Morning Mesclun, Smoked Salmon, and Kryptonite Dressing

Updated February 23, 2016

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Young and Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone

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This is one of the most elegant and grown-up things that I would serve to a morning guest. It is definitely more of a brunch item than an early-morning breakfast thing, but I’m a late sleeper. It’s a cinch to prepare because the only thing you have to do is mix up the dressing, and since that’s done in the blender, there’s really nothing to it. The tasty dressing comes out a kryptonite green that would make Superman crumble. The dressing makes a stunning contrast to the orange of the salmon.

Makes2 Servings

CostModerate

Easy

Total Timeunder 30 minutes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Recipe Coursecold appetizer, main course

Equipmentblender

Mealbrunch, lunch

Moodromantic

Taste and Texturecrisp, herby, savory, smoky

Type of Dishmain course salad

Ingredients

1 medium cucumber
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh dill, plus more for garnish
A handful of fresh parsley leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small shallot, peeled
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Salt
Black pepper
2 handfuls mesclun salad mix
4 ounces sliced smoked salmon, broken or cut into irregular bite-size pieces

Instructions

Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a small spoon. Chop half of the cucumber roughly and toss it into a blender. Cut the other half into neat slices and set them aside.
Add the oil, dill, parsley, lemon juice, shallot, and vinegar to the blender. Blend at low speed until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour all but about 3 tablespoons of the dressing into a large mixing bowl.
Add the mesclun and sliced cukes to the bowl and toss until the greens are coated. Divide the salmon between two plates, arranging it in the middle of the plate. Surround with salad and then drizzle everything with the remaining dressing, some fresh dill, and a few grinds of cracked pepper.