A Piece of Cake By Pat O’Keefe This is one of my favorite salads. I do not make it as often as I would like because although I have made it with canned salmon, I prefer the taste when made with freshly roasted salmon and that means a special trip to the fish store. Recently I came across a single portioned frozen salmon in Restaurant Depot that is just perfect for this dish or any other salmon dish. Now I pop two 8-ounce frozen portions into a bowl with warm water they are defrosted in no time and ready to roast. Simply line a baking sheet with foil place the salmon portions on top, season with salt and pepper and a small bit of butter and roast in a 400º oven until the fish flakes easily, around 10-15 minutes. If you make this in advance you will find that you might have to add a bit more vinegar or oil since the salmon will absorb the dressing while refrigerated. My vinegar of choice is white Balsamic but any flavored vinegars will do. A word about the fresh dill, it is a must but can easily be chopped and kept frozen in a baggie for future use. SALMON SALAD 1-pound cooked salmon (broken up) 1-cup diced celery, about 3 stalks 2-Tablespoons small capers 1-minced shallot or small red onion 2-Tablespoons fresh orange juice 2-Tablespoons fresh chopped dill 2-Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (apple cider vinegar is a good substitute) 4-Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste Combine cooked salmon, celery, shallot and capers in a bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients together well and pour over salmon mixture making sure all the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly. Chill or serve at room temperature. Serves 3-4 Recipe easily doubles or triples and can be made a day in advance. I will be happy to send you my weekly recipes via email just contact me at apieceofcake@optonline.net On the Web at www.patokeefe.net Web site has an extensive collection of recipes with more added frequently. Need a past recipe or have a question, I will do my best to help, just email me. ENJOY!
