This may come as a surprise to some of you considering the type of content I normally post (Double Chocolate Cookies, anyone?), but I eat salad almost daily. This is particularly true during the warmer months when I’m craving something cool and crunchy. I reach for salads until we are hit with “soup season” (aka the six months of winter we endure in my part of the world). Also, apologies to all you fish-haters out there but I love salmon. My hometown is situated alongside the Restigouche River, which is world-renowned for its exclusive salmon fishing – and when I say exclusive I mean CEO, bazillionaire, fuck-you-money exclusive. My father-in-law was shareholder of a fishing camp that once belonged to Joseph Pulitzer II, to give you some context. And yes, I’m referring to the dude that the Pulitzer Prize was named after. Crazy, I know. Anyway, enough with the history lesson and back food. This vibrant salad recipe is like summer in a bowl. Not only is it fresh and flavourful, the hearty salmon and creamy avocado make it surprisingly filling. This recipe is even, dare I say, healthy (you probably won’t see this term used often on the blog, folks). I found this recipe on Southern Living and modified it slightly to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand. Scroll below to find out how I put this bright and tasty salad together and don’t forget to subscribe!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 8oz of raw salmon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 12oz of spring greens (or whatever type of lettuce you have on hand/prefer)
• 1 orange, segmented
• 1 pink grapefruit, segmented
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup of feta cheese
• 3tbsp of white wine vinegar
• 2tbsp of honey
• 2tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Place salmon on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake salmon for 15 to 20 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. Set aside and let cool completely.
4. In a mason jar, combine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Seal lid tightly and shake vigorously until all of the ingredients are blended.
5. Toss together the lettuce, orange, grapefruit, avocado and shallot. Drizzle with vinaigrette (I said drizzle, not free pour. A little goes a long way here). Sprinkle with feta and enjoy!

For the original Southern Living recipe, click HERE.

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