Salmon Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Russian Dressing

There’s a great deal to be jittery about in the world these days. And Russia is up there near the top of the list.

My grandfather immigrated to Canada from Russia over 100 years ago. It was a question of survival; life was brutal. Like many refugees, my grandfather started out as a peddler, eventually working his way up to establishing a business as a fruit and vegetable wholesaler.

Don’t be surprised that this Salmon Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Russian Dressing is chock full of vegetables. It’s my heritage.

Salmon Salad

• 14oz (426g) canned salmon, drained, mashed
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced, a few slices reserved as garnish
• 1/4 c each mayonnaise, crumbled feta
• 1/3 c each orange & yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/3 c each dry shallots & celery, finely chopped
• 1/3 c carrot, grated
• 1/3 c each parsley & dill finely chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 t hot sauce
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium-sized bowl, combine salmon with the mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine.

Now that you’ve got your Salmon Salad prepped, here are a few serving suggestions:

• Serve a scoop of  Salmon Salad atop lettuce, garnished with Roasted Asparagus, capers and Russian Dressing.

• Serve Salmon Salad in a lettuce or nori wrap, with Roasted Asparagus, capers and Russian Dressing.

• Toast or grill some healthy bread. Cover toasted bread with Salmon Salad, place an egg slice in the center and crisscross with asparagus. Garnish with capers and Russian dressing.

Serves 6 – 8.

Roasted Asparagus

• 1 bunch asparagus, halved lengthwise if thick
• 2 t garlic olive oil, or regular olive oil
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 420F.

Lightly brush asparagus with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Roast for 10 – 12 minutes. Cut some in half to fit atop crostini.

Russian Dressing

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 2 T ketchup
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a squeeze bottle. Shake well, holding your finger over the tip. Adjust seasoning.

Salmon Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Russian Dressing ready Recipe

Final notes:

• Jittery Russian Dressing isn’t quite real Russian Dressing, but it’s tasty and quick to make.
• The Shaar Hashomayim Sisterhood provides home cooked meals on wheels to those in need. Please support their efforts by enjoying this engaging fundraiser Art Studio Tour on June 7th, 2017.

• There’s an art to taking good photos and for some of us it’s a major struggle. Have you heard the buzz about the new compact Light L16 camera? Forget about using one measly little lens at a time. It has 16 lenses! Each capture is blended to produce pictures that are worth thousands of words.
• On that note, here’s a peek at my jittery food photography setup. Capturing a photo of capturing a photo just amplifies the challenge.