Herby Salmon Salad Platter with Lemon-Tarragon Dressing
A seasonal, spring take on the classic niçoise salad.
As April comes to a close, so does Big Salad Energy Month here at From Head to Table (don’t worry, there will be plenty more bold, flavorful, veggie-forward recipes coming your way all-year-long!). One of my favorite types of big salads are Big Party Salads. These are the ones where everything can be made ahead, then arranged with as much artistic gumption—let that inner food stylist shine!—as you can muster, and presented as centerpiece to any brunch, leisurely dinner party, or buffet.
Right now, that salad is a loosey-goosey, spring-forward version of the classic French salade niçoise. Standing in for the tuna is salmon, which is coated in Dijon mustard, dill, capers, lemon zest, and black pepper, then roasted at a low temperature until perfectly pink and succulent. The fish is accompanied by an army of seasonal side pieces—boiled fingerling potatoes, blanched asparagus, snap peas, fava beans, and radishes—plus bright green, Nocellara del Belice olives (also known as Castelvetrano) and jammy-yolked, medium-boiled eggs draped with briny anchovies. It’s all piled on baby lettuces, watercress, and dill, and topped off with a simple lemon-tarragon dressing.
Yes, this salad is involved—mise en place is your friend here!—but the best part is that all the veggies get blanched and the eggs are boiled in the same pot as the potatoes, as they cook. And, the bountiful, elegant platter at the end is well-worth the effort, I promise, though I’ve included some shortcuts, too. This recipe is for paid subscribers. But, hey, since there are a lot of new faces here, I’m offering a little spring discount for a limited time! 20% off annual subscriptions now through May 31st, 2024—just follow this link.
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