This week, we're featuring some great recipes starring your favorite seafood. We begin with a salad highlighting salmon and fresh vegetables. When making salmon for dinner, I am often dealing in fillets and making sure I have just enough to serve since I don't enjoy reheating salmon as leftovers. That means that sometimes I am left with one lonely fillet. And that means I can make my favorite harvest salad!
That single fillet plays the part of protein in a symphony of flavors otherwise brought by fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden. The nutrient-packed Egyptian spinach from our CSA boxes this season helps make this salad a nutritional powerhouse alongside sweet corn, loads of tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and even some fresh chives. A tangy dressing that falls together in the blending of the seasoning on the fish, olive oil, vinegar or citrus juice, and any tweaking with salt and pepper. Keeping it simple lets the freshness shine and that's the focus in this dish.
For me, I like to pour a glass of chilled white wine, lemonade, or iced tea and call this dinner. You could add breadsticks or the like, but I like just having this salad and savoring the flavors of the season. Cheers!
Harvest Salmon Salads
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 (8 oz.) boneless, skinless salmon fillet
- ½ tsp. seasoning salt or seasoning blend of your choice
- Corn kernels removed from 1 cob of corn
- 1 ½ c. hearty greens - Egyptian spinach, regular spinach, kale, etc.
- ½ cucumber, quartered and sliced
- 2 c. mixed tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 T. chopped chives
- A splash of balsamic or similarly sweet vinegar or fresh lemon or lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Rub the salmon generously with the seasoning salt or blend of your choice and sauté the salmon until cooked through - about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Add the corn and greens to the skillet (no need to keep the stove burner on - the residual heat in the pan will be enough); toss well and mix until the corn is bright yellow and the greens are a bit wilted. Remove to a large serving bowl. Tear the warm salmon into bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl as well.
Add the remaining ingredients (cucumber through salt and pepper) and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
- Yields: 2-3 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes