5 main-dish salads

Take advantage of the West's gorgeous produce by making a big, hearty salad for dinner. With chicken, shrimp, or salmon tossed in, and dressed with fresh, zesty flavors, each of these salad recipes makes a complete and satisfying meal. Best of all, they're ready to serve in about 30 minutes.

Chopped Barbecued Chicken Salad
Made with several prepared or leftover ingredients, this salad is a true snap to make. As a shortcut, pick up roasted chicken at a market.

Crunchy Chicken Taco Salad
The kids will approve of this salad's corn-chip and tortilla crunch. If you don't have a V-shaped baking rack, bake tortillas flat on a baking sheet and top with salad.

Grilled Salmon Salad
This 5-star-rated recipe gets many compliments on its great flavor. You can make the tomato vinaigrette up to 3 hours ahead; cover and chill.

Cabbage and Shrimp Salad (Goi Tom)
This Southeast Asian salad is traditionally made with finely sliced raw banana blossoms or cabbage; we've gotten excellent results with the cabbage. For convenience, use frozen cooked shrimp, thawed, and packaged shredded cabbage (often labeled "angel hair").

Glass Noodle Salad with Shrimp
This colorful salad has a light, sweet-tart dressing punctuated by pickled garlic. To save time, the salad and dressing can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and kept covered and chilled separately.