Tequilaberry’s Salad
“It’s certain that fine women eat a crazy salad with their meat.” ~Yeats
My friend Sherida shared this recipe with me years ago when Tequilaberry’s was still open. It was a great restaurant located in Coon Rapid’s Minnesota. They were known for their prime rib and this spectacular salad. They have sadly closed their doors, but nobody that enjoyed this salad can seem to live without it for very long. I came across it when I was looking through my recipes a couple days ago…
and decided to make it and post a little how-to, just in case anyone out there is looking for this little gem. Enjoy!
Tequilaberry’s Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 lb. bacon
1 cup real mayonnaise (no substitutes)
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Combine chopped lettuce…
and chopped cauliflower… in a large mixing bowl.
Fry bacon until crispy, blot and chop into bite size pieces. Add bacon to the lettuce mixture. Discard bacon grease.
To make the dressing:
Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and parmesan cheese in a small mixing bowl. Add the dressing to the lettuce mixture until completely incorporated. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator. I like to grind a little fresh pepper over the top before serving.
Enjoy!
~Melissa
Definitely a hit. Can’t get enough of it. As your recipe says- serve immediately- best when it’s super fresh. Great way to get the kids to eat cauliflower (with their bacon.) Bacon!
Hey there Hubby,
Thanks for the comment 🙂 I may have to challenge you to a duel for the last bit of salad in the fridge. Hee hee.
xoxo,
Me
Hey! Great way to get me to eat bacon and my veggies all in a salad. Like the dishes, too….Nice placemats as I got the same…Good Taste!
Ooh, I have another bacon+veggies=bliss recipe that I’ll pass your way Sandy. It’s called “Candied Broccoli” 🙂 Of course you noticed the dishes, vintage collector-woman! See…I told you…red and white… hee hee
Sandy, here’s the recipe… 🙂
Candied Broccoli-
* 10 slices bacon
* 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
* 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 cup sunflower seeds
Directions
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, onion and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. Before serving, toss salad with crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.
I make a VERY similar recipe, but we call it Broccoli Salad, the only difference is add some raisins to it. Its a big hit we I come from. Also, I have see it with shredded cheddar cheese added.
Hi Jaime! Your salad sounds very similar to my candied broccoli salad 🙂 yummy! thanks for visiting and commenting.
You can get very creative with the broccoli salad. I’ve also added cranberries and crushed pineapple, along with the shredded cheddar cheese.
Hi Jamie, I also make it that way with the Cheddar Cheese. My mother use to make it.
My husband and I have been whining about missing this salad since they closed YEARS ago. Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve made it several times now, and it is every bit as good as we remember.
Isn’t is just SO good! So happy you were able to enjoy it again! XO ~M
A great and simple recipe. Perfect for any event….
Great for Cinco De Mayo festivities, too!!
I think we’ll give it a try at our place.
Thanks for the comment Susan!
Back in the day, I had many dinners in the “prime rib loft” at Tequilaberry’s! The salad was definitely always a highlight of the dinner!! The dressing was sooo good:)
Hi Lisa!
My friend Sherida use to frequent the restaurant and the owner gave her the recipe…and she gave it to me. This is the authentic recipe. It is absolutely one of our all time favorite salads 🙂 Enjoy! xoxo
This is a must try! How perfect for a dinner on a warm night!
Hello Annabelle! So glad you like the recipe! enjoy…and beware, this stuff is addictive 😉
Sounds awesome! Wish I could pin this. I need to put it in my in-law visit folder!
Hello Emily! I’m on Pinterest….just go to the link and look at the “best food bloggers” board. I’ll post the recipe there for you to pin. XO
Thanks I will!
Oh yum, thanks for bringing this to the party!!
Hi Tara! My pleasure! enjoy, and thanks for visiting 🙂
I referenced your site on my blog with your Tequilaberry salad dressing. I love it! I did live in Coon Rapids and used to love to go there! At that time I couldn’t get the recipe for their dressing. I am glad they finally gave it out. You have a nice site and great recipes. Thank you for posting! allkindsofthingsblog.wordpress.com
thanks so much for stopping by to leave a comment, and for the blog reference! Enjoy, this is definitely one of our favorites! 🙂
I have been wanting to make this for a while now and today was the day. Yum! And I think I will be eating it all by myself. My husband doesn’t seem interested. His loss! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi there Elaine! I’m so pleased that you tried the recipe and that you like it! Definitely a favorite in our house too 😉 Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope you’ll visit again soon! XO ~Melissa
Thanks for sharing this delicious salad. My family loved it! I also added a little fresh kale chopped like the iceburg and some halved cherry tomatoes from our overflowing backyard garden. Did you use fresh grated parmesan in your dressing?
Hi Sandra! I love your additions to this recipe! yummy and healthy 🙂 I actually have used fresh grated parm, and the powdered parm on different occasions. I usually like fresh parm in my recipes, but I found that the powdered stuff really does work better for this. It mixes in better. of course, it’s all a matter of personal taste 😉 enjoy! XO ~M
This is an old favorite, indeed. I used to go to Tequilaberrys with a friend of mine… We’d nibble on the prime rib, but the salad was always our priority. She came up with her own version of the recipe, but I’m dying to try yours. Love it! Thanks so much for bringing this recipe back! Cheers!
Hi Michele! thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting! enjoy 🙂
Dressing does need 1 tablespoon, if not more, of onion powder mixed with the mayo. And Hellman’s does make it better. Love it. We have it every Christmas. We were definitely sorry when the restaurant in Coon Rapids closed down. We went there quite often.
Hi Sally, This is the actual, original recipe for Tequilaberry’s salad which never included onion powder. It was given to a friend of mine directly from the owner. There are a lot of knock-offs of this recipe where people have added their own additions. I think it’s cool when people tweak recipes to suit their own tastes and make them their own. 😉 I’m always adding garlic and onion to my stuff too. hee hee…
We miss the restaurant too! Sad to see a great place like that close it’s doors.
Just curious .. This looks AND sounds amazing! But, how many calories is in this beauty?
Cuz I could eat the whole thing in one sitting!
Hi Sue! Honestly, I have no idea, but I can tell you it’s a bunch 🙂 I only make this naughty recipe a few times a year as a side dish. hee hee… enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
Why real mayonnise? Can’t do cool whip or a non fat mayonnise?
Hi Ted,
This salad is all about flavor.Did you mean Miracle Whip? (Cool Whip would definitely not work in this salad 😉 ) Miracle Whip tastes completely different than mayonnaise, and because of the ingredients, it’s already too sweet to be a base for the dressing that calls for more sugar. Miracle Whip and non fat mayonnaise would both cause your salad to become watery, due to the lower fat content. Trust me, you use a cup of real, all-fat mayonnaise in this or it will taste weird. I know people who have tried it. 🙂 I hope that helps, and answers you question. Best, ~Melissa
Tequilaberry Salad is one of my favorite summer salads – so good served ice cold on a hot day. It’s hearty , though obviously a bit on the fatty side, but we have to splurge once in awhile! Thank you for reminding me of this delicious salad – now I have to go find a reason to make some!
Hi Sally! 🙂
I completely agree… This is one you don’t want to make TOO too often, but it’s fun for a splurge. We love it for summer gatherings and picnics… That way I don’t have a whole vat of it in the fridge calling my name 😉 hee hee… win, win. XOXO ~M
Isn’t that the truth? I usually try to make those really decadent, high-fat, or high-sugar recipes when there are LOTS of people around to eat the majority of it!! But i will admit that sometimes I stash some of it to the back of the refrigerator just for me!!
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked in my phone for weeks…..I finally made it today and it’s awesome! Thanks!
My pleasure, Marcy! I’m so happy you like it! Thanks for visiting and for trying my recipe! XOXO ~M
Is the Parmesan cheese grated or the powdered kind ? Can’t wait to make this. Thanks.
would like to know the answer to this too
Powdered 🙂
powdered 🙂
ewwwwwwwww stinky feet smelly cheese. Can one use fresh grated?
LOL… Well, you can, but it’s not as good. This is one of those recipes where the powdered stuff is actually better.
Is there another option than adding sugar? I’m diabetic ;( Looks very good though!
Is the cauliflower raw or cooked???
Oh my goodness… Every time this recipe comes up on your site, it makes me catch my breath. I used to go to Tequilaberry’s with a girlfriend that, sadly, is no longer with us. We used to go there and fill up on the salad) the restaurant’s specialty – prime rib – was inconsequential)… Calories don’t count with this recipe, but I’m telling you, each one is so worth it. Thank you for sharing, Melissa!
I have to make this for 40 people and can’t figure out people to quantities, can you help?
I found that if you run the bacon under cold water, don’t blot it, just shake off the excess water, and place it immediately in the heated frying pan, there is hardly any bacon grease to discard, and you get really crispy bacon. To this recipe, I think I would enjoy halved grape tomatoes. It does sound really great!
Where is the recipe for the salad dressing?
If I had looked a little further I would have seen it thanks
I can’t wait to try this salad. Have been seeing it jump out to me several times. This restaurant sounds like I would really love it. We had one here in Huntsville, Al for years. It was called Mr Steak and everything they had was awesome. Too bad it closed several years ago and I am still trying to copy some of their recipes.
Hi Barbara! 🙂 Enjoy.
So glad I came across this recipe! Our family was just talking about it. I’ll have to make it soon! Thank you!
It’s so good! Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks, When they served there Prime rib they had a Neapolitan, light fluffy, I think it had marshmallows, and the bread that they brought out was great, do you have the recipes.
Sorry, I don’t.
I’ve made this twice for my family and they practically lick the bowl!
I am a user of Fresh Parmesan for the most part, as well as the dry fine grated bottles stuff (whenever needed).
I loved that restaurant & it’s salad too. I think recipes like yours should be more specific because it does effect the taste. Personally I think the Tequilaberry’s Salad is a dry bottle grated version…not fresh. Just saying! Thanks for sharing. I have seen different recipes out there claiming the name…but they differ.
I like this
Why is it called tequila berry? There are no berries nor any tequila in it?
That salad sounds amazing! I’ll be adding ingredients I need to make this delicious salad one day soon.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!😋
Enjoy!
I loved this Sala as a child at Tequilaberrys in Coon Rapids. We did find this salad is also the house salad at the Black Bear restaurant in Baxter, MN.
I grew up in the area and had the private to dine at Tequilaberry’s many times. The salad is sooo very good! I see recipes on Pinterest for this salad with additions such as grapes and almonds, but that IS NOT the original. If you’ve never tried this salad you should. It’s seriously addicting!