Salmon Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese
Well, folks - we’ve reached that time of year where this native Washingtonian is well past her 65-degree boiling point. Yep, it’s summer in Seattle and it is heating up!
Translation: I’m not trying to go anywhere near my oven in our house with no air conditioner. So what’s a hungry girl to do? Salads for dinner, of course!
We try to do "dinner salads” at least once a week in our house. Especially in the summer, there’s no better meal than a beautiful, hearty salad for something light, satisfying and effortless to throw together. One of my favorites is this salmon salad with a citrus vinaigrette and goat cheese.
It starts with a bed of arugula plus mixed greens. You could totally just use mixed greens, or really any lettuce you prefer. I just love the peppery bite of arugula! Then my homemade vinaigrette comes together in no time through a combo of Dijon, minced shallot, lemon and orange juice, and, of course, some good olive oil.
Whether you choose to slow roast or grill your salmon, it comes together in a matter of minutes and is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. When you’re from the PNW and you have access to good salmon, you learn that good salmon doesn’t need much to taste absolutely amazing!
This salad would be pretty delightful as is, but I add in crunchy pecans and creamy goat cheese to bring it all together. It’s one perfect supper salad that you will be making to cool down your summer nights.
Salmon Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese
Makes 2 entree salads
Ingredients
Citrus vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
Juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Juice 1/2 an orange (about 1 tablespoon)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Salad
2 cups arugula (about one large handful)
2 cups mixed greens (about one large handful)
1 - 1 1/2 pound fresh salmon filet
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a lid. Seal jar and shake to combine. How easy was that?!
Season salmon with salt and pepper. If grilling, grill salmon on medium high heat, skin side down for 10-12 minutes until medium rare. If using oven, cook salmon at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cook times depend on thickness of salmon and how rare you like it!
Combine greens in a large bowl and toss with dressing to your liking. Serve dressed greens on two plates or bowl. Portion salmon filets/pieces on each plate along with crumbled goat cheese and pecans. Enjoy!
