Butter lettuce is a frequently used leafy green in my home and in the home of Paleoistas everywhere. You often find butter lettuce in a plastic container (there are known as clamshells) in the produce aisle of your grocery store and most of the time it’s alive, still attached to its root.
The reason for the packaging is because this is a very delicate lettuce. If it weren’t sold like that, it would most likely be bruised by the time you got it to your fridge.
Butter lettuce is a favorite green of Paleo folks because its leaves are smooth and pliable and can easily be used to wrap foods in place of traditional grain tortillas or sandwich bread.
These tender, loosely bunched leaves aren’t only convenient, but they’re also quite rich in nutrients.
Vitamin A: Butter lettuce is rich in Vitamin A which allows your body to protect itself from free radicals and toxins in the environment. We need Vitamin A to keep our teeth and bones healthy and to keep our skin and soft tissue in good shape.
Vitamin K: Butter lettuce is a good source of Vitamin K which is also commonly referred to as the clotting vitamin. We need Vitamin K for clots to form in our blood. Our bodies also use Vitamin K to maintain strong healthy bones.
Phosphorous: Your body’s cells all contain phosphorous. Phosphorous is essential for bone and tooth health, muscle contraction, nerve function, and many other bodily functions.
Butter lettuce is also a great source of fiber, folate, and Vitamin C.
When you’re shopping for butter lettuce, avoid heads with wilted leaves. When you get your lettuce home, if you’ve purchased a head of living lettuce, keep it in its original packaging and wash it just before you use it.
If you’ve joined our 30 Day Paleo Challenge you’ll find that butter lettuce will quickly become a staple in your kitchen!
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My fave, along with Romaine. And it is rarely available in our little store. 🙁
Is this the same as Boston Lettuce? It comes in a clamshell and has its’ roots as described.
Yes!!! It is!!! It is also know as Bibb lettuce–i’ve even seen it called Boston Bibb. It is WONDERFUL!!! Such a “buttery” tecture–hence the name, I guess–lol!!!! So yummy!! 🙂
Slduzant
Love butter lettuce! Gonna check out the 30 day challenge, as well. Thanks for the great post! – Chef Perry
I love butter lettuce as well but cannot find it in the store. Where do you get it? I have only found it in a mixed bag and only at one store. And they don’t carry it all the time either.
Costco has it in my state!
It’s funny cause in Brazil this kind of lettuce is the regular one, the one everybody knows.. we call it “plain lettuce”… the one usually more difficult to find is the one we call “american lettuce” which is that crispy one they use at Mc Donalds…
Same thing in Bosnia, everyone preffers the butter lettuce and it is the commond one. I like the crunchy ones more, but they are a bit harder to find. Romaine doesn’t exist here, so finally I got my hands on some seeds 🙂
I’m not fond of the clamshell lettuce; there’s a trick to cushioning the lettuce that usually works for me (when I can find the un-clamshelled heads of lettuce, that is!).
Place the lettuce, root end down in a plastic bag, grasp the very end of the bag at the top, and gently draw the bag top through your fingers, until there’s an inflated airspace around your lettuce. Don’t blow into the bag, your breath is too warm, particularyly when outside temps are high.
When you get home, you can store the lettuce in the bag, or however you usually do. It stays unwilted and fresh for longer this way. Just my two cents.
General butter lettuce question? Has anyone replanted the root end of the butter lettuce, to see if it will grow? I know you can do this, with a celery end, and everyone knows how to sprout potatoes. I’ve also heard of Romaine lettuce rooted to grow this way, but with mixed results.
I find the butter/Boston/Bibb lettuce (pick your name for it, I guess) at our local Aldi store. I think I’ll try the sandwich wrap idea since we’re cutting back on bread.