Salmon Caesar Salad

Back in the 1990's I must have ordered the chicken version of this dish at least once a week for my lunch at a restaurant I frequented. Its such a simple salad with crunchy lettuce and parmesan. I am not normally one to mix cheese with fish - it seems so wrong to me - but the salmon with this parmesan salad worked. Its lovely a makes a change from the chicken.

You can easily buy bottled Caesar salad dressing to make this a quick meal. I have added a recipe for my version of the dressing if you want to try that too. If you make up the dressing first, the rest just falls into place really quickly too. Served with a baked potato, its a lovely fresh, healthy dinner.

Ingredients:    (Serves 2)

2 salmon fillets, skin removed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 baby gem lettuces
30g parmesan, shaved
bottled Caesar dressing (or my recipe below)
1/2 small baguette, cubed
2 baking potatoes

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Prick the potatoes with a fork and put in the oven for between 60-90 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes). Place the baguette cubes onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil and a pinch of each salt & pepper. Put in the oven under the potatoes for 5 minutes then remove and set to one side.

Mix the 2 tbsp. olive oil, paprika, oregano and garlic in a bowl and add the salmon fillets while the potatoes are cooking to marinade.

About ten minutes before the potatoes are ready, heat a frying pan and pan fry one side of the salmon for about 6-7 minutes, turn them over and cook for a further 5-6 minutes until cooked through (depending on the thickness of the salmon).

Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl with the parmesan and croutons and about 1/3 cup of Caesar dressing. Mix well and put half of the salad onto each plate. Top with the salmon and serve with the jacket potato. Simple and tasty.

If you want to try my dressing, its very simple to make and is a twist on home made mayonnaise, with more Dijon and a few other flavourings. This recipe makes enough for four.

Mustardy Caesar Dressing

1 egg yolk
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tbsp. grated parmesan
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

With an electric hand mixer, or a blender, mix the egg yolk and the lemon juice until frothy. Add the oils while still whisking until it emulsifies and becomes thicker. Add the remaining ingredients and keep mixing until combined.  Happy cooking!

Elderflower Cordial

Every June without fail, I spot the flowers of the Elder (Sambucus nigra) all around me and immediately get picking the fresh little flower heads to make some Elderflower Cordial. I am lucky to live in an area where there are so many bushes of elderflower; there is even a little in my garden. Elderflower cordial has historically been popular in North Western Europe for decades and recipes have even been found as far back as the Romans. Nowadays it is everywhere including the US, Germany, Austria, Romania and Hungary.

For those who haven't tasted it - it is a delicate floral cordial which you mix with water as a refreshing drink. You can of course, mix it with champagne or sparkling wine for an extra treat!!

Ingredients:

2.5kg sugar
1.5 litres water
2 lemons
20 elderflower heads
85g citric acid (available from chemists)

Method:

In your largest pot, gently heat the sugar and water together until the sugar is dissolved. Then turn up the heat to bring it to a boil. Then turn it off.

Fill a bowl, or the sink, with cold water and dip in each flower head, swishing it lightly to clean and remove any possible bugs. Add the flower heads to the sugar syrup along with the citric acid.

Pare the rind from the lemons and then slice thickly. Add the rind and the sliced lemons to the pot, giving it all a good stir. Pop a lid on the pot and leave to steep for 24 hours.

When the time is up, use a ladle to strain the mix through a clean tea towel. Then transfer to a jug and put into sterilised bottles.  

After steeping

Strain through clean tea towel