A piece of grilled fish served with a filling side salad can lead to an inviting summer meal. When going that route you of course have to decide what combination of those two things to make.
Early last week guiding my decision in that regard was the lovely pile of fresh shelling peas I saw at a market. When shelled, I thought those summer-green peas would be good in a salad served with fish, so I bought some. I then searched for other produce to toss with them.
The small Warba (nugget) potatoes situated near those shelling peas looked like a good option, so I grabbed some of them. I also bought some baby arugula, thinking its mild, peppery taste would work well with the sweet and earthy tastes of the peas and potatoes.
To make the salad, the potatoes were cut into smaller pieces, simmered until tender, cooled and then tossed with a dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and chopped fennel fronds, that latter of which I have growing in my herb garden. If you don’t have fennel fronds, you could also use chopped fresh dill or tarragon in the salad.
After mixing the potatoes into the dressing, you cover and refrigerate them until ready to serve the salad. When you are ready to serve the salad, just before doing so, you toss in the shelled peas and arugula, and also some sliced green onion. Doing the latter just before serving the salad ensures the acidity in the lemon won’t have time to negatively affect the pleasing green colour of those vegetables.
As for the fish, I bought salmon fillets, because past experience told me they would work well with such things as the peas, potatoes and arugula in the salad.
To prepare the flilets, I coated the them lightly with olive oil and seasonings and then grilled them on my barbecue. If you don’t have a barbecue, you could also use an indoor grill to cook the fish. And, if you don’t have one those, you could bake the fish (see the Eric’s options part of the recipe for details on that).
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Grilled Salmon with Maple Mustard Lemon Drizzle
Smoky, grilled salmon fillets are topped with an easy-to-make drizzle with lemon juice, mustard and maple syrup.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: five to seven minutes
Makes: four servings
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil, plus some for the grill
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 (5- to 6-ounce/140- to 170-gram) sockeye, steelhead or other salmon fillets
To make the drizzle, combine syrup, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and set it aside for now.
Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium-high. Place the 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp oil, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and black pepper in a shallow dish. Add the salmon fillets and turn to coat.
Oil the bars of your grill. Set on salmon, skin side up. Grill salmon 3 to 4 minutes undisturbed. The salmon should easily release itself from the grill when ready to flip. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on the skin side, or until the fish is just cooked through.
Plate the fish, drizzle each portion with the maple syrup mixture, and serve.
Eric’s options: If you don’t have a barbecue or indoor grill, you could bake the fish instead. To do that, once the salmon is coated with the olive oil and seasonings called for in the recipe, set it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through.
Potato, Pea and Arugula Salad
Cooked, cooled, pieces of potato, baby arugula and fresh peas tastily tossed with a mustard and lemon dressing.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 15 minutes
Makes: four servings
1 pound small Warba (nugget) or other miniature potatoes, each halved or quartered, depending on size
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped fresh fennel fronds, dill or tarragon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup shelled fresh or frozen (thawed) peas (see Note)
1 cup packed baby arugula
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with two inches of cold water, set over medium, medium-high heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain that simmer. Simmer potatoes until just tender, about 10 to 13 minutes. Drain potatoes well, spread out on a baking sheet, and cool to room temperature.
When potatoes have cooled, place the oil, juice, mustard, chopped fennel fronds (or dill or tarragon) in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad until ready to serve. It can be made to this point many hours in advance.
When ready to serve the salad, add the peas, arugula and green onions to the bowl, gently toss to combine them with the potatoes, and then serve.
Note: 50 to 60 shelling peas, when shelled, should yield the 3/4-cup of fresh-shelled peas needed here. You could add the peas to salad raw, or blanched, which is what I did. To blanch them, submerge the peas in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds, or until bright green and just tender. Drain the peas, cool them with ice-cold water, drain them again, and they are ready to use.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
