It’s not my favorite salad, but it’s in the top 10. I’ve blatantly ripped off recreated it from one I had at The Claddagh last week.
As always, proportions and amounts are a matter of opinion.
Ingredients: salad greens (I like baby field greens), blanched green beans, boiled and cooled small red potatoes, sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or a mix of any of the above; blanching optional), capers, smoked salmon (or cooked salmon; both are good, but smoked salmon is truer to the original).
Step 1: Blanch beans, and peppers if you like.
If you’ve never blanched a vegetable, it’s pretty simple. Boil some salted water. Drop your fresh veggies into the boiling water for 1-2 minutes–just long enough for themto get some color. Put them in icy-cold water immediately upon removal from the pot. Personally, I use a large sieve for ease of removal. I also recommend working in small batches; you don’t want the water temperature to drop below the boiling point. The point of blanching is to cook the vegetables just a tiny bit, so that they pick up a bit of salt from the water but remain crisp and brightly colored.
Step 2: Boil small red potatoes.
The time on this will vary depending on the size of your potatoes. Try to buy potatoes that are about the same size; it makes for less guesswork during cooking. For the record, I boiled my potatoes in the same pot that I used for blanching the beans and peppers.
Step 3: Assembly – Stage one
You should have time to complete this step while the potatoes are boiling. Cut the beans and peppers into bite-sized strip. Combine the greens, beans, and peppers. Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces.
Step 4: Finish the potatoes
When the potatoes are completely done, plunge them into the ice water bath, or run under cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, cut into bite-sized chunks. If they’re still a bit warm, run the chunks under cold water until they are room temperature at minimum–colder is better.
Step 5: Assembly – Stage 2
Mix the potatoes in with the veggies and greens. Arrange salmon on top. Sprinkle with capers. Add dressing. The first time I had the salad, it was with a tarragon-dijon vinaigrette. Purple basil vinaigrette or maple vinaigrette would probably be very good, too.
Step 6: Devour. Repeat all steps as necessary.