For those of you who have followed this column over the years, you’ll know I’m a fan of Caesar-style salads. And I’m proving that again today by offering another version of it.
This one was inspired my wife, Cheryl, who thought she and I should have a Caesar salad with the salmon fillets I was grilling for dinner the other day.
When she opened our refrigerator to get the romaine to make it, a lettuce that, of course, is commonly used in a Caesar salad, she also found a head of radicchio and some Belgian endive, leftover from another meal.
That’s when she thought the radicchio’s bitter, almost spicy flavour, and the endive’s pleasing texture and almost nutty taste would work well with the milder-tasting romaine and the salad’s zesty dressing.
She was correct and, as noted, we served that salad with salmon fillets I grilled on my barbecue; you could also use an indoor grill. If you don’t have either of those, 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 it at 400 F, 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through.
Grilled Salmon with Mixed Lettuce Caesar Salad
This main-course dish pairs smoky, grilled salmon with tangy, garlicky, Caesar salad made with three types of lettuce.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About five minutes
Makes: four servings
For the salad:
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced anchovies or anchovy paste
• splashes Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about one medium head)
2 medium Belgian endive (each about 100 grams), cored and then cut, lengthwise, into thin wedges
1 small to medium (about 175 gram) radicchio, cored, quartered and sliced
• store-bought or homemade croutons, to taste (Optional; see Note)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
• lemon slices, for garnish
For the salmon:
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil, plus some for the grill
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch ground cayenne pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 (5- to 6-ounce/140- to 170-gram) sockeye or other salmon fillets
To make the salad dressing, combine mayonnaise, garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, water, vinegar, mustard, anchovies, Worcestershire, Tabasco and black pepper in a salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate dressing until needed; it can be made a few hours in advance.
Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium-high. Place the 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp oil, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, 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 three to four minutes undisturbed. The salmon should easily release itself from the grill when ready to flip. Cook two to three minutes on the skin side, or until the fish is just cooked through.
While the fish cooks, add the romaine, endive, radicchio and croutons, if using, to the salad dressing and toss to combine. Divided this mixed lettuce Caesar salad among four dinner plates. Sprinkle each salad with some grated Parmesan cheese.
When cooked, set a piece of salmon on each salad, garnish each plate with lemon slices, and serve.
Note: To make homemade croutons, preheat your oven to 350 F. Set two cups of white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, on a non-stick or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Toss the bread with 1 to 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and then spread the bread out in a single layer. Bake the croutons 10 minutes. Stir croutons, and then bake three to five minutes more, or until crispy and golden. Once cooled, transfer croutons to a tight-sealing jar and store at room temperature until needed. The croutons will keep at least a week.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
