I love smoked salmon and the international grocery store near my home carries a large selection of the stuff. As such, I'm lucky enough to be able to incorporate it into a lot of delicious things. Funny enough, one of my favorite ways to showcase it is in a salad that boasts everything from purple cabbage to chunks of crispy apple and decadent blue cheese to shredded carrot. It's a bright, beautiful salad that boasts a lot of texture, color, and - most of all - flavor. And couldn't we all use all of that when winter gets us down?
You can tweak this salad quite a bit. I would only caution about making too many rules. Want to try chopped pepper with sliced oranges? Give it a go. Pea pods and dried fruit? It might work! This salad is about getting a lot of variety on your plate and bribing you to eat it in abundance with ingredients like creamy blue cheese and smoked salmon in the mix. In fact, when I'm feeling a little low, this salad is what I reach for time and time again. Sometimes I add nuts and seeds. Other times, I massage some kale with oil and garlic and work that in. I always make it mine and I rarely have leftovers, but if I do, I fight everyone else off to save them for my lunch the next day!
This is a meal unto itself, but if you want to serve something with it, I recommend warm savory warm rolls, muffins, or scones. After all, it is still winter and a little warmth along a showstopper like this isn't going to hurt. Enjoy!
Smoked Salmon Salad
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3-4 radishes, halved and sliced
- 1 small cucumber, halved and sliced
- ⅔ cup coarsely shredded carrot
- 1 medium tomato, sliced into thin wedges
- 1 medium, firm apple, cored and diced - I used a honeycrisp apple
- 1 cup thinly chopped red or purple cabbage
- 1 cup chopped or torn red lettuce
- 2 cups chopped or torn spinach
- ¼ cup finely crumbled blue cheese
- 8 oz. cold smoked salmon, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
Whisk together the maple syrup, dijon mustard, minced garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl or in a mason jar. Set aside.
Prepare the vegetables and fruit (radishes through spinach) and place them in a large serving bowl. Add the cheese and salmon. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the top and toss well to coat with the dressing and mix. Serve promptly.
- Yields: 3-4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes