A couple weeks ago we gave the most beautiful heads of summer romaine to our CSA members and I was just giddy about it. The addition of romaine into our August CSA boxes made me feel like a whole new world of recipes had opened up– BLTs, lettuce cups, wedge salads, cobb salads, all the salads. Yum!

I took a head of lettuce home the week before we put lettuce into our boxes to, you know, test it out and make sure it was good. Dinner came together so effortlessly that night with the salmon I had thawing in our fridge and a bunch of summery veggies I had stashed away in produce drawers. The lettuce was in fact quite good and it balanced so well with the things we’d begun to grow tired of after devouring them for four weeks straight.

This salad, so lovely and colorful, feels like some sort of tribute to summer lettuce- a reminder that tomatoes and sweet corn only get better when you add something green. It feels like a reason to keep seeking out new and better heat tolerant varieties. It feels like the most simple of surprises to balance out a hot, dry August.

Anywho, we’ve now nearly made it to the end of the month and more consistent cool nights certainly lie ahead. Lettuce won’t be so much of a surprise. More greens are just around the corner. I hope so many salads like this make their way into your future.

-Leek

SUMMER SALMON COBB SALAD
I don’t like that this recipe asks you to use three pans. I never want to leave you with a ton of dishes after a beautiful meal. For me this recipe came together super easily with just one dirty pan (the one for the salmon) because I hard-boil eggs and batch cook things like corn on Sundays. If you plan on making this salad and want your evening to be simple, I recommend doing the eggs and corn in advance. If you don’t have time to prep them ahead of time, don’t distress, they will be very easy to clean dishes. 

Serves 4
Takes 30 minutes

4 eggs
2 ears sweet corn, husked
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 4-ounce salmon filets
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 head (or 1/2 pound mixed) lettuce, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, cut in half, seeds removed and thinly slices
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced
2 avocados, cut in half and sliced
Tahini Ranch (recipe below)

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with at least an inch of water. Heat the pot on high heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner. Cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, drain and rinse under cold water.
2. In another large pot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add sweet corn and cook for three minutes. Rinse under cold water until cool to the touch and then cut the kernels off the ear with a sharp knife. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, get your salmon cooking! Heat a large heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium low heat.
4. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium high and place the salmon, skin side up in the pan. Cook, without moving, for 4 minutes on one-side. Turn the fish over and cook until it feels firm to the touch and the skin is crisped as desired, about 3 minutes more. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
5. Peel your hard-boiled eggs and gently slice.
6. Divide salad ingredients (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, corn and egg) between four bowls. Add one filet to each salad bowl. Serve with tahini ranch.

Tahini Ranch

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a small bowl (or blender) and whisk (or blend) until very smooth. Add a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.