Für den Salat brauche ich zwei Esslöffel Öl und etwas Salz.

Because für always takes the accusative case in German.

• der Salat = nominative, the basic dictionary form
• den Salat = accusative

Since Salat is masculine, its article changes:

• nominative: der Salat
• accusative: den Salat

So für den Salat means for the salad.

German puts the conjugated verb in second position in a main clause.

Here, the sentence starts with Für den Salat, which takes the first position. That means the verb must come next:

• Für den Salat = position 1
• brauche = position 2
• ich = after the verb

So:

• Für den Salat brauche ich ... = correct
• Ich brauche ... für den Salat = also correct

Both are natural, but the first version emphasizes for the salad.

Yes. That is also correct German.

German word order is flexible as long as the verb stays in the correct place. These are all possible:

• Für den Salat brauche ich zwei Esslöffel Öl und etwas Salz.
• Ich brauche für den Salat zwei Esslöffel Öl und etwas Salz.

The meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes slightly. Starting with Für den Salat brings that part into focus first.

Esslöffel means tablespoon.

It is made from:

• essen = to eat
• der Löffel = spoon

So literally it is something like an eating spoon, but in normal usage it means tablespoon.

In the sentence:

• zwei Esslöffel Öl = two tablespoons of oil

Because Öl here is being used as an uncountable substance, like oil in English.

German often leaves out the article with materials and food substances when speaking generally or after a quantity expression:

• zwei Esslöffel Öl
• ein Glas Wasser
• etwas Salz

You are not talking about a specific oil as a separate object, but about some amount of oil.

In German, quantity expressions usually work directly without von.

So German says:

• zwei Esslöffel Öl
• ein Kilo Reis
• eine Tasse Kaffee

This is very common and natural. English often uses of, but German usually does not in this structure.

Because Salz is normally an uncountable noun when you mean the substance salt.

So German uses words like:

• etwas Salz = some salt
• viel Salz = a lot of salt
• wenig Salz = little salt

Ein Salz would usually sound wrong here, because you are not counting one separate salt item. You are talking about some amount of the substance.

They are in the accusative, because they are the things that ich brauche = I need.

The direct objects are:

• zwei Esslöffel Öl
• etwas Salz

However, with Öl and Salz, you do not see an obvious case ending here, because these nouns are being used without articles, and the forms do not visibly change in this sentence.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German.

So in this sentence:

• der Salat
• der Esslöffel
• das Öl
• das Salz

This is one of the most important spelling rules in German.

Yes. Salat is masculine:

• nominative: der Salat
• accusative: den Salat
• dative: dem Salat
• genitive: des Salats

That is why the sentence has für den Salat.

Because German, like English, can join two objects with und without repeating the verb.

So:

• Ich brauche zwei Esslöffel Öl und etwas Salz.

means:

• I need two tablespoons of oil and some salt.

You do not need to say brauche again. The one verb applies to both items.

Yes, often it can. In this sentence, der Salat most naturally means the salad dish you are preparing.

Depending on context, Salat can refer to:

• a prepared salad dish
• lettuce or salad greens in some contexts
• salad as a food category

Here, because the sentence mentions oil and salt, Für den Salat is best understood as for the salad dish.