october 7, 2020

A little smoked salmon goes a long way. Especially if the salmon is high quality in-house smoked salmon from your local fishmonger, like the burnished slabs found at Tuckahoe Seafood here in Richmond. In this Smoked Salmon Apple Salad  the rich smoke taste is offset by the crisp of Virginia apple, earthy baby arugula and a sweet-tart lemon maple mustard vinaigrette.

This salad and vinaigrette are so easy they practically make themselves. You can make the dressing ahead of time (most vinaigrettes will keep in the fridge for weeks) as long as you let it sit out at room temperature (to soften the olive oil) while you assemble the salad ingredients. One bonus of making the dressing on the same day you serve the salad is the little lemon zest shreds that adorn the finished dish and add  texture and lemon power.

locally smoked salmon is best and most tasty

one perfect crisp Virginia apple is all you need

Like many salads, tossing these greens with dressing and adding a pinch of good quality salt and a few turns of the black pepper grinder will enliven and brighten. In autumn, local crisp apple or pear will keep you in the seasonal mode. Winter addition of a sweeter citrus like orange or clementine would be fitting. Fairly soon the markets will display ruby red pomegranates and I can’t wait to try this smoked salmon salad with Lemon Pomegranate Vinaigrette. For vegetarian guests I’ll nix the salmon and substitute blue cheese like in Apple, Pear and Blue Cheese Salad, which also sports a grainy mustard dressing.

Smoked Salmon Apple Salad

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

makes four servings

ingredients

1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon coarse grain mustard
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
one medium lemon – zested first if desired
4 hands/cups baby arugula
one small shallot, thinly sliced
one medium apple, thinly sliced
4 ounces best quality smoked salmon
fine or coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
optional : strands of lemon zest

directions

1. If using lemon zest in salad, use zester to remove long strands first and set aside.
2. For vinaigrette, combine maple syrup, mustard, juice of lemon and olive oil in small jar and shake vigorously to emulsify (may be made weeks ahead – let sit at room temperature to soften oil while  salad is assembled).
3. In salad bowl, toss greens, shallot and apple with just enough dressing to coat, as well as pinches of salt and grinds of black pepper to taste, then plate greens first, topping with apple slices and shallot.
4. Top salad with pieces of smoked salmon, and lemon zest if using.
5. Serve immediately.