Summertime picnics are great for all kinds of food, but cold salads are probably my favorite. This recipe takes baked salmon and turns it into a tuna salad-like dish that is great for sandwiches or just straight from the bowl. It is amazingly easy and quick, and it provides even more culinary flexibility for the fish.
SOFTWARE
· 6 salmon filets, 4-6 oz. each, skin on
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground pepper
· 2 T. sweet relish
· 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
· 1/4 white onion, small dice
· 1/2 c. mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)
· 1/2 t. dill weed
· See Variants section for more optional ingredients
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the filets, skin side down, on the paper. Season with the salt and pepper.
3. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. You want the filets to be flake with a fork while still being moist.
4. Remove from the baking sheet, leaving behind the skin, and cool for 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the cooled salmon, relish, onion, celery, dill weed, and mayonnaise. Stir gently, breaking up the filets as you go but not mashing them.
6. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 5 minutes. Longer will let the flavors really get together.
7. Serve as you like.
8. Enjoy.
VARIANTS
You could add 8 oz. of cooked pasta, something small. Diced eggs can also be added, but I preferred them sliced and on top of my sandwich. You should not need additional seasonings if you season the fish prior to cooking but you can substitute out the dill weed with another flavor you want. Just be careful about including anything that would add more salt to the salad. This is great on toast or an English muffin, but I’m just as likely to take a fork and eat it straight from the bowl.
