For the women behind public radio’s show for people who love to eat, the perfect salad is one you simply must eat.

"A great salad? It’s the salad you can’t stop eating," Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift, whose "Splendid Table" show is heard on public radio stations around the country every week, said in an email interview.

"So easy and healthy, they go with anything," they said. "But a salad has to know what it is. Less is always better than more."

That emphasis on simplicity begins as the salad is dressed and assembled.

"Wet, bruised greens torpedo any salad. So does too much dressing, not enough salt or too much, and gloppy dressings with four-syllable ingredients," they said. And use your hangs, not tongs, to toss. "Leave the tongs with the grill. They do nothing for a salad."

The pair offered a salad from their upcoming cookbook, "How to Eat Weekends" — an orange and onion salad dressed with warm coriander oil.

"This North African salad was dreamed up as a lesson in getting the most from your spice rack," they said. "Here, you ignite the flavors of freshly ground coriander, orange zest and olive oil by seconds in a microwave. That warming or ‘blooming’ is close to amazing — flavors and fragrances truly ‘bloom.’ Once you try it, I think you’ll never use raw spices again. They cannot compete."

ORANGE ONION SALAD WITH WARMED CORIANDER OIL

• Ice

• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 generous tablespoons

• coriander seed, freshly ground

• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

• 10 to 12 navel oranges

• (4 to 5 pounds), peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

• 1/2 cup black olives

• Coarse salt

• Generous amount black pepper

• 4 to 6 teaspoons sugar

Fill medium bowl halfway with ice cubes, then add onion. Top with more ice. Add cold water to cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight. Drain onions and pat dry with towel.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine oil, coriander and orange zest. Microwave on high 1 minute. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

To serve, arrange orange slices and onion slices on a platter. Scatter with olives and drizzle with coriander oil. Finish with salt, pepper and sugar, to taste. Serves 8.