Warm Salmon Salad With Asparagus, Farm Eggs, And Fingerling Potatoes

WARM SALMON SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, FARM EGGS AND FINGERLING POTATOES

This recipe is adapted from “Wine Country Table: With Recipes that Celebrate California’s Sustainable Harvest” by Janet Fletcher in collaboration with Wine Institute (Rizzoli International Publications, $45).

Citrus and stone fruit flavors combine with bright acidity in a 2018 Waipapa Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc ($10) to make an ideal accompaniment to the salmon and asparagus in this recipe.

Fletcher writes, “For a late-spring lunch or light dinner, make a salmon salad the centerpiece. Surround with tender hearts of butter lettuce and seasonal vegetables: California asparagus, radishes, and the first new potatoes in late spring; tomatoes, corn, and sweet red onions in summer. A vinaigrette whisked with fresh herbs and capers brings all the elements together.”

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, plus more if needed 1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce

1 large shallot, finely minced

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and finely chopped 1/2 cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed Kosher or sea salt

Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, fish sauce, shallot, parsley, tarragon, and capers. Whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt, then adjust the balance with more oil or vinegar if needed. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to mellow.

Salad:

1 pound (500 g) fingerling potatoes, boiled until tender, drained, cooled, peeled, and sliced crosswise or halved lengthwise.

4 large eggs, simmered for 7 minutes, placed in iced water, peeled, and halved

1 pound (500 g) medium asparagus, tough ends removed, boiled in a large frying pan until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, drained, chilled under cold running water, and patted dry.

Extra virgin olive oil for oiling the baking sheet

4 skin-on wild salmon fillets, about 6 ounces (185 g) each

Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 soft butter lettuce heart, separated into leaves

12 radishes, trimmed and halved

12 ripe olives

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).

Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on the baking sheet and bake until the flesh just flakes when probed with a fork, about 12 minutes.

While the salmon bakes, arrange a few lettuce leaves on each of four plates. Leaving room in the center for the salmon, arrange an equal amount of the potato slices, asparagus, radishes, and olives and 2 egg halves on each plate. With an offset spatula, lift the salmon fillets off of their skin and transfer to the plates, leaving the skin behind. Whisk the dressing and spoon it over the salads; you may not need it all. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 Servings