Salmon salad with a creamy basil dressing
A love letter to summer salads, + the aioli I can't stop making
When it’s hot outside and I don’t know what to cook, nine times out of ten I’m going to make some kind of salad. Sometimes it’s light and leafy, other times it’s hearty with grains or pasta, but it’s always satisfying and always delicious.
What I love about salads is how endlessly riffable they are. I’ve already spoken about how I view most recipes as suggestions, and I think this is especially true with salads. They are basically just blank canvases, ready to be bulked up with your favorite things, the odds and ends in your refrigerator, that random tin of fish or beans or preserved what-have-yous in your pantry, and dressed with a yummy sauce. Then you mix and it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Another great thing about salads is they’re easy to make ahead of time. Many benefit from a little nap in the fridge where their various parts can mix and mingle, and the ones that don’t can easily be half-assembled ahead of time and finished right before eating.
Today’s recipe, a salmon salad with a creamy basil dressing, falls into the second category. It’s got a delicious dressing (the base of which you will use far beyond this recipe), crunchy veggies, thick salmon filets, and a sprinkling of yummy toasted breadcrumbs. In other words, it has it all.
Salmon Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing
Dressing can make or break a salad. This one requires a bit of effort upfront in the form of making an aioli, but will reward you with a flavor-packed dip that makes it infinitely easier to whip up delicious salads, sandwiches, and veggies for days to come. The recipe was inspired by my friend Annie Lucey, who is always creating the most vibrant and enticing foods, and her basil mayo-slathered BLT that everyone has been making. (If you don’t follow her, check out her Instagram and website immediately.)
If you’re intimidated by the idea of making your own aioli, I understand. I have broken as many mayos as I have successfully made, and it is frustrating, to say the least. My advice is to try it anyway! Homemade olive oil mayo is far superior to anything you’ll get at the store, and the whole process takes ten minutes.
When you make it, always add your oil SLOWLY – way slower than you would like – and use room-temperature eggs. I have also found that a two-to-one ratio of egg yolks to cups of olive oil works best for me, though many recipes call for only one egg yolk per cup of oil. I am usually an eyeballer, but I always break out the measuring spoons and cups for this.
Basil and Garlic Aioli
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped (or sub any other tender herbs you love!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
Add all the ingredients except olive oil to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly combined and, with the speed on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Alternatively, you can use this same method with an immersion blender. Add all the ingredients except the oil to a tall cup or jar, blend, then slowly drizzle in the oil.
This keeps well for about a week in the fridge. It’s delicious on sandwiches, as a dip for crudités or protein, or mixed with tuna, hard-boiled eggs, or chicken to make a quick salad.
Salmon Salad
Now that your aioli is ready, it’s salad time. I’ve included the ingredients that I used, but have fun here – add your favorite leafy greens, throw in whatever veggies you have lying around that you love or want to use up, switch up the salmon for chicken or steak or omit the protein altogether and throw in a can of beans.
2 salmon filets
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup olive oil
½ clamshell of baby butter lettuce
½ clamshell of arugula
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
Garlic and Basil Aioli
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Heat a couple of tablespoons in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add your salmon filets. Cook for a few minutes per side until browned and cooked to your liking (I like mine just shy of well done).
In a separate smaller frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add the breadcrumbs. Toast, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden brown.
Toss your lettuce and veggies into a bowl. Add in a big spoonful of your aioli and drizzle with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, plus some salt and pepper. Mix, adding more vinegar if needed to loosen it up until you’ve reached your ideal dressing consistency. Divide between two bowls, sprinkle generously with breadcrumbs, and top with salmon filets. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!