Salmon Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette and Corn Salsa
A Pacific Northwest salad with Southwest flavors makes a fine lunch or even a supper entree. Crisp fried shallots add a surprise crunch. To use as a first course, cut the recipe in half.
Ingredients
- Avocado Vinaigrette
- Avocados - 2 large, peeled, pitted, and quartered (1 pit reserved)
- Juice of 3 limes
- Rice Wine Vinegar - 1/2 cup
- Garlic Cloves - 2, minced
- Olive Oil - 3/4 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Salmon
- Cumin Seed - 2 tablespoons
- Coriander seed - 2 tablespoons
- Kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
- Salmon fillets - six, 5-ounce, skin on
- Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons
- Fried Shallots
- All-Purpose Flour - 1/3 cup
- Shallots - 6 large, cut into thin slices and separated into rings
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Salt to taste
- Mesclun (mixed baby greens) - 6 cups
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh Chives - snipped into 1-inch pieces
- Corn Salsa (Makes about 2 cups)
- Ears of Corn - 2 to 3, husked
- Red Onion - 1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced
- Jalapeno Chili - 1-1/2 tablespoons, minced, seeded
- Fresh Cilantro - 33 tablespoons, coarsely chopped
- Rice Wine Vinegar - 1/4 cup
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Avocado - 1/2, peeled, pitted, and diced
Instructions
To make the vinaigrette: Coarsely chop the avocados and place them in a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, rice vinegar, and garlic. With the motor running, slowly add the oil to make a thick sauce. If necessary, adjust the tartness with more lime juice or rice vinegar, according to taste. Place in a bowl, add the avocado pit, cover, and refrigerate (the pit will help keep the vinaigrette green).
To prepare the salmon: Grind the dry spices in a mortar with a pestle, or grind for a few seconds in a spice grinder or a well-washed coffee grinder, until they have the texture of the kosher salt. Mix the spices with the salt and generously coat the flesh side of each fillet with some of the spice mixture.
In a large nonstick pan or seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the salmon, spice-coated side down. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown, then turn and cook on the skin side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
To make the fried shallots: Place the flour in a shallow container and lightly dredge the shallot rings. In a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Shake the excess flour from the shallots and fry them for about 30 seconds, or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the pan and drain on paper towels. Season to taste.
To serve: Toss the greens with half the vinaigrette, then add half the shallot rings and season with salt and pepper. Divide this mixture among the serving plates. Place 3 tablespoons of corn salsa on top of each serving, then top with a portion of fish. Sprinkle the remaining vinaigrette and salsa on the side.
Corn Salsa
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the corn, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and cut the kernels from the cobs. You should have about 1 cup kernels. In a large bowl, combine the corn, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, vinegar, and oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, cover, and let sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Just before serving, gently stir in the avocado.
