This was the third pairing I served at my collaborative Mothers' Day Happy Hour with The Quail & Olive and Big Sur Vineyards. Lenora poured her Pinot Noir with it. One of my favorite comments from the evening was from a guy who said that he didn't usually eat salmon. His plate was clean and I asked if he had given the salmon chunk to his wife. Nope he ate it...and he wanted to know how I did it.
Thai salads are some of my favorite entrées. With their sweet, savory, and tart dressings, they are a great canvas for the protein of your choosing. I picked salmon for its delicate pink color for Mothers' Day!
Matched with the Big Sur Vineyards' 2022 Pinot Noir, this dry, light-bodied wine has bright acidity and silky tannins that match this salad beautifully. This recipe calls out oils and vinegars from The Quail & Olive; feel free to substitute whatever oil and vinegar that you have.
Ingredients
Salad
Napa cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
green cabbage, purple cabbage, and carrots, shredded
thinly sliced red onions
edible flowers of your choice
Dressing
1 Tablespoon fermented fish sauce
3 Tablespoons Champagne Mimosa vinegar
5 Tablespoons Doctor's Blend olive oil
1 Tablespoon organic honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon Thai chili paste
Salmon
salmon fillets
Doctor's Blend olive oil
Champagne Mimosa vinegar
O M Chi Sea Salt (fron Big Sur Salts, in the Quail & Olive pantry)
Procedure
Dressing
Place all of the ingredients into a lidded jar. Shake to emulsify.
Salad
Place the Napa cabbage, other cabbages, carrots, and red onions in a mixing bowl. Massage the dressing into the veggies and let stand while the salmon cooks. Because these veggies are hardy, you can do this as long as two hours ahead of time.
Salmon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place fillets, or chunks, on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the size or thickness of the slices. For the taster size chunks, I dropped the time to 6 minutes. You want them opaque and cooked through, but not dry!
Assembly
Place the greens on serving plate. Top with roasted salmon. Garnish with flowers.
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