Morning Mesclun, Smoked Salmon, and Kryptonite Dressing
Cookbook
Young and Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone
Published by Hyperion

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
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
2005 David Lieberman