If you’re looking for a salad to fill you up and warm your belly, this will do the trick!  It’s basically a hearty dinner disguised as a salad, which makes me feel better about eating it.  You can’t go wrong with warm salmon, fingerling potatoes, and haricot verts tossed with yummy dressing and salty extras.

I made three different sauces/dressings for this dish.  Overkill?  Maybe, but your taste buds with thank you.  If you’re on a time crunch, make the sauces ahead of time so there’s less prep work to do while your starving husband hovers over your shoulder (I wish I would have thought of that earlier).  The recipe was inspired by several niçoise salads I’ve had over the years from various restaurants.  One of my favorites is actually from the Nordstrom Cafe’.  It’s the perfect meal to top off a long day of shopping!

 

Salmon Niçoise Salad:
serves 2

2 – 6oz. salmon fillets (skin on)

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced into quarters

4 large fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise into quarters

3 cups baby romaine mix or mixed baby greens 

6 oz. haricot verts (french green beans), stems trimmed

2 tbsp. french niçoise olives, or kalamata olives (pitted and sliced)

1 tbsp. capers

creamy herb sauce-

1 clove minced garlic

2 tbsp. mayonaise

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

1 tsp. minced dill

salt & pepper 

lemon herb dressing

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp. lemon juice 

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

salt & pepper

honey-dijon balsamic vinaigrette

2 gloves minced garlic

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1 1/2 tbsp. honey dijon mustard

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil  

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.  If using a cedar plank, coat the top of the plank with olive oil and place it in the oven while it preheats.  For the creamy herb sauce, combine garlic, mayonaise and lemon juice in a bowl.  Add parsley, dill and season with salt & pepper.  Spread the sauce on top of each salmon fillet and set them skin side down on the hot cedar plank (or baking sheet).  Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the salmon fillet is flaky and no longer translucent.

Meanwhile, place the sliced fingerling potatoes and haricot verts in a steamer pot or basket on medium-high heat until cooked through.  For the lemon herb dressing, combine garlic, lemon juice and parsley.  Whisk in the olive oil until thickened.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Toss the cooked potatoes and haricot verts with the dressing until well coated.  Set aside.  For the honey-dijon balsamic vinaigrette, combine garlic, balsamic vinegar, honey and honey-dijon mustard in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Keep whisking vigorously until the dressing becomes thick and creamy.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Toss the baby romaine mix, niçoise olives and capers with the honey-dijon balsamic vinaigrette and divide into two salad bowls.  Top each salad with the fingerling potatoes, haricot verts, quartered hard boiled eggs, and salmon fillets (skin removed after cooking).  Season with salt & paper, and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

There are endless ways to adapt this recipe.  Some common additions would be tomato or sliced red onion.  You could also substitue the salmon with seared tuna, or even prawns.

Make sure to pace yourself.  This meal is heartier than you think, so deep breaths between bites are necessary!