summer stunner

 

In a 4 quart saute pan, heat 1 cup water and 1/2 cup dry white wine over medium low heat. Add thinly sliced shallot, sprigs of fresh tarragon, and thin slices of lemon. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to bring liquid down to a simmer, then add the salmon fillets. Cover the pan to poach the fish, making sure the liquid remains at a simmer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, until almost completely opaque. Remove fish from cooking liquid.

In a food processor, puree together ripe avocados with nonfat Greek yogurt, lime juice and ground cumin. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding more lime juice, if needed.

Sugar snap peas are so crunchy and sweet–they’re definitely one of my favorite veggies. But they require a bit of work: it’s important to string them to make sure they’re tender to eat. Just grip stem at the top of each pea and pull string that runs from end to end to remove.

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the peas until just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider or strainer to remove the peas from the pan and shock in an ice water bath to stop cooking.

Return saucepan to the heat, add the ears of corn and cook over medium heat until the water returns to the boil. Once boiling, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let sit for 6 minutes. When done, remove the cobs from the water and let them cool.

Chop the drained sugar snap peas in half on the diagonal and set aside. To remove the corn, stand each cob on its end on a cutting board and slice the kernels off with the blade of a knife. Set aside.

Carefully rinse a fresh bunch of arugula to remove all grit and sand. Spin dry and tear into bite sized pieces.

Wash the cherry or grape tomatoes and slice them in half. Finely chop a large shallot.

In a large salad bowl, compose the salad. Toss in the sugar snap peas, corn kernels, torn arugula leaves, cherry tomatoes and shallot. Add fresh chives and tarragon leaves. 

Dress the salad with olive oil and fresh lime juice, seasoning to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of avocado cream into each plate or shallow bowl. 

Lay a salmon fillet on top of the cream, then serve the salad over the fish, finishing with more fresh chives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Dig in and delight!

Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 4:

Poached Salmon:

1 1/2 pound salmon fillets (6 ounces each), preferably wild
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 to 3 tarragon sprigs
2 to 3 lemon slices

Avocado Cream:

2 ripe avocados, halved
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Summer Veggie Salad:

1 pound sugar snap peas
2 ears of corn
1 large bunch arugula
1 pint ripe cherry or grape tomatoes
1 large shallot
1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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