Summer Seafood and Greens Salad
Serves 4

We in the northwest really do have a remarkable seafood bounty available to us year round. And being the optimist that I am, I just know that any moment now the clouds will part for longer than three consecutive days and summer sunshine will break through, warming the land enough to produce crisp greens and juicy fruits.

When it happens, and it will, we can put aside those rich, comforting winter foods and feast on fabulous seafood salads with piquant dressings and crunchy greens.

If you’re too desperate to wait for Nature to cooperate, do what I did last week and jump the gun by getting fresh Alaskan halibut, and lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and peppers from sunny California.

Why halibut? Because to me it is more about texture than flavor, and the flavors of the vegetables, herbs, citrus and lemon, balanced with tender flakes of fish are what make this salad such a delicious and refreshing summer meal.

This is a salad in two parts, crisp, tender greens and fresh lemon vinaigrette surrounding a poached fish, vegetable mixture lightly bound with homemade mayonnaise.
Add fresh, preferably warm crusty artisan bread with a little olive oil and you’ll have a memorable summer meal.

Hints

1. Ling or True Cod, red snapper, grouper, Mahi Mahi or other sturdy but not dense (swordfish, Ono) white fish can be substituted for halibut. You want it to be flakey and low on the flavor marker.
2. Do not overcook (over poach?) the fish. It should be cooked just to the point of opaqueness, and removed from the heat immediately.
3. The ingredient list may look long, but the variety of vegetables is what makes it feel so summery.

Ingredients

For Poached Fish:
1 ½ # fresh halibut, skinned with all bones removed
1 juicy lime, quartered, seeds removed
1 clove fresh garlic, skinned and cut into quarters
1 small red onion, peeled. Coarsely chop one half and mince the other half to use in the fish salad
1 cup water
½ cup white wine

For Fish Salad:
2 medium size perfectly ripe red tomatoes, diced
¾ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped, plus 4 stems with leaves for garnish
3-4” section of English cucumber sliced into ¼” discs and then cut into wedge shapes
½ yellow bell pepper, seeds removed, pith and flesh cut away, then julienne cut into ¾ “ slices
¼ cup capers, drained
Juice from 2 fresh limes
½ – ¾ cup homemade mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. dehydrated red pepper flakes or original flavor Tabasco or Chinese Chili Paste (without garlic)

For Green Salad:
Mixed Green lettuces, washed, broken into bite size pieces and dried
5 or 6 fresh mint leaves, washed, dried and torn into 6ths
Juice of ½ fresh lemon (about 3 tbs.)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Cut fish so that it fits easily into a 12” skillet. Squeeze lime sections over fish and put skins into the pan. Add garlic, onion, water and wine.
2. Cover pan and heat to steady simmer. Poach until fish is just opaque in the center, reducing heat if the juice starts to spill over. When fish is done, transfer with a slotted spoon or spatula to a plate and cool. When it is at room temperature, cover and refrigerate to chill. This process can be done several hours before serving. Cooked fish firms significantly when refrigerated so it must be removed from the refrigerator to warm up enough to soften (but still chilled, not to room temperature) before making it into its salad form.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine prepped tomato, minced red onion, parsley, cucumber, bell pepper and capers. Sprinkle with half of the lime juice and salt, and then toss gently to mix.
   

   A Colorful Reminder of the Summer Garden

4. With a fork, break the cooked fish pieces apart into bite size flakes, checking again for and removing small bone pieces that may have been overlooked.
   

   Pulling the poached fish apart with a fork creates flaky pieces in the finished salad.

   Using the fork, mix fish with vegetables. Add mayonnaise, remaining lime juice and red pepper flakes, and toss gently without breaking up the fish, until mayonnaise is distributed throughout the salad. Set aside.



A little homemade mayonnaise blends the fish and vegetable flavors.

5. Put greens and mint into a large, shallow mixing bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice, drizzle olive oil over the greens and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss all ingredients to combine.
6. To Serve: Divide tossed greens among 4 chilled plates. Spread greens out from the center, making holes in the centers of each plate. Put fish salad in the centers of the plates dividing it equally among them. Garnish each center salad with a stem of fresh parsley and serve with a basket of warm, crusty artisan bread and olive oil in dipping bowls.