This week I had the very happy experience of meeting two of my favorite bloggers, Susan and Dale of SCHNITZEL AND THE TROUT. Susan and I have been cyber friends since both of us started blogging back in 2008. Somehow we found each other among the millions of food blogs that are out there and have been exchanging comments and emails ever since. They are visiting the Pacific Northwest right now and I invited them to join me for lunch on Tuesday. What a pleasure it was to meet them! Not only do we share our love of blogging we also have traveled extensively in France and are in love with Paris and Provence. I wanted to prepare something special for our lunch so I went to the farmers’ market last Saturday and just wandered around looking for inspiration. I wanted to make something reminiscent of the beautiful salads in France and at the same time highlight the wonderful products at the farmers’ market…I decided on a Northwest version of Salad Nicoise.
The classic SALAD NICOISE is made with tuna, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, eggs, green beans. lettuce and a simple Dijon vinaigrette. Because of our love for all things French I knew this would be a good choice for lunch with Susan and Dale. I wanted it to represent the Pacific Northwest so I changed it up just a little bit. Tuna wasn’t available but I was able to buy a lovely piece of CHINOOK SALMON instead. The beauty of this salad is that all the ingredients can be prepared a day ahead and all you have to do is assemble everything on the plate just before you serve it. I marinated the salmon for 30 minutes and then baked it in a 500 degree oven for about 15 minutes. (The recipe below for the salmon marinade and vinaigrette are adaptations of Ina Garten’s recipes) The green beans were cooked until barely fork tender and placed in a zip lock bag with a tablespoon of dressing so they could soak up a little flavor. The eggs were cooked in simmering water for 7 minutes, then put into ice water until they were cool. Don’t overcook them. They are beautiful and much tastier when the yolks are just set.
In place of the new potatoes that are usually used in Salad Nicoise I substituted couscous. Cafe du Marche in Paris makes the best vegetable salad with couscous and I tried to duplicate the flavors. Chopped mint, minced shallots, and finely diced cucumber were added to cooked couscous along with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and champagne vinegar. We all thought it was delicious and a much more interesting choice than potatoes. A nice selection of olives came from Whole Foods. There were so many to choose from…you can’t go wrong with any combination.
Tuesday was a beautiful day…a little hot for me…but not for Susan and Dale who are used to Florida weather. We had a leisurely lunch on the patio and finished it with big slices of MARIONBERRY PIE topped with TILLAMOOK VANILLA ICE CREAM. I’ll be posting that recipe in the next few days. I wanted to give them a good selection of our wonderful Oregon products and the pie was the perfect end to our meal. I enjoyed our meeting so very much and hope to see my dear friends again very soon.
- 4 lemons, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup good olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- FOR THE MARINADE: whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 tablespoons salt and ½ tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been covered in aluminum foil, and drizzle the marinade over the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit for 15 minutes. Bake for 12-17 minutes until the salmon is barely done. Don't overcook.
- FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pass a little pitcher of dressing with the salads.
This post is linked to FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm.
Cathy, if we had not been there to enjoy this wonderful lunch with you, I would
Be extremely jealous of your guests. We had the greatest visit and this salad, the wine and the pie were simply perfect. Thank you do much for your hospitality and we are already looking forward to when we meet again. Susan and Dale
This looks amazing…wonderful flavors. A delicious luncheon or dinner salad! I am going to have to make this one.
Kate recently posted..Banana Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
It sounds like you had a fun visit Cathy and your salad is beautiful! How nice that you were able to eat al fresco:@)
Happier Than A Pig in Mud recently posted..Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Oh, how I love Salad Nicoise! And yours looks terrific, Cathy!
Liz recently posted..Tomato Salad with Peach and Basil Vinaigrette #ImprovChallenge
That looks so yummy!!
xo Kris
This is just great. I think I prefer the idea of couscous instead of the potato. I am always looking for a special dish to feed friends. This looks perfect.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon recently posted..Moroccan Potatoes
It’s great that you guys got to meet after so many years. Your salad looks delicious and beautiful – I like using the salmon in it.
Larry recently posted..Catfish, The Other Breakfast Meat
STOP! I’m salivating … I can’t hope to replicate your amazing local produce, but I CAN take a leaf from your book and substitute what I’VE got down here!! Thanx for the inspiration!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Beauty and the Bridge!
I too have had the opportunity of meeting Susan and Dale and know how much fun they are and how much they know about France from their numerous trips. Perfect salad for a summer day Cathy. Love that you could make it ahead and share your make-ahead secrets with us. I like that it’s a lighter version with the couscous and salmon for summertime.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peach Lime Salsa
This looks amazing!! I love any salad that has more toppings than lettuce. We’re not big fans of Salmon, but I think I might have to try my own take with shrimp instead!
Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes recently posted..Balsamic Tomato Feta Salad
Cathy, Your lunch looks fantastic and I would have loved to have been there with all of you. I am going to copy your ideas for salad nicoise.
Penny recently posted..Peaches n’ Irish Cream Crumble
How fun is that? And a glorious salad Cathy.
I must say I envy your table top..big mistake ehre when we bought our patio set..glass top table.. evry single day..sometimes twice a day.. Shamwow..kidding about the shamwow..but you know what I mean..
Every freckle shows.
Monique recently posted..Lavender~Honey~Dijon~
That is one bee-u-tee-full salad.
I love those bees on the forks.
Have a wonderful weekend.
So nice that you were able to meet. This salad has me drooling and it’s only 8:30am! It is absolutely gorgeous!
Karen recently posted..Tuscan Spinach-Basil Pesto Salad
This is the PERFECT luncheon dish for a hot, muggy day! I love salad nicoise & your switch from tuna to salmon was a brilliant idea. I can almost taste it right now.
May I highly recommend you try doing the green beans the way Mary, from One Perfect Bite does Marcella Hazan’s recipe?
http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2011/07/marinated-green-beans.html
It is OUTSTANDING & could only add even more flavor to your salad. Now I’m REALLY hungry for BOTH!! I’m pinning & putting this on my menu for the weekend. Thank you!
Rettabug recently posted..Blue Cheese Spread
Hi Rett – I checked out Mary’s recipe and it sounds delicious. What a great summer salad all by itself. Thanks for the info. Hope you enjoy this version of Salad Nicoise.
Cathy recently posted..Northwest Style Salad Nicoise
A lovely salad indeed! The eggs look perfectly done!
Jeannie recently posted..Banana Walnut Bread – a Curtis Stone’s recipe
Very cool Cathy, both the company and the dinner! You made a wonderful version of Nicoise and I know the visit was sweet, fun and delicious!
The Café Sucre Farine recently posted..Strawberry-Glazed Butter Thins & a Trio of Charming Sou Chefs
This sounds like such a wonderful salad. II love the substitutions you made. I would love to sit down for lunch with this salad and some crusty bread and a glass (or two) of wine! 😉
What a treat it all must have been!
Salad Nicoise has long been one of my summer favourites, first introduced to me by a young Frenchwoman I rescued in Pennsylvania….and now I’m thinking that I need to blog about that!
I love salads like this with so much variety of flavor and texture. I definitely like salmon more than tuna so this looks perfect.
Rhonda recently posted..Crunchy Chicken Fingers with Spicy Avocado
What a beautiful salad Cathy! Your photos are really good. How did you get that Pinterest button on your photo? Is it a widget? Anyway, how wonderful that you had a chance to visit with Susan. I bet you had great conversations. I saw the photo on Facebook and it brought a big smile to my face.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) recently posted..Mirin Glazed Salmon for Salmon Saturday
OK, this was the perfect choice for Susan and her husband. Then to end with Marionberry Pie and Tillomook Ice Cream, yummmmmm!
Marilyn recently posted..Swain Woods – Part 1
What fun it is to meet fellow bloggers that seem like friends. It’s always good to put a real face to what has become familiar. As for the salad, it is one of my absolute favorites, and I love the idea of using couscous as a substitute for the potatoes.
Recipes look really good.
It is so lovely to be able to meet fellow bloggers that feel like friends through reading each others blogs. Your meal looks and sounds delicious and I know that you, Susan and Dale had to enjoy the visit.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Grilled Duck With Cherry Sauce
How nice that you got to meet and share that beautiful salad.
~Ann
Thibeault’s Table (Ann) recently posted..Cream Cheese Danish
How wonderful that you got to meet! Your were a wonderful hostess to prepare such a wonderful meal and the setting looks just lovely. Everything sounds delicious and I love how your showcase your local produce and seafood, Cathy.
Looks so cool and delicious.
Debra recently posted..The Lake…..Aahh!
that looks delicious and such a pretty presentation too
a gathering of days recently posted..23 July
Your salad looks absolutely wonderful! And I love your pictures. What a fun lunch.
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..Baked Zucchini with Cheese {Secret Recipe Club}
What a WONDERFUL story about blogging friendship! Sounds like you’re soul mates in many ways! Cathy, this is such a delightful twist on the classic Nicoise salad. I am totally making this for my healthier lunch strategy. Fantastic!
xo
Roz
Roz recently posted..Spaghetti with Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs