEARED TUNA FILLET, CHERRY TOMATOES, CAPERS, RED ONION, BASIL, CROUTONS

The tomato salad here takes inspiration from a classic Italian dish called panzanella. It’s a Tuscan salad with tomato and bread and it’s a seasonal mainstay at our stall. We love it with red onion, capers and basil – it’s perfect with fresh tuna, but also good as a little side dish.

– ½ loaf unsliced white bread

– 100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

– 150g/5½oz cherry tomatoes

– 30g/1oz basil, chopped

– 1 tbsp small capers

– ½ red onion, very finely diced

– 30ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

– 1 tsp sea salt

– 3 red (bell) peppers

– 4 tuna fillets, about 200g/7oz each

– 1 tbsp vegetable oil

– salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

DRESSING SUGGESTION

Basil and rocket pesto (see below)

First, make the panzanella. Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/gas mark ½  Stale bread is best for making croutons. Cut the bread into roughly 1cm/ ½in cubes and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour, or until the bread is completely dry. Remove from the oven and drizzle the croutons with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and leave to cool.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them in a large bowl with the croutons, basil, capers and red onion. Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil, mix well, add the sea salt and set aside. The tomatoes need time to macerate and the croutons need to soak up a good deal of the liquid.

Preheat the grill to high. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and cook, skin-side up, under the hot grill for about 15 minutes until they char and soften. Most of the skin will lift away from the peppers, so discard the bits that are easy to remove, but leaving a little gives a nice smoky edge to the flavour. Cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper and brush with a little vegetable oil. Place them into the hot pan and sear each side for about 40 seconds to 1 minute. Don’t be tempted to add extra oil to the pan as they will be too difficult to handle and will overcook. When cooked, remove and cut into 5mm/¼ in slices, then arrange on plates with the panzanella and peppers.

BASIL AND ROCKET PESTO

– 20g/¾oz/2 tbsp pine nuts

– 30g/1oz rocket (arugula)

– 30g/1oz basil

– 30g/1oz/2 tbsp parmesan, grated

– 1 garlic clove

– 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

– salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approx 4 servings

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a low heat for 5–10 minutes, turning the nuts frequently until they are golden-brown. Remove the pan from the heat.

Chop all the dry ingredients very finely, including the toasted pine nuts, then place in a bowl and mix together with the olive oil.

Grate in the parmesan and season to taste.

BARBECUED LAMB, AUBERGINE, PEPPERS, MINT YOGURT, RED CHARD

There is nothing better than a barbecue on a hot day. The lamb is the star of this dish and cutlets are ideal cuts to use on the grill because the meat is very tender when cooked to the right temperature (preferably not over 60°C/140°F). It’s best served pink and only needs a few minutes cooking on each side.

– 8 rib rack of lamb or 8 lamb cutlets

– 6 baby aubergines (eggplant)

– 1 yellow (bell) pepper

– 1 red (bell) pepper

– 1 green (bell) pepper

– rock salt

– 1–2 tbsp olive oil

– 200g/7oz red chard

– 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

– 150g/5½ oz/ 2/3 cup Greek-style yoghurt

– 30g/1oz mint, finely chopped

– ½ lemon

– salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Preheat a barbecue. Separate the lamb cutlets by slicing in between each bone, or use pre-cut cutlets from the butcher.

Remove the green stalks from the aubergines and cut the aubergines lengthways into halves. Remove the stalks from the peppers and remove the seeds. Cut into equal-sized squares and place the vegetables in a dish together with the lamb cutlets. Season with rock salt and black pepper and drizzle over 1–2 tablespoons olive oil. Put everything on the barbecue grill. Cook, turning frequently. Keep an eye on the  lamb, as the fat tends to burn easily and spit.

After about 6–8 minutes remove all the vegetables and lamb from the grill. Let the lamb rest on a piece of foil to collect the juices and put the vegetables into a bowl to cool slightly.

Remove the stalks from the red chard, wash if necessary and roughly chop. Place into a bowl, then season with the extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt with the mint, some salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water to loosen it. Squeeze the lemon over the grilled vegetables and toss them through the chard leaves. Mix until everything is combined.

Arrange the salad on serving plates, adding 2 lamb cutlets per person. Pour any resting juices over the top and serve a dollop of the mint yoghurt on top.

Recipes and images from Savage Salads: Fierce Flavours, Filling Power-Ups by Davide Del Gatto & Kristina Gustafsson, photography by Kim Lightbody. Published by Frances Lincoln (£16.99).