Canned or Baked Salmon Salad Nicoise
Time: 10-30 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
This wonderful meal looks can be thrown together in a short time and can change depending on what you have available. We tested it using baked salmon, canned salmon, and smoked salmon, and our dinner guests raved about each preparation. When we are in a hurry, the canned salmon provides a 12-minute time savings, and with three young kids, sometimes it is just what we need!
This recipe uses our Marinated Baked Salmon marinade plus dijon mustard and honey to round out the flavors.
At the end of the day, a salade Nicoise can be comprised of whatever you like (don’t tell the purists- they say only anchovies, tomatoes, olive oil, and salt).
Ingredients
320g (11oz) canned SOCKEYE SALMON -or- 1 full fillet (1.5lbs)
2 cloves GARLIC, minced
4 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 tsp dried or fresh BASIL (or other herb)
3/4 tsp SALT
1 tsp ground BLACK PEPPER
2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
2 tsp HONEY
2 Tbsp fresh PARSLEY, chopped
1 Tbsp dijon MUSTARD
1/4 - 1/2 pound of TOMATOES
1/2 pound of GREEN BEANS steamed
1/2 - 1 pound small NEW POTATOES boiled
6 boiled EGGS
one head leaf LEATUCE chopped
PICKLED VEGETABLES like asparagus, dill pickles, olives, and capers
Directions
1. PREHEAT THE OVEN
If you are using a frozen fillet and baking the salmon you will want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. PREPARE THE MARINADE
In a medium bowl (or use a food processor), prepare marinade by mixing garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard and parsley.
3. MARINATE AND BAKE THE FISH
Line a pan with aluminum foil, cover with 1/4 of the marinade, and bake in the oven for 11-12 minutes.
4. SALT THE POTATOES AND BEANS
Toss the green beans in some additional olive oil and generously salt, repeat with the small boiled potatoes.
5. ORGANIZE THE SALAD
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or sheet pan, if using the baked salmon leave a large space in the middle for the salmon fillet. Halve or quarter the boiled eggs, and cluster the ingredients around the perimeter of the platter on top of the bed of lettuce leaves.
6. FINISH THE SALAD
Open two cans of salmon, drain them well, and place in the middle of the platter, or add the baked salmon fillet. Take the remaining 3/4 of the marinade and drizzle it all over the salad- especially over the salmon in the center. If you find you need to stretch the marinade based on the size of your salad you can drizzle some extra olive oil and add salt and pepper.
tips: for a perfect boiled egg bring approximately one quart of water to a rolling boil, then lower 6 eggs into the water with a spoon to prevent them from cracking, reduce the heat to a low boil, boil for 11 minutes, and then drain the hot water and add ice to cool the eggs.
