1905 Salad Recipe

The 1905 Salad is the house salad at the legendary Columbia Restaurant located in the historical Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. This restaurant was founded in 1905 by Casimiro Hernandez who came to the United States from Cuba. Since then, the Columbia Restaurant has grown from a small cafe to one of the largest Spanish restaurants in the United States. There is a lot of history at this place. Columbia has been operated by the same family for 5 generations. Even our waiter had worked at the place for 40 years! It’s a little like eating inside of a really cool museum and you should definitely take a few minutes to walk around the place. Be sure to check out the bar where Teddy Roosevelt and some of his Rough Riders are said to have have had drinks here during a reunion after the Spanish American War.

This salad has been on the menu since the beginning and is a great starter for any of Columbia’s great locally caught fish. If you’re ever in Tampa, be sure to visit this gem of a restaurant!

Ingredients:
Dressing:

½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tspn dried oregano

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

4 cups iceberg lettuce, broken into 1 ½ inch pieces

1 ripe tomato cut into eighths

½ cup baked ham, julienned 2 inch x 1/8 inch

½ cup Swiss cheese

½ cup pimiento-stuffed green Spanish olives

2 cups 1905 salad dressing

¼ cup Romano cheese, grated

2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

1 lemon

Preparation:

Dressing:

1. Mix olive oil, garlic, and oregano in a bowl.
2. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. For best results, prepare 1 to 2 days in advance and refrigerate.

Salad:

1. Combine lettuce, tomato, ham, Swiss cheese, and olives in a large salad bowl.
2. Before serving, add 1905 Dressing, Romano cheese, Worcestershire, and the juice of 1 lemon.
3. Toss well and serve immediately.

This recipe courtesy of Columbia Restaurant – Tampa, Florida