When I see the red stalks at the Co-Op each spring, I buy four and can hardly wait to get home to make a batch of strawberry rhubarb compote. This year, strawberry rhubarb salsa was simultaneously on my mind—the enticing garnish of a delectable restaurant salad that I wanted to recreate. At home, I set to work:
Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa: I cut off a few slivers of rhubarb and finely chopped them, added 3 or 4 diced strawberries, and finely diced the tail end of the red onion I mandolined for a batch of pickled red onions—I’m always a bit scared when I use that thing, but this salsa project let me stop before I usually do. Another benefit of the pickled red onions: I used a couple spoons of the pickling liquid to moisten the salsa instead of getting out a lime.
Here’s how the salmon salad comes together:
- nice greens (I found a bag of locally grown Mizuna from Kokoro Farm at the Co-Op here in Bozeman; “washed 2x” clinched it.)
- side project (Did I mention I’m a bit of a multitasker?): pickled red onions
- vinaigrette for the greens (Sometimes I whisk together just what I need in the salad bowl, but recently I’ve returned to making a big jar, I seem to eat more salads that way.)
- strawberry rhubarb salsa, see non-recipe recipe above
- gild the lily with some strawberry rhubarb compote mixed into the salsa or the vinaigrette or both (this would be “side project #2″…)
- if you really have your act together, some cooked farro or spelt berries would be excellent in this salad, as the restaurant did, not I this time
- grill the salmon
- dress the greens with vinaigrette + a couple spoons of the salsa
- plating: mound the dressed greens, top with a sliced half avocado, add fish fillet, top with strawberry rhubarb salsa
Hope you enjoy!
