This is the time of year that you want simple, fresh suppers that are leisurely served on the veranda or back deck.
Picture a pitcher of frosty strawberry lemonade, a vase filled with flowers plucked from your garden, and a basket of cornbread swimming in honey butter.
The scene is set!
…and so is the supper.
This one features corn on the cob.
First, I grill it and blend it with sweet baby tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions.Then it’s tossed with a lemon balsamic vinaigrette. Shaved Parmesan cheese tops off this simple summer salad.
The second dish begins with salmon (I had some leftover) that turns into delicious salmon cakes. Corn kernels in the cakes, cornbread crumbs both for binding and for dredging and corn-spike tartar sauce take these cakes way, way over the top!
This easy summer supper is so good that even if your veranda is invaded by mosquitos or the flowers in your garden have wilted, or you feel the need to spike your lemonade, summertime will shine through!
Enjoy!
Grilled Corn Salad With Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
This simple salad comes together in minutes and is a perfect outdoor supper side dish.
For salad:
6 fresh ears of corn
1 English cucumbers, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 bunch green onions, diced, about ½ cup
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
For vinaigrette:
1 bunch basil leaves, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
Juice of 1 lemon, about ¼ cup
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved, about ½ cup
Serves: A crowd
Time: 20 minutes
Remove the husks from the corn and grill over medium heat, turning often, until the kernels are golden brown. Cool to room temperature. Cut the kernels from the cobs into a bowl. Add the cucumber, green onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Place the basil leaves into a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Add the mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle some of the dressing over the corn salad. Toss to just coat the veggies. You want just a bit of dressing; you don’t want it to be soggy. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Salmon and Corn Cakes With Fresh Corn Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
Adding fresh corn to the cakes and dredging in fresh cornbread crumbs adds a true Southern twist to this everyday staple. And then….. we put corn in the sauce. Now that’s FUN!
For salmon cakes
2 cups cooked salmon, flaked
2 garlic scapes, chopped, about 2 tablespoons (you can substitute with 2 garlic cloves, minced)
¼ medium red onion, peeled and finely diced, about 2 tablespoons
½ yellow bell pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup cooked corn kernels (you can use grilled corn)
2 cups fresh cornbread crumbs, divided
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Olive oil for sautéing
For creamed corn tartar sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
3 tablespoons, cooked corn kernels, chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Yield: 18 bite size cakes and about 6 large cakes
Time: 45 minute cuisine
Place the salmon into a bowl. Add the garlic, 2 tablespoons diced red onion, yellow pepper, 2 tablespoons each of dill and parsley. Add the corn kernels and ½ cup of the cornbread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¼ cup mayonnaise, egg, and mustard. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl and toss everything together.
Place the remaining corn breadcrumbs into a shallow plate. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of the salmon mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For bite-size cakes, use a 1-inch scoop. For main course cakes, use a 3-inch scoop. Flatten the balls into patties. Dredge each on in the corn breadcrumbs and return to the baking sheet. Place the cakes into the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
For the tartar sauce, stir together ½ cup mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, chopped corn kernels, 2 tablespoons red onion and 1 tablespoon dill. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a skillet. You want enough oil in the skillet to just coat the bottom of the pan. Remove the cakes from the freezer and carefully place into the hot oil. Cook until the bottom of the cake is golden brown. Use a spatula to turn the cakes and cook until golden on the other side. The amount of time will differ depending on the size of the cake. It will only be a few minutes for bite-size cakes and about 5 to 7 minutes total for larger cakes.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of the sauce. Garnish with fresh dill.
Make-Ahead Tip:
You can make these ahead and freeze them until you are ready. Bring them to room temperature before you cook them.
Overboard Tip:
This recipe calls for leftover salmon. However, you can bake salmon in just a few minutes in the oven and then cool to room temperature. I sprinkle the salmon with lemon juice and olive oils and then coat in a rub of 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon each of chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper and bake at 400°for 20 minutes for every 1-inch of thickness.
Tucked into the countryside of KeriKeri, in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, is a local farmstead with herb and vegetable gardens, and state-of-the-art kitchen (pictured above). The transplanted Canadian owners of the homestead offer cooking classes from local Chef, Grant Allen. Allen’s philosophy on Kiwi cooking is that it’s similar to New Zealand cooking and based on our English, Scottish and Irish traditions.
“Our ‘culinary culture’ reflects our colonial history; as we travel, we become more aware of our Pacific and Asian neighbors, and their ingredients and cooking methods; like, New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Maori.” said Chef Allen.
Grant also believes that Kiwi cuisine is evolving. It has its origins in the food of their “European Grannies” and Maori cultures, while it is absorbing the influences of Pacific and Asian cuisine. To demonstrate these tastes and flavors, Grant offered an expansive menu that included a multi-coarse luncheon meal.
It started with the local delicacy of white fish bait fritters, a delicate crepe made up of whipped egg whites and whole, baby, salty white fish. He added Iki Mata, a ceviche of snapper cooked in citrus, with finely diced veggies and herbs.
Another starter, showcased beetroot chips stacked with crème fraiche and smoked salmon. Mussels, one of New Zealand’s most prized crops, were topped with coconut cream, ginger and diced chili, then broiled and served warm.
The main course featured a whole leg of lamb, simply prepared on an outdoor grill served with an herb-fresh salsa verde alongside buttery, garlic hasselback potatoes and a most delicious salad of fresh lettuces and herbs plucked from the garden, with crisp corn, avocado, pear and orange segments.
A secret ingredient to Grant’s salad were baby, sweet tomatoes that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar and honey, which later turned into the salad dressing. Dessert was made by a local cookbook author who whipped up a stone-fruit crumble which perfectly finished the meal.
As cooking classes go, this one was not only informative, but ABSOLUTELY DELISH!!!!! The meal was totally indicative of the food we explored in New Zealand. I come away with two words that for me, define the experience… fresh and simple.
Check out Grant Allen’s cooking tips on Facebook @grantcooks. What you see below is, in his own words, The Making of a Good Salad:
Remember these principles when composing:
Use what is fresh and in season – be inspired by what you find at the market.
Contrast colors and textures
Contrast shapes and size You need “Crunch”
Build your ingredients to create a vibrant picture .
Dress with flavors that compliment or contrast with your ingredients.
Classically a vinaigrette has a 2/3 oil and 1/3 acid ratio but it’s over to you – use different kinds of oils , vinegars, citrus juices, pomegranate juice, verjuice, honey, mustards.
Season very well – remember your dressing is being carried by a lot of unseasoned ingredients.
Wash and spin your greens, wet leaves will wilt when dressed.
Dress just before serving.
A BOUNTIFUL SUMMER SALAD
Cos lettuce leaves
Ice burg lettuce leaves
Watercress
Blanched corn kernels
Fine sliced red , white or spring onions ( scallions )
Fine diced or ribboned cucumber
Fine diced or sliced peppers
Orange segments – save the juice for the dressing
Pomegranate seeds – save the juice for the dressing
Baby tomatoes – marinate in balsamic and liquid honey – save the marinade for the dressing
Nash Pear – slice finely with the skin on and dress with a little lemon juice to stop browning
Avocado – split, remove the stone a slice, leave the skin on if you wish, this stops the avocado getting mashed.
Mix together the citrus juice etc and blend in avocado oil to your taste, season well with S+P
Is it summer yet? With Memorial Day right around the corner, and a heat wave oppressing the south, it sure does feel like it. My very own version of a favorite French salad is easily put together, and works with just about any fresh veggies and tuna/salmon you have on hand. It’s perfect for when you have graduation ceremonies, recitals and tee-ball playoff games to attend, yet need a refreshing entrée salad to whip up and fortify you before going into Mom mode.
This simple yet sophisticated salad is made up of tomatoes, olives, anchovies (my favorite) and hard boiled eggs. In this particular version of Nicoise, I left off the olives, and to my sweet surprise it still tasted like a classic Nicoise. The great thing about this quintessential summer salad is not needing everything you think you do to make it great – everything works! Let your creative license run wild!
On many American menus, you can find a version of a Nicoise salad that includes tuna, crisp-tender haricot verts and par-cooked potatoes.
Mine, of course gives a nod to the original French dish, and whole lotta latitude with this creative adaption. Let me know how you tweaked yours, and I just might show up for dinner!
Jorj’s Nicoise Salad Serves 4 30 minute cuisine
For the salmon:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the vinaigrette
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of a lemon, about two tablespoons
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
For the baby potatoes:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
1 (2–pound) whole salmon fillet
1 pound seared tuna
1 (7-ounce) tin flat fillets of anchovies, packed in oil
¾ pound green beans, trimmed
1 pound Baby potatoes, boiled and peeled
Juice of a lemon, about two tablespoons
½ pound fresh Brussels sprouts, about 12, trimmed, about 2 cups
5 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Boil the baby potatoes until the tines of a fork can penetrate easily, about 10 minutes. Toss the potatoes with olive oil, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Cool these to room temperature. Blanch the green beans and Brussels sprouts in boiling water, throwing them into an ice-water bath to cool down; then toss in the lemon juice.
Make a salmon rub from brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, onion and garlic powders. Smush the powders onto a whole filet of salmon, drizzled with olive oil and roasted in a 375°oven until still very moist on the inside, about 20 minutes.
Add the seared tuna, anchovies, hardboiled eggs and grape tomatoes.
Make a vinaigrette from chopped shallot, mustard, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You can store the dressing in any container that you like, and add to the salad per your own taste. I like to drizzle my salad with vinaigrette right before I eat it.
Lay everything onto a platter and chill for at least an hour (and as long as all day).
Another starter, showcased beetroot chips stacked with crème fraiche and smoked salmon. Mussels, one of New Zealand’s most prized crops, were topped with coconut cream, ginger and diced chili, then broiled and served warm.
A secret ingredient to Grant’s salad were baby, sweet tomatoes that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar and honey, which later turned into the salad dressing. Dessert was made by a local cookbook author who whipped up a stone-fruit crumble which perfectly finished the meal.
