This hot smoked salmon salad heroes my green goddess dressing recipe. As a midweek dinner can’t get any more virtuous. There is nothing to feel guilty about on this plate!
I keep a couple of packs of hot smoked salmon in my fridge and pull this salad together with whatever is in my pantry and the fridge. The only part you need to think about ahead of time are the fresh herbs for the dressing.
I like serving this salad spread across a dinner plate. It’s a bit ‘cheffy’ and shows off both the Green Goddess Dressing and all the fresh ingredients. Plus, it demonstrates that I have finally figured out that sauces are often best presented underneath your dish, rarely on top.
This salad heroes Green Goddess Dressing.
Green Goddess Salmon Salad
Green Goddess Hot Smoked Salmon Salad as a midweek dinner can’t get any more virtuous. There is nothing to feel guilty about on this plate! I keep a couple of packs of hot smoked salmon in my fridge and pull this salad together with whatever is in my pantry and the fridge. The only part you need to think about ahead of time are the fresh herbs for the Green Goddess Dressing. I like serving this salad spread across a dinner plate. It’s a bit ‘cheffy’ and shows off both the Green Goddess Dressing and all the fresh ingredients. Plus, it demonstrates that I have finally figured out that sauces are often best presented underneath your dish, rarely on top.
Equipment
- Two large flat heat proof plastic or glass rectangular containers
- One litre measuring jug
- Colander
- Lots of ice of 2-3 litres of ice cold water
- Kitchen tongs
- Citrus juicer
Ingredients
- 3 x 150 g packages of hot smoked salmon
- 2 1/2 cups Green Goddess Dressing
- 200 g pearl barley
- 200 g frozen edamame ‘salad’ beans (shelled and frozen)
- 2 bunches asparagus
- Pinch of bicarbonate of soda (optional)
- 1 – 2 large ripe avocados
- 1 – 2 medium lemons
- Red pickled onions
- 200 g smoked almonds roughly chopped
- Sprigs of dill & mint leaves (keep some aside when making the dressing)
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Get your kettle filled and boiling, you will need it at least twice.
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to boil.
- Cook barley (your choice of grain) until al dente (still has a bite) and strain through a colander, rinse thoroughly with cold water, set aside.
- Meanwhile start preparing your other salad ingredients.
- Trim asparagus, discard woody part of stems.
- Blanch asparagus: Lay asparagus in one rectangular container, put ice water in the second container; Pour boiling water over asparagus and quickly stir in a pinch of bicarbonate of soda; As soon as the asparagus turns bright green, remove with tongs and plunge into ice water bath.
- Once cooled, remove asparagus and place between sheets of paper towels or clean tea towels, roll up loosely and keep in fridge until required.
- Blanch edamame: Place frozen edamame in measuring jug; Pour boiling water over edamame and quickly stir in a pinch of bicarbonate of soda; As soon as the edamame turns bright green, drain, and fill the jug with ice water.
- Once cooled, strain edamame, set aside.
- Roughly chop smoked almonds, set aside.
- Halve the avocado, deseed, and remove from skin. Slice the halves, fan out the slices and sprinkle well with lemon juice, set aside.
- Divide the Green Goddess Dressing between four dinner plates, I spread the dressing towards the outside of each plate with a large spoon.
- Start layering the salad on each plate, starting with the grain.
- Then divide hot smoked salmon across the plates, tearing the salmon filets as you go.
- Add asparagus, I trim the spears to fit the plate, splitting the spears and then chopping the trimmed ends. Add to the plate.
- Add edamame beans, a fan of avocado, and red onions.
- Sprinkle with chopped smoked almonds.
- Drizzle with lemon juice or add a lemon wedge
- Decorate with mint leaves and dill fronds.
- Serve with any leftover dressing on the side, along with salt & pepper.
Notes
Your pantry and fridge are your friends: For me, the core ingredients in this dish are the Green Goddess Dressing, hot smoked salmon, and avocado. Everything else can be swapped out based on what is in your pantry and fridge. Hard or soft boiled eggs will amp up the protein content and go super well with the dressing. Green beans can replace asparagus. Freekeh or another grain can swap in for the barley. Frozen peas can replace the edamame in a pinch. Pistachios are a good substitute for the smoked almonds. See more on Pickled Red Onions below.
Quantities: The quantities in the recipe are meant to be a guide only to achieve four dinner main course sized portions.
Pickled Red Onions: Stay tuned my ever so simple recipe for red pickled onions is coming shortly but any type of pickled onion in a jar will do. You can substitute sliced red onion, shallots, or spring onion.
A note about nuts: I love salt and I always use roasted and salted nuts in my savoury, and often sweet, dishes. I see it as adding seasoning to the dish and in this case a smoky note. But unsalted dry roasted almonds will do.
Keeping your salad green: Blanching your green vegetables (asparagus and edamame) keep them bright green and you can enhance this further by using a small pinch of bicarb of soda when you add the boiling water from your kettle. But be aware, too much bicarb of soda, will add a metallic taste to the green veg, so just use a pinch.