Caesar Kale Salad with Pickled Huckleberry Grilled Salmon
I am not sure there is a more perfect summer salad. Whenever there is some version of this salad served in a restaurant my girlfriends and I usually all place the same order! My husband and Alex just returned from Alaska and brought home King salmon, halibut and sea bass (rockfish) so expect a lot more yummy fresh fish recipes. The nice thing about this salad is that the kale even dressed can last a couple of days. Huckleberries are in season right now but you can easily substitute blueberries to give it that delicious freshness. Enjoy this healthy, vitamin and protein rich salad. I hope it brings you as much joy as it does our family.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5-20 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the salmon
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
Slaw Dressing and Salad
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 2 oz tin of drained flat anchovies
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
3/4 cup of virgin olive oil
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese divided
14 oz of kale, center stalks removed, thinly sliced crosswise. Approximately 8-10 cups
Salt and pepper to taste
Kale Salad Preparation
Clean and dry the kale. Remove the tough center stalks and slice crosswise with thin slices. I like to massage the kale for a few minutes to soften the leaves.
Salad Dressing Preparation
In a blender or food processor add the lemon juice, drained anchovies, garlic and dijon mustard and blend. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the blender or food processor until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add half of the parmesan cheese. Chill until ready to dress the kale.
One of the best gifts of summer is the kale that David grows along with many herbs, peppers and vegetables. This particular varietal is Blue Kale. The variety of tomatoes are the end of summer early fall highlight. We love the Veg Trugs. from Gardener Supply Company. They are easy to assemble and placed up on the deck so the deer are not able to make our produce their daily snack!
Salmon Preparation
Salmon Preparation
Clean the salmon with water and pat it dry. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the fish. Salt and pepper to taste.
Chop 3-4 sprigs of thyme and sprinkle on top of the fish. Use the lemon peels from the dressing and shave the lemon peel on top of the fish. Heat the grill to roughly 425 degrees F. If you want to add a smoky taste you can either use smoking pellets or alder chips in a foil pouch. Place the fish skin side down and check the fish after 5 -10 minutes. Time is going to vary based on the size and thickness of the fish. We like to use temperature probes to grill it to a perfect temperature. David is the grill master. He uses Meater+. For Rare salmon cook between 125 and 130 degrees F. Medium is 135 degrees F, and well done is 145 degrees F ( I suggest you don’t grill it to this temperature, it is very dry.
Ingredients for Pickled Huckleberries
(Recipe from FeastingatHome.com Sylvia Fontaine a truly wonderful website and a brilliant chef. You have to check it out and subscribe)
Pickled Huckleberries (or substitute Blueberries) Preparation
We live in the Pacific Northwest so if I choose to pay the high price of these lovelies or are willing to venture out and pick them they are an incredible fresh and delicious berry to garnish your fresh salmon. You can also use frozen berries. If you choose not to pickle the berries they are still a refreshing addition to the salad.
True confessions, I am bit of a hunter gatherer! This was this weekends haul. Time intensive but completely worth it!
