Smoked Salmon Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Have you ever invited friends over for smoked salmon and had your event disrupted? Now you have salmon that’s open and more than you can eat without gorging, so, what to do? As an alternative to the smoked salmon on toast with avocado salad, I created this one, with a honey mustard vinaigrette, which was the perfect dance partner for the salmon, and crispy wispy onions are ace as an accent. It is frightfully easy to make, delicious, and a great alternative when you have salmon that has to be eaten soon, or… curtains!

What You’ll Need

Portioned for one main course or 2/3 tapas.

Smoked Salmon Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

• 6 oz smoked salmon, sliced
• 1 cup onion, sliced
• 1 generous pinch thyme, 1 grind pepper, 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 pinch sea salt
• 2/3 cup tomato, chunked
• 3 pieces cucumber, sliced thick and quartered
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 medium avocado
• 1/4 cup mini peppers, sliced
• 4 large leaves cos lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large leaf red cabbage, rolled and sliced
• Vinaigrette: 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp caraway seeds,2 tsp honey, 1 heaping tbsp Dijon mustard, 4-5 tbsp EVOO, 1 heaping tsp dill seed.

How to Make It

• In small oven pan, toss the onion pieces in the thyme, EVOO, pepper, and salt, and put it into a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes to brown to the point of black.
• Put the ACV in a large salad bowl with the caraway to release the latter’s flavor. Add the honey, and stir to dissolve.
• Wash and cut the other ingredients.
• Add the mustard to the salad bowl, and stir well. Slowly add the olive oil while stirring constantly to make a thick sauce.
• Add the celery, cucumber, peppers, tomato, cabbage, cos, and avocado, and toss well. Let it marinate at least 15 minutes. Toss once or twice. Add the dill, and toss again.
• Plate the salad.
• Separate the salmon’s slices, and make small rolls; arrange them atop the salad. Sprinkle more dill on the salmon rolls.
• Add the crispy onion on top.

The Wrap

Smoked Salmon Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – Close-up

Smoked salmon is legendary for its saltiness, tenderness, and rich salmon taste, and here those qualities are balanced with the sweet-sour of the honey-mustard-dill vinaigrette. The crispy onion is a surprising show-stealer: just imagine onion rings kissed with thyme and without the floury gunk.

This salad paired with a tart New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but rosé or sparkling mineral water would be magnificent, too.