Tuesday, July 28, 2009

"Michigan Herb Cookbook" - Santa Fe Salmon Salad






Date I made this recipe: July 26, 2009

Michigan Herb Cookbook by Susan Breckenridge and Marjorie Snyder
Published by: The University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0-472-08694-4
Recipe: Santa Fe Salmon Salad – p. 101

People, my cookbook collection is now up to 1,086 (and still counting) and last weekend, that was just 1, 085 books too many to contemplate. I could not come up with a recipe to make if my life depended on it.

At first, I thought of paying homage to Bastille Day (July 14) but the date came and went and all the recipes I looked at just seemed too heavy for summer.

Next up was a possible homage to Walter Cronkite who passed away last week. But again – what does one cook to honor the most trusted man in news? I didn’t even know where to begin so I passed on that as well.

I then pulled out a couple of other cookbooks but just couldn’t bring myself to really commit to finding a recipe and so they sat (and still sit) on my dining room table.

It didn’t take long for me to throw in the towel, make myself a bowl of pasta using sauce from a (gasp) jar and call it a day. It also didn’t take too long for blogger’s guilt to set in—you know the “I should have made a recipe for my blog this weekend except I was too lazy” guilt. But this, oddly enough, gave me the strength to carry on.

And so for no discernable reason whatsoever, I pulled the Michigan Herb Cookbook off the shelf and found something that turned out to be exactly what I needed— a refreshing, summer recipe using fresh herbs and vegetables and even fish (and I am not too fond of fish). And now I am renewed of spirit and ready to roll.

This salmon salad recipe is definitely a keeper and was just what the doctor ordered on a somewhat dreary (and a little bit nippy) day. Even the salmon passed muster and for me, that’s a biggie.

Enjoy!

Santa Fe Salmon Salad – serves 4

1 lb salmon fillets (not steaks)

Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
½ c. EACH fresh lime juice, orange juice, and oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Salt
¾ tsp EACH sugar and ground cumin

Salad Mixings
2 bunches watercress, picked over and cleaned
1 head romaine, cleaned and shredded
½ c. cilantro, chopped
½ c. EACH red and green pepper, julienned
(optional) 1 jicama, peeled and chopped

Salsa
4 scallions, chopped
2 tomatillos, husks removed and minced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (the recipe recommended Italian but they looked horrible so I went with Bushel Boy)

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour about ¼ cup over salmon and place in a resealable plastic food storage bag and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.

Grill or broil salmon till done. Salmon can be served cold or warm. On a large platter place the salad mixings and toss with a little of the vinaigrette. Place salmon around salad mixings and top with salsa.

By the way, I have to confess that I accidentally made a recipe from a cookbook I previously cooked from, sort of my own personal “No-no” for this blog (my rule is one recipe per book). The book is called Food in Good Season by Betty Fussell and I made the Sweet Corn and Cucumber Soup on page 152. I liked it so you may want to give it a try; it went great with the salad.

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