While simplicity often reigns when making salads, a little attention to how you put them together can make a difference -- and not just in presentation, but also in flavor. There’s certainly nothing wrong with combining all of your salad fixings in a bowl and giving them a good toss. Some salads demand a good jumble, such as cheesy Caesar salads or simple green salads. However, if you have a special standout ingredient that you don’t want to submerge in a bowl of greens, or if you prefer a lighter hand in dressing the salad without wilting tender leaves, then layering is the way to go.

Dressing:

When layering a salad, you can ensure that it’s evenly dressed. Simply drizzle the base ingredients, such as your greens or crudites, with just enough dressing to lightly kiss the leaves and disperse with a gentle toss. You will add more dressing once the salad is composed. Layer the remaining ingredients on top and coat with a final light drizzle, and your salad is ready to go. And remember to go lightly when dressing your salad. You can always add more (or pass it once served), but you can’t remove it.

Seasoning and flavoring:

When proteins are one of your star ingredients, be sure to season them first -- don’t rely on the dressing alone to be the flavor agent for pieces of chicken, meat, fish or tofu. Layering also allows you to build in flavor with aromatics, such as snippets of fresh herbs, nuts and seeds, and finely grated citrus zest. Add a little to each layer to flavor and perfume the salad and ensure they’re present in every bite.

This salad has summer written all over it. Shrimp, feta and olives are the star ingredients, mingling with sweet corn, juicy tomatoes and plenty of garden greens. It’s beautiful when presented in a large serving bowl or arranged in individual serving bowls.

Shrimp and Feta Salad

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Serves 4 as a light meal or 6 as a side dish

Shrimp:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound large (16/18) shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact if desired

Salt

1/2 lemon

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

6 to 8 ounces mixed greens, such as arugula, red leaf, romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, thinly sliced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh corn kernels

1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

1/4 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

12 black olives, such as Kalamata or oil-cured

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Finely grated lemon zest, for garnish

Cook the shrimp:

Heat the oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the shrimp in one layer without overcrowding the pan. Cook until bright coral-pink on both sides and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer the shrimp to a plate, lightly season with salt and a squeeze of lemon, and cool to room temperature.

Make the vinaigrette:

Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Assemble the salad:

Combine the greens, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, corn, half of the parsley and half of the mint in a large, wide serving bowl. Drizzle about 1/4 cup vinaigrette over the greens (or enough to lightly coat) and toss. Arrange the shrimp over the greens and scatter the olives and feta over the salad. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with the remaining parsley and mint and the lemon zest.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

When the weather is hot, and it’s too stifling to cook or move, this salty, briny olive concoction will hit the spot. It’s called olivada. Similar to tapenade, minus the anchovies, the star ingredient is, you guessed it, olives -- three kinds of olives, in fact. While using just one type of olive would be acceptable, a combination provides more complexity, yielding a balance of intensity, salt, bitterness and fruit. The simple list of ingredients rounds out with toasted pine nuts, garlic and lemon, winding up with a salty, sharp and addictive condiment that’s surprisingly versatile. Simply spread olivada on baguette slices or crostini, or sprinkle it over salads, pasta and pizzas. It’s also a delicious accompaniment or topping to grilled fish and vegetables.

The three types of olives in this recipe are my tried-and-true combination. If you know your olives, you might want to experiment with mixing different kinds, but I think you’ll like the recipe with the following olives.

Oil-Cured Olives:

Yes, you need these. You’ve likely seen them -- the inky, shriveled, prune-like olives, sometimes dusted with dried herbs and dry-packed. These wizened black olives are dry-cured in salt and then soaked in oil, which concentrates their flavor to a salty, bitter intensity. They add an essential concentrated olive flavor that anchors this recipe.

Castelvetrano Olives:

At the other end of the olive spectrum is the Castelvetrano. If you are on the fence about eating olives, then this is the olive for you. These plump green olives are delightfully fruity, mildly salty and tame in flavor. They smooth out the intensity of the oil-cured olives and punctuate the olivada with speckles of bright green.

Kalamata Olives:

These medium-sized, purple-black, brine-cured olives are everyone’s darling -- pleasantly salty, meaty and fruity at once, yet never overpowering. They are delicious eaten on their own, strewn in salads, or folded into recipes requiring the subtle salty kick of olives. Kalamatas strike the middle ground in this recipe, binding the strength of the oil-cured olive to the sweet and mild Castelvetrano.

Olivada

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes about 1 3/4 cups

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup oil-cured olives, about 5 ounces, pitted

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, about 4 ounces

1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, about 4 ounces

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dry toast the pine nuts in a small skillet until golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Combine the pine nuts and all of the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to finely chop, without making a paste.

Transfer the olivada to a glass jar or container and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors develop. Serve at room temperature. Store the olivada in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (the flavors will mellow over time).

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

It may sound counterintuitive, but when the weather is hot, the spices should be hotter. Think about it: Many cultures that infuse their cuisine with chiles and spice are warm-weather countries. Sure, many of these five-alarm ingredients are native to their environment, but the simple fact is that spicy food is cooling. It makes you sweat, which is your body's sensible method of adjusting its thermostat.

This recipe is my attempt to confront a sweltering day with a plate of fiery food. Chicken thighs are great for roasting and grilling. The dark meat is rich, moist and flavorful, and it can easily handle a wallop of heat and spice. Plus, the juicy meat won't dry out while you cook the thighs to crispy perfection.

The heat in this recipe is largely due to the fresh red jalapeno peppers, where it lies in the peppers’ seeds and membranes. I'll leave it up to you as to how much of the hot parts you remove, but I encourage you to keep at least some of it. Jalapenos can vary in spice from pepper to pepper, so be brave and take a tiny bite of each pepper to know what you're working with and adjust accordingly. And remember when handling the seeds and membranes of spicy peppers to use a paring knife or gloved hands to protect your fingers from the heat.

The good news is that these spicy thighs are easy to make. All you need to do is blitz the marinade ingredients in a food processor, which is my favorite way to make a multi-ingredient marinade with no fussy chopping or prepping required. Then, thoroughly coat the chicken, including under the skin if possible (remember those gloves!) and let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, simply fire up the chicken on the grill or roast in the oven. Easy, right? It should be. After all, it's bleeping hot outside, and you don’t want to exert yourself.

Chili-Chili Chicken Thighs

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes, plus marinating time

Yield: Serves 4

Marinade:

2 red jalapeno peppers

1 large roasted red pepper, drained if jarred, peeled and seeded if fresh, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin

Fresh thyme for garnish

Halve the jalapeno peppers. If desired, remove some of the seeds and the membranes with a paring knife or gloved hands (or be brave and skip this step!). Coarsely chop the jalapenos and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add all of the remaining marinade ingredients and process to blend.

Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl or a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over and turn to thoroughly coat the chicken. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees or prepare a grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.

If oven-roasting, arrange on a grill pan. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and roast until the skin is golden and beginning to crisp and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part closest to the bone, about 30 minutes. Turn on the oven broiler for the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking to further darken the skin.

If using a grill, arrange the chicken, skin side up, over indirect heat. Grill until the skin is golden and beginning to crisp and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part closest to the bone, about 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and season with additional salt and pepper and garnish with fresh thyme.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS