Smoked Fish, Quinoa, and Apple Salad with Toasted Pepitas and Coriander Seed

I so needed this salad right now. Seriously. For a person who spends a fair amount of time looking at food related media it is a foil to the delicious but mind numbing amount of recipes for sweet holiday treats. Maybe some of you are feeling the overload before it even happens too. My answer to this is to stay balanced with foods that make your body say yes in a good way, foods that hit all your senses with balanced flavor and make you feel nourished.

The little twist in this ever-so-satisfying salad is the addition of whole, toasted coriander seeds. I was having a somewhat tossed together dinner, you know that "what have I got in my fridge?" kind of salad, and I had my little mortar and pestle in front of me filled with whole coriander seeds from a recipe test the same day. I reached out and decided to sprinkle a few on my salad and pow! Jackpot. The coriander seed compliments the apple and smoked fish superbly with a surprising, aromatic and slightly sweet crunch. Everything just worked so well in this salad that I fell in love with the combo and wrote it down immediately.

I had some really hearty hot smoked Superior lake trout in the fridge, so that got tossed in, but hot smoked salmon, trout, mackerel, whitefish or even a very firm salmon candy sliced very thin would be delicious in this salad. You really just want to make sure the fish is smoky, somewhat firm, and flaky.

I hardly ever have a salad without toasted seeds or nuts, and pepitas are super irresistible when simply toasted in a hot pan. Keep them on hand in your pantry and with a quick trip in a hot, dry pan you can have a sense pleasing snack or meal component full of healthy fats and toasty flavor. Toasting spices also elevates their flavor, so get those coriander seeds in the pan next and toast just until they are aromatic. Add the coriander seeds after tossing the salad to keep the seeds as crunchy as possible. The bites of the seeds you get here and there are a delicious little surprise.

The great thing about quinoa is that it is such a workhorse! It's almost impossible to cook a small enough amount of quinoa for just this one salad, so go ahead and cook a cup of grain (rinsed in a couple of changes of water) with 1.5 C water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, cover tightly, simmer on low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the grain to steam with the cover on for 5 more minutes. I really like to use as little water as possible when cooking quinoa, and this works best if you have a small, heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid. Make sure you can truly get a low flame/heat so that it just simmers. If the water cooks off too fast the grain will burn before it is done cooking or just end up under cooked. If there is too much water it will end up mushy.

When the grain is done, fluff it up and let it cool before using it in the salad. Enjoy the rest of your quinoa in soups or salads, tossed with vegetables of all stripes, scrambled with eggs, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, in a gratin, dressed with fresh herbs, nuts, or seeds, in a quesadilla, or hot with milk, honey, and fresh ground flax seed for breakfast. Quinoa is pretty much whatever you want it to be.

A single recipe is great as a meal sized salad for lunch or dinner. Divided, it is a perfect match for a half sandwich, cup of soup, or cheese and crackers, making a lunch for two. It's not bad with a glass of Chardonnay either! Enjoy!

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Smoked Fish, Quinoa, and Apple Salad with Toasted Pepitas and Coriander Seed

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C cooked quinoa, cold (see above)
• 1/2 C hot smoked fish, flaked
• 1/2 small crisp apple
• 4-6 leaves Romain lettuce, depending on size
• 1/2 C cilantro, roughly chopped
• Thinly sliced onion to taste
• 2 Tbsp raw pepitas
• 1 Tsp coriander seeds

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp plus 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp plus 2 Tsp lime juice, about juice of one half of a plump lime
• 1 1/2 Tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 Tsp Dijon style mustard
• 1/2 Small clove garlic, grated or finely minced
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pepper to taste

Choose a salad bowl big enough for one large serving. Prep the salad on a large cutting board simply lining up each ingredient as you prep it. The salad dressing will be made in the serving bowl and the salad ingredients added to it.

Cook the quinoa as instructed above and allow to cool. Reserve 3/4 C for the salad. Flake the fish into about 3/4 inch pieces and remove any bones. Likewise, slice the apple into thin pieces about 3/4 inch pieces. Roughly chop the Romain in 3/4 inch ribbons lengthwise and cut up the middle if the pieces are particularly big. The goal is to keep the parts of the salad relatively the same size. Slice a little onion to taste. Coarsely chop the cilantro.

Next, toast the pumpkin seeds in a small, dry pan over medium heat until they brown and are audibly popping. Remove from the pan and now toast the coriander seeds until they become aromatic. Remove them from the pan.

In the salad bowl you have chosen, mix the olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, mustard, garlic, sea salt, and pepper with a whisk until emulsified. Now add add salad ingredients except the coriander seed to the bowl and toss well. Top with the toasted coriander seed and serve immediately. Split into two portions if desired.

Enjoy!

Yield: One large lunch or dinner salad or two side salads.

Chilled Gazpacho Salad

Those tomatoes got your attention, didn't they? I could eat them with my eyes. But now that I've got you here, let's talk about all this summer produce. Depending on where you are right now, any number of these ingredients may be in season, or all of them. I have been inhaling melon and tomatoes the past few weeks, to the point where there might as well not be anything else to eat. I look forward to breakfast just so I can make toast with butter, Marmite, and huge slices of heirloom tomatoes. I pull a big bowl of cut melon out of the fridge when it's snack time and stand over the counter in sheer appreciation of every dewy, luscious bite. Peppers are in and Hatch chilies are being roasted in front of the supermarket by the ton, ready for your salsa verde, your veggie burger, your queso.  Peak. Summer. Produce. When these things are in season, they are in season.

So, the only logical thing to do, if we are to take this abundance to a level above standing over the counter and eating melon by the pound in a fructose induced euphoria, is to combine them all together at once! Now, the union of the ingredients you see below is not a new invention by far. Grind the almonds, bread, olive oil, onion, pepper, cucumber, tomato, melon together and season with a little garlic, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. That's called gazpacho. Ok, If I had my fancy-pants on, I would call this "Deconstructed Gazpacho". But I don't, so I am calling it Chilled Gazpacho Salad. All the familiar flavors of Gazpacho soup, but with more texture! In salad form!

I am also going to come right out and admit that due to the Texas summer heat, I have been lazily feasting with my range off, so cooking up the whole grains has taken a back burner to simply slicing off a hunk of proper sourdough bread and toasting it. Cooking with far less heat and humidity because we've got plenty of that. The Manchego is not a traditional Gazpacho ingredient but it's delicious and works so perfectly with this salad! Did I mention that I also bought a bottle of Sherry? Oh yeah, that also works perfectly for a light, cool sip to go along with your chilled salad plate.

This magical season will pass quickly so enjoy the melding of all these summery flavors in this well balanced little sweet and savory salad.

Serve the Manchego either shaved over the salad or in thin slices with the bread, heaping the salad on top of the bread and cheese. And of course, sop up every last drop of the juices with the toast as well.

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Chilled Gazpacho Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 C diced tomato
• 1 C diced melon
• 1/2 C diced cucumber
• 1/4 C onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C Anaheim pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C almonds, whole
• Finely grated garlic, amount the size of a pea (less than 1/8 tsp)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tsp sherry vinegar
• 1/4 Tsp sea salt
• Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
• Sourdough or your favorite dense loaf for toasting

Prepare the tomato, cucumber, and melon in 1/2 inch dice. Thinly slice the onion and Anaheim pepper in 1 inch long strips. Gently place the tomato, melon, cucumber, onion and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Do not stir.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the whole almonds on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes. They should begin to be aromatic. Remove the almonds from the pan and allow them to cool. When the almonds are cool, roughly slice each one from top to bottom either in half or rough thirds.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. I really recommend a generous portion of freshly ground black pepper. It really adds a little pungent kick to the sweet/acid/savory mix of the salad. Pour this mixture over the diced salad and fold into the salad lightly. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

If you are serving the entire salad at once, toast plenty of bread in 1/3 inch thick slices. Otherwise, toast just enough for the number of servings you are using. Now you can make thin, 1/8th inch slices of the Manchego to have on the bread, or choose to shave the cheese over the salad before serving. A simple mandolin or knife works best to make the shavings. I would not recommend using a microplane for this job as the liquid in the salad will make the cheese to wet. You can be the judge of how much bread and cheese you would like to go with the salad.

After the salad is chilled, it is ready to serve with the bread and cheese for a lovely appetizer or a light lunch. Enjoy!

Yield: 6-8 Appetizer portions or 4 lunch portions.

The salad keeps surprisingly well refrigerated for 5 days.

Seared Oyster Mushroom Salad

Behold the Oyster Mushroom. Even slightly roughed up from my market bag, this beautiful, creamy white fungus is moving in its form. Visual stimulation is a strong motivator in my desire to work with food. I love how food is at once visual, tactile, aromatic, alive, emotionally and physically nourishing.

I was in need of some emotional nourishment when I decided to put together something woodsy and summery, both hearty and light, assuming this combination is even possible. I have been pining for my home state of Minnesota (yes, there is a pun in there, especially when you think of the Arrowhead region) and will be there in just one week. I will hang out in and around the Twin Cities a while then make my way up to the north shore of the great, frigid, and vast Lake Superior.

I guess I came up with a salad in a red flannel shirt. Something for the long summer days up north, where it's still chilly enough to don a sweater after the sun goes down. Something that reminds me of exploring the woods as a child and being fascinated by shelf fungus, various mushrooms and the occasional vivid orange or yellow slime mold. Something that folds in a native food that I grew up with (what, you've never had wild rice casserole?) and I equate strongly with home. Enjoy this salad in a little rustic north woods cabin in your mind. Or the real deal if you get the chance.

The companion salad components are easy and well worth the time to put together. At the Dallas Farmers Market I found some spectacular, kicky arugula, fresh sweet corn and an onion so sweet I had the overwhelming urge to bite into it like an apple as soon as I cut it. It was that good. All in season in Texas. So, in order to make the prep time on this salad be more worth your while think of prepping extra wild rice to accompany meals later in the week, or put a small bag full in the freezer to pop into vegetable soups or chowders. It freezes very well. Toast a whole pan full of pecans for snacking or topping ice cream. I promise you will eat them up quickly. And, it's not like you are going to buy one ear of corn...when it's in season we eat it voraciously, as it is a fleeting pleasure.

The wild rice I found was Canadian but I really recommend ordering some Minnesota grown wild rice from one of the area tribes. The rice is still commonly hand harvested but you will also find machine harvested. Just go for it. It stores well in an airtight container up to a year.

With oyster mushrooms, you are never going to get completely uniform pieces, so no worries. The trick is not to stir too much during cooking so the pieces can have good contact with the hot pan and get a nice sear. So, stir them only enough to keep them cooking evenly. Also, and very importantly, my magical ingredient is mirin. Mirin is a traditional subtly sweet and complex rice wine. In the U.S. all sorts of things are sold as mirin, and apparently in Japan you cannot sell seasoned (salted) mirin as true mirin but there also exist many grades of mirin-like products.

I can tell you that if you want a lovely seasoned rice cooking wine (considered Aji No Haha type-labeled as mirin here in the U.S.) try Eden brand. If you see sugar, corn syrup or anything other than rice, koji, and salt in the ingredients, look for another. If you get to a good Asian grocer and find somebody knowledgeable about true mirin, which is unsalted and can be drunk as is, please by all means get it! If you do use the unseasoned kind, you will need to salt the mushrooms. My knowledge of mirin is limited but now I want to go on a mirin research binge....

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Seared Oyster Mushroom Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C wild rice
• 1/4 Tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Lb. oyster mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Large handfuls arugula (enough to fill two dinner plates)
• 1 Ear fresh sweet corn
• 1/2 C pecan halves or pieces
• Red, yellow or white onion

For the dressing:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tsp whole grain mustard
• 1 Tsp maple syrup
• 1/8 Tsp sea salt
• 1/8 Tsp grated garlic

Bring the wild rice to a boil in a small pot in 2 C water with 1/4 Tsp sea salt. Reduce the rice to a low boil and place the lid over the pot with a small crack to let out excess steam. This will allow the rice to cook without loosing too much liquid and without boiling over. Look for the rice to split open and begin to curl. Some wild rice will cook faster and curl more, some will remain mostly straight and only split open lengthwise. I have seen wild rice cook as quickly as 30 minutes where some takes 1 hour, so check the rice after 30 minutes and continue to boil until done. When the rice is done, drain it well and set it aside to cool.

Look over your oyster mushroom/mushrooms. If you see any of the growing medium, brush it away or cut it off. If you like you can gently dip the mushrooms in a bowl of water to rinse off any dirt or growing medium, but I usually just brush them off. They will not absorb enough water to make much of a difference in cooking as long as you dry thoroughly, though this may cause the mushroom to break apart more. You will find conflicting advice on this so go with your comfort level.

Break down the mushrooms to long pieces cut away from the central base lengthwise, almost like you would split broccoli off the stem. You can use the base, just make sure to leave base pieces no thicker than 1/2 inch. This part will be more chewy but I kind of like that. If some of the base seems particularly tough, simply remove it. Now heat a large saute pan to medium high heat. Make sure the pan is big enough not to crowd the mushrooms. Add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and quickly add the mushrooms. The pan should be hot enough for the mushrooms to sizzle but not hot enough to smoke the oil. Stir the pan occasionally but not continuously in order to allow the mushrooms continued contact long enough to sear the sides. It should take about 6 minutes for the mushrooms to have browned and become tender yet chewy. Remove the pan from the heat and add 2 Tbsp mirin, stirring quickly to coat the mushrooms while the mirin cooks off. Season the mushrooms with fresh ground pepper to taste and remove them from the pan to cool.

Heat your oven to 350 and place the pecans on a sheet pan or glass baking dish. Toast the nuts for 6 to 7 minutes or until they are aromatic and lightly browned. Allow the pecans to cool. Thinly slice the desired amount of onion for two salads. This is up to you, but a salad just isn't a salad without some raw onion in my estimation! I leave the amount up to your good judgment, but don't overpower the salad.

Grab a large mixing bowl to throw together the dressing and toss the salad. Simply mix the oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and garlic in the bowl and then add the arugula, corn, wild rice, and onion, tossing gently until well mixed. With a tong, mound the dressed salad on two dinner plates, scooping up the rice and corn that fall to the bottom and heaping them on top of each salad. Finish the salad with the toasted pecans and piles of seared oyster mushrooms. This salad is best at room temperature, so if you have refrigerated any of the components, please bring them up to room temperature before putting it together. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 large dinner salads or 4 side salads.