...Salmon Nicoise Salad...




I made this winner of a dish a few weeks back to celebrate the soon to be birth of a friends baby.  Since then the baby has arrived and we get to meet him tonight!  Ina made this dish for a baby shower on her show and when I saw that I knew I had to make this for Kara.




The dish involved lots of items that could be made hours ahead and then everything was to be served chilled or at room temperature.  This is an excellent dish if you're having a barbecue, lunch, or light dinner and don't want to mess with last minute prep or worrying about the mayonaise covered salad going bad in the sun.  I don't think this salad would stay out long enough to go bad however- we all ate it up real quick!



All the flavors go together excellently and need I say more?  You should most definitely make this!

Recipe thanks to Ina Garten

I made some loose adaptations from her recipe, but nothing that made a huge difference.

Ingredients You'll Need:

  • 4 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large piece of skin-on fresh salmon fillets (mine could have served 5)
  • 3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 1/2 pounds haricots verts
  • 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (6 small tomatoes)
  • 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in 1/2
  • 1/2 pound large olives, pitted

Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. 


2.  For the marinade, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 
tablespoons salt and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside. 


3.  Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been covered in aluminum foil, and drizzle the marinade over the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit for 15 minutes. 


4.  Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but firm. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in thick slices and set aside.  (This steaming method is a great new tip from Ina) 


5. Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it is just cooked.  You'll know when it's done because it will flake with a fork. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and break into large pieces. 


6.  Blanch the haricots verts in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water. Drain again and set aside. 


7.  For the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion.



Arrange the salmon, potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, eggs, and olives, on a large flat platter. Drizzle some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest on the side if others would like more.


Just going through this recipe makes me want to have it all over again.  It's really that good.


2 comments

  1. Your salmon nicois salad looks like the perfect Spring meal. Great photos too!

    ReplyDelete