The start of the grilling season kicks off on Memorial Day. Although we cook a lot of main-dish meats, poultry and seafood year-round over a live fire at my restaurants, at home I can’t wait to head to my patio to fire up the grill for family meals.
At this time of year, though, like many people, my wife and I are also thinking about the fact that we’ll soon be heading off on vacation and putting on our swimsuits. That’s why I like to keep my Memorial Day grilling extra-healthy, following the kinds of cooking principles I also emphasize in my book Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy ($30, Grand Central Life & Style).
The following recipe makes a perfect choice, not only for your first home-grilled meal this year, but also to enjoy all summer long: It’s a light, healthy chopped vegetable salad with grilled salmon. As it implies, the salad itself follows one of the main principles of healthy eating: Base the majority of your meals on fresh seasonal produce.
In late spring and summer, the farmers market offers a wide selection of vegetables on which to base your salad, and those I list in the recipe are just my suggestions for a good mixture of flavors, textures and colors. Feel free to substitute whatever you like, taking care to blanch those vegetables that need a little cooking, with quick immersions first in boiling water and then in an ice-water bath.
The wonderful thing about fresh produce is that you need very little in the way of a dressing to highlight the vegetables’ qualities. The vinaigrette I call for here uses only 3/4 tablespoon of healthy oils per person, along with a touch of Dijon mustard and two flavorful vinegars.
As many guests in my restaurants request when they order my popular Chino Chopped Vegetable Salad, on which this recipe is based, I top these particular light salads with a grilled protein to transform them from an appetizer into a light but satisfying main course suitable for lunch or dinner alike. To keep it healthy, I used fresh salmon fillets, but you could also choose another favorite fish, jumbo shrimp, skinless/boneless chicken breasts or even a small portion of a lean cut of meat. Whatever you select, the actual grilling takes just a matter of minutes. And if the weather isn’t cooperating, you can cook the fish in your kitchen with a broiler, indoor grill, panini maker or hinged grill.
In either case, I wish you a delicious and healthy Memorial Day meal.
CHOPPED VEGETABLE SALAD WITH GRILLED SALMON
Serves 4
For the chopped vegetable salad:
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon safflower oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from about 1 medium ear of corn
1/2 cup diced green beans
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced radicchio
1/2 cup diced celery
1 small vine-ripened tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups mixed baby greens of your choice
For the grilled salmon:
4 fresh salmon fillets, skinless, about 4 ounces each
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, balsamic vinegar and sherry vinegar. Whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and safflower oil to form a smooth emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a mixing bowl with ice cubes and water. Put the carrots, corn and green beans in a wire sieve, lower into the boiling water, and cook
just until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Plunge the sieve into the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the blanched vegetables with the diced onion, radicchio, celery and tomato. Cover and refrigerate.
Heat an outdoor or indoor grill, a panini maker or double-sided indoor grill, or the broiler. Rub both sides of the salmon fillets with the olive oil, and season evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
Cook until nicely browned and cooked through but still moist in the center, 3 to 4 minutes per side on a regular outdoor or indoor grill or under the broiler, or 3 to 4 minutes total in the panini maker or hinged grill.
While the salmon cooks, drizzle about two-thirds of the vinaigrette dressing over the chopped vegetable mixture, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad leaves, and toss well.
To serve, arrange beds of salad leaves on top of four chilled salad plates. Mound the chopped vegetables on top of the leaves, and place a salmon fillet on top of each mound of vegetables. Serve immediately.