Salmon and Honeydew Carpaccio
This fresh and delicately textured dish is perfect as an appetizer or a light lunch. The salmon provides a good hit of protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Freezing salmon makes it easier to slice paper-thin.
1/2 lb (225 g) sushi-grade, skinless salmon fillet
2 tsp (10 mL) rice vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh chives
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Pinch of salt (optional)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) salmon roe (optional)
1 cup (250 mL) diced honeydew melon (about a quarter of a melon)
Mixed microgreens or baby arugula, for garnish
Rinse and dry salmon before wrapping in parchment paper and placing in freezer for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in bowl, stir together rice vinegar, lemon zest, and olive oil until homogenous. Stir in chives and green onion. Season with pinch of salt, if desired, and set aside.
Remove salmon from freezer and let thaw about 10 minutes. With sharp knife, cut salmon into very thin slices. Arrange several slices in single layer over four serving plates and spoon a little dressing overtop. Scatter salmon roe, if using, and melon over salmon and drizzle with more dressing. Let sit in refrigerator for 15 minutes before garnishing with microgreens. Serve on its own, or alongside thin toasted slices of pumpernickel or whole grain bread.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 178 calories; 14 g protein; 11 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 5 g total carbohydrates (4 g sugars, 1 g fibre); 129 mg sodium
source: "Melon Madness", alive #370, August 2013
Salmon and Honeydew Carpaccio
Directions
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Tourtière AU Cerf
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
Artichauts en Barigoule
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de Canut
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.