Hopefully by now you have all heard of my other blog ‘The Dinner Party Collective’ which is a collaborative project with 13 other Food and Wine Blogging friends. Every season, we release 2 new menus, giving you recipes, wine pairings, tips for being organised and hopefully a little inspiration to create your own Dinner Parties with friends and family.
Just recently our Fall/Autumn Dinner Party Menu (for the Northern Hemisphere) was released, with the most beautiful autumnal dishes by Seana, Suzanne and Anne. Wine Pairings were expertly partnered to each course by the wonderful Stefano. Please link through above to see all that they created.
For those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring has well and truly sprung and there is a menu currently being released for us too. Link through here to get the full picture of the Spring Menu that Poli, Johnny and myself came up with. Wine pairings were crafted for our spring menu by the lovely Anatoli. As my contribution to this elegant Dinner Party you will find the following light and luscious Smoked Salmon Salad (feel free to link through to the original post). It’s an appetiser to get those taste buds moving and prepare you for the delightful Main Course and Dessert yet to come.
If this is the first you’ve heard of The Dinner Party Collective (TDPC for short), then please do click through on any of the links above and be sure to follow us there, so that we can update you whenever new posts are released. We’d also LOVE it if you would invite some friends/family over and try out our menus for yourselves… and be sure to let us know your thoughts if you do!
Happy Spring, Margot
Smoked Salmon Salad | Gather and Graze
For the Salad:
- 8 Slices of Smoked Salmon (thinly sliced)
- 24 Spears of Asparagus (3 per person)
- 8 Radishes (mixed colours if possible)
- 200g (½lb or 8 Large Handfuls) Rocket (Arugula/Rucola)
- 1 Fresh Lime (cut into 8 wedges)
- Sliced French Baguette or bread of your choice (optional)
For the Dressing (makes about ½ Cup):
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons French Wholegrain Mustard
- 6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To make the Dressing:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and crushed garlic, along with a good pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper. Stir and then set aside for about 10 minutes (this allows the garlic to soften in flavour, in effect being lightly pickled by the vinegar).
Whisk in the mustard and then little by little, whisk in the olive oil, until you have a homogenous dressing.
To assemble the Salad:
Have a large mixing bowl on hand, into which you will place and dress the greens and radishes.
Cut off (and discard) any woody bases of the asparagus spears and then cut off each of the tips. Using a potato peeler, peel long strips from the remaining spears. Place the tips and strips into the bowl.
Wash the radishes and slice off (and discard) the root and stem. Slice each radish finely and add to the bowl.
Add the (washed and dried) rocket leaves and enough dressing to lightly coat all ingredients. I find it best to use hands to ensure that the ingredients are mixed up nicely and well covered in the dressing.
Place a decent-sized portion of the salad into the middle of each serving plate, ensuring that each person has a fairly even amount of asparagus and radish within their serve. Top each salad with a couple of strips of smoked salmon that have been rolled up to form a little flower shape.
Serve with wedges of lime on the side, any left-over dressing and perhaps some slices of crusty bread, for those who wish to partake.
Suggested Wine Pairings (by Anatoli):
- Provençal Rosé – France
- Pinot Gris – New Zealand or Oregon
- Chenin Blanc – South Africa
- Verdicchio or Pecorino – Le Marche, Italy
Gather & Graze 
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Some of the nicest blogs I find by accident – so, I am a new follower now 🙂 🙂 I love that rose on the greens, in my eyes it is a beautiful bunch of flowers! Even more so, since I am totally unable to get any smoked salmon here in South India. Look forward to many more posts of yours. Carina
Such a lovely comment, thank you Carina… and welcome to Gather and Graze! I look forward to coming across and finding out more about your blog and recipes in South India… so very exotic! Cheers, Margot
Margot, This salad is a work of art. I love your photography and how you present this decadent salad. 🙂
Looks so fresh and seaonal! 🙂
Thanks so much Fiona! Looking forward to meeting you next weekend. Cheers, Margot
Gosh, this looks good, Margot, and that rose is beautiful. What a great way to welcome Spring to your table.Wish we could be doing the same. 🙂
So lovely to see you here today John! 🙂 Thanks so much stopping by with this kind comment… and yes, spring is extremely welcome here (always pleased to see the tail end of winter!) though the scientists/meteorologists are predicting a pretty rough summer for us, with high chances of drought, bush fires etc. Will just have to enjoy this beautiful spring weather while it lasts! Hope you’re well my friend and finding time to relax a little with Zia in town.
What beautiful photos!!! 🙂
That’s very kind Mila, cheers!
Simply stunning, Margot!
Thank you dear Francesca! 🙂
Hi there! We have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Details are on our most recent post, but we love to follow your work for inspiration! Cheers!
That’s so very kind of you Elizabeth, thank you! I decided a while back to not take part in any of the awards, due to time restraints, but I’m honoured all the same that you thought to nominate me. Cheers, Margot
Very understandable! Thank you for taking the time to reply!
That’s a beautiful salad, Margot! It has indeed all the fruits of spring. Love how you did up the salmon in a form of a rose. Definitely dinner party worthy. Loving the sound of the simple yet elegant red wine vinegar dressing.
Cheers Jo! Surprising how pretty a strip of rolled up fish can be, isn’t it! 😉 Such a gorgeous, vibrant colour too – perfect for spring.
I just love the salmon rose, a gorgeous salad .
So kind of you Gerlinde – thank you!
Gorgeous photos. Salmon is my husband’s favourite, I think he’d go nuts for this beautiful salad (particularly considering how hot it is, it’s kinda reached WA too!). Loving the glut of asparagus at the moment. Yum!
I can’t seem to get enough of salads at the moment Laura. Makes for a lovely change after all the heavy winter fare! Thanks so much for your kind comments. 🙂
Gorgeous Margot, the salad and the stunning pictures! 🙂
Thank you Linda! M.xx
That salad is not only delicious but a work of art. Beautifully done Margot, I don’t think I can wait for Spring to try it, luckily it is Spring somewhere and produce is available year long.
Aww, that’s very sweet of you to say Suzanne – thank you! This is exactly how I felt about the spring salad you made for TDPC earlier in the year. 🙂
Just the dish for this nuts hot weather we are experiencing, asparagus and salmon? Delicious! Fab photos. 😊
It’s crazy isn’t it cheergerm!? Salad is pretty enticing right now with these 30+deg days! Thanks so much for your kind comments.