On my trip up to Door County last month, I had spent some of that time looking for treasures in a couple of antique shops. As well as to take a much needed break from taking photos. Within minutes of walking into the first shop I spotted a beautiful large blue transferware platter in perfect condition. But it was not at a perfect price. So I asked if it were possible to make an offer on the platter. The answer was yes, but the man minding the store couldn't make that decision for the woman whose booth I had found it in. He wasn't certain he could reach her but he would leave her a message with my offer. I left my phone number, hoped my offer wasn't going to be considered too unrealistic (it was), and then shared I would be heading for home in less than twenty-fours. Truth be told, I don't even know what possessed me to be so bold. I convinced myself the platter was either meant to be mine or it wasn't. As I was leaving town the next day I sheepishly stopped into the antique shop to check on the status of the platter. Needless to say I was more than surprised when the man behind the counter said the platter was mine if I still wanted it. Considering I have a rather revealing face (I would not fair well as a poker player), it was near impossible for anyone standing within ten feet of me not to notice my excitement. The moment I saw that blue transferware platter I envisioned it would first be used to serve the most gorgeous summer salad. And it did!
A classic, more traditional French Nicoise Salad is often made with nicoise olives, oil-cured tuna, anchovies, tomatoes, french green beans, and hard boiled eggs. A myriad of variations of this composed salad have evolved over the years. The opinions on what should and should not be included in the salad vary greatly. Some hold vary strict rules about it's composition, including but not limited to, forbidding the inclusion of any cooked vegetables. This Summer Salmon Nicoise Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette either flagrantly violates or rather very loosely applies many of those rules. It is quite possible some will call for a retraction of my use of the word nicoise here considering this salad isn't made with either tuna or anchovies. Add grilled corn, grilled asparagus, and steamed potatoes to the mix and you too are probably wondering how I could so boldly use the word nicoise in the salad description. If you do a search for nicoise salads you will find they have become more of a concept rather than a very specific type of salad. In other words, unless you are a nicoise salad purist it seems there are no longer any hard and fast rules for it. Well that's my story and I am sticking to it.
So please consider the recipe for my version of a Summer Salmon Nicoise Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette as a guide, a kind of salad road map. As much as I love the combination of vegetables and ingredients used here, feel free to make any adjustments or substitutions based on your taste preferences. My nicoise salad is composed of some of the best seasonal offerings available at the Farmer's Market and in the grocery stores. What this salad might be comprised of several months from now will be heavily influenced by the availability of fresh seasonal vegetables. More than likely it will look different when made in the fall than when made during the summer months.
This is an incredibly hearty, impressive, and relatively healthy salad. One perfect for entertaining your friends and/or family. This salad is equally delicious when some of the vegetables and salmon are still warm as it is when they are at room temperature. Personally, I prefer this salad served room temperature although I do like the potatoes to be on the warm side. Because the salad has so many components, you can make some of them earlier in the day or at least an hour before it is ready to be served. Note: Highly recommend making the potatoes less than an hour before you assemble the salad.
The Mustard Vinaigrette can definitely be made the night before or early in the day. Just cover and keep in the refrigerator. Both a smooth dijon and whole-grain dijon mustard were used here. While you can use either one, I much prefer using both kinds. Not only for flavor but for visual texture.
When either dipped in creamy butter and sprinkled with coarse salt or sliced paper thin, radishes are really delicious. But if radishes aren't your thing, you could also replace them with some marinated red onions. If you love steamed french green beans more than you love grilled asparagus, swap out one green vegetable for the other. As far as tomatoes go, use 'small' ones as they are packed with flavor and remain relatively intact even when cut in half or quartered. I used a combination of grape and Campari tomatoes on this salad as the Farmer's Market didn't have the multi-colored cherry tomatoes this week. When selecting potatoes, I recommend baby red potatoes. When boiled and steamed to a fork tender state, their texture becomes creamy. Additionally, they easily absorb the mustard vinaigrette. Note: The potatoes should be tossed in the mustard vinaigrette while they are still warm.
My intention was to make jammier hard boiled eggs, but I got distracted. Which meant the eggs were cooked past the jammy point. They were still great so all was not lost. Thank goodness I didn't ruin fresh eggs from the Farmer's Market! Better luck to you as you cook the eggs to your favorite hard-boiled preference.
The base of the salad is baby arugula lightly dressed in extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with some kosher salt. If arugula isn't one of your favorite greens, use some baby spinach or a spring mix.
The mustard vinaigrette is served on the side, but with two exceptions. Lightly toss the warm potatoes in some of the mustard vinaigrette before plating it on the platter. Then lightly drizzle it over the roasted salmon.
You do want to make your salad presentation as beautiful as possible. Some of decisions you need to make before assembling the salad is what type of large platter you want to use. Round, oval, or square? New or antique? White (always a good choice) or a complimentary color?
The shape of your platter, along with your own creativity, will influence how you arrange the ingredients. Keep in mind they should each have their own 'space'. Although there might be some slight overlapping. This is not one of those salads where the ingredients are tossed together. Rather it's a composed, deconstructed one. The kind giving your guests choices. Making it one of the few salads where everyone gets to pick their favorite ingredients.
Served with some really great wine and a great dessert (maybe the Pecan Peach Blueberry Crisp), this Summer Salmon Nicoise Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette is the perfect meal for a gathering of your friends and/or family. So go ahead, take advantage of summer's bounty, pull out one of your favorite platters (or go on the hunt for one), and make this gorgeous, incredibly flavorful, non-traditional nicoise salad! Then sit back and savor all of its' deliciousness!
Summer Salmon Nicoise Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves at least 8
Ingredients
Mustard Vinaigrette (Makes 1 cup)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 medium sized garlic clove, finely minced
3 Tablespoons Chardonnay or Sherry vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon water
Pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 Tablespoon smooth dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon Whole-Grain dijon mustard
Salmon Nicoise Salad
2 1/2 pound salmon filet, cut into 5 or 6 2" pieces
2-3 ears of yellow or bi-color corn in the husk
1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes
1 pound asparagus (or one large bunch)
1 pint of grape, cherry or Campari tomatoes (or a mixture of two of the three), cut in half or if large, cut into quarters
3/4 to 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
6 hard boiled eggs, cut in half
5-6 radishes, very thinly sliced (recommend using a mandoline)
1 -2 avocados, pitted and cut into slices
5 ounces arugula
Extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper
Directions
Mustard Vinaigrette
1. Whisk all of the ingredients until well-blended. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Salmon Nicoise Salad
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F). Lightly drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet. Cut the salmon into 5 or 6 pieces (each 1 1/2 to 2 inches) in width. Season the salmon pieces with kosher salt, black pepper, and some granulated sugar. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the salmon. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before breaking apart into large pieces.
2. In a medium sized saucepan, fill with water and a tablespoon of kosher salt. Add in the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the potatoes are knife tender. Drain water. Keep the potatoes in the pan. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Cut the warm potatoes in half. Toss with 2 Tablespoons of the mustard vinaigrette.
3. Heat your grill. Toss the asparagus with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until lightly charred.
4. Soak the corn on the cob for at least 60 minutes before placing on the grill. Grill until the corn is tender, rotating corn while it cooks (roast time is approximately 12-15 minutes). Remove the husks from the corn when the corn is warm enough to handle. Cut the kernels from the cob. Lightly season with kosher salt and pepper.
5. Layer the arugula on the bottom of the platter. Lightly toss with olive oil and season lightly with salt.
6. Arrange the roasted salmon, tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, sliced radishes, tomatoes, corn, sliced avocado, hard boiled eggs, and kalamata olives over the arugula.
7. Lightly drizzle some of the mustard vinaigrette over the salmon. Serve the remaining vinaigrette in a bowl or sauce boat on the side.
Notes: (1) I used Maille dijon mustards. (2) Consider increasing the amount of the mustard vinaigrette. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. (3) This is a very versatile salad. Instead of asparagus use haricot verts; instead of radishes use marinated red onions; instead of the roasted salmon use oil cured tuna or cooked lobster; instead of roasted corn use slices of cucumber; and/or, instead of baby arugula use baby spinach or a spring mix. (4) During the summer months, some vendors at the Farmer's Markets sell a variety of vinegars, including Sherry and Chardonnay ones.
