Recipes :: Salads :: Seafood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Apricots and Fresh Herbs

Seafood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Apricots and Fresh Herbs

—Courtesy of Deanna Ibbitson, Graduate Student in Human Nutrition, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 1/2 medium lemons)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (to emulsify the oil and lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil (other oils such as canola or flax can be substituted, which are rich in omega-3 essential oils)
1 tsp sugar, honey, or maple syrup (optional)

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor, blender, or whisk by hand. Makes 3/4 cups of dressing.

The Vegetables:

Greens of choice, washed (lettuce, arugula, spinach, mixed baby greens)
Apricots, pitted and chopped into bite-sized pieces (these can be soaked in orange juice ahead of time for extra flavour and to add additional vitamin C)
Fresh herbs (cilantro or basil pair nicely with the lemon and seafood)
Sliced sweet peppers
Sliced cucumbers

The Seafood (any seafood will work, but here are a couple of ideas):

Salmon filets: Place filets skin side down on an oiled baking dish. Top with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil. Bake at 350°F until the flesh is no longer shiny (about 25 minutes depending on the size of the filet)
Poached Prawns: Peel and devein the prawns

How to Devein a Prawn?

If the heads are still on the prawns, remove them by holding the prawn's body with one hand, and twisting the head off with the other. Turn the prawn over and pull the shell open along the length of the belly, working from the head end downwards, and then pull the prawn free (you can leave the tail on if you prefer). Once they are peeled, you will notice a black line running along the back of the prawn. This is the intestinal tract, which if eaten, will taste gritty. Removing this is called "deveining". To do so, simply make a shallow cut along the length of the back with a sharp knife, and remove the intestine with the tip of the knife.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and remove from heat. Place the prawns in the hot water and cook until they turn from bluish-grey to pink (about 2 minutes). Chill. Cooked prawns can be stored in the fridge up to 3 days.

The Final Salad:

Toss the greens with a desired amount of dressing. Add apricots, sliced peppers and cucumbers. Top with chilled prawns, or pair with a warm salmon filet, or seafood of choice. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.

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