No rule for this one
No ending or word group predicts the article of Salat. Learn it as a pair and say it out loud: der Salat.
der Salat
It's der Salat. Salat is masculine, plural die Salate.
Ich nehme einen Salat.
I'll take a salad.
No ending or word group predicts the article of Salat. Learn it as a pair and say it out loud: der Salat.