A good piece of wild salmon is one of the healthiest foods to build a meal around. Add in a fresh, colourful salad with a light vinaigrette and perhaps a little topping for the salmon and voilà- a well balanced plate loaded with beneficial nutrients. When it comes to eating healthily, a palm sized piece of simply baked fish and a mound of vegetables is pretty near perfect.
This salad features some tart flavour from the granny smith apple, lime and radish. When combined with soft butter lettuce, spinach and pea shoots and tossed in a honey lime vinaigrette it can be very refreshing. 
Watermelon radish is named for its appearance and not its flavour. While it looks very similar to watermelon it has a typical radish flavour- fresh and slightly sharp. Technically it is a variation of daikon radish and it is much more mild than usual radishes. Tossing it in an acid like lime juice helps it to keep its vividness and tones down its flavour, making it blend well into a salad without overpowering the other ingredients.
Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that we can benefit from consuming more. On the inside it ensures that our nervous system will work at its peak of efficiency and on the outside it can keep our skin glowing and our hair and nails strong and thick. Go for wild when possible for the biggest doses of omega-3s.
Crème fraîche is made from heavy cream and buttermilk, it is kind of similar to sour cream though it is less sour and even more creamy. It has a higher fat content so it stays intact even when heated or placed on hot foods and just one spoonful can be enough to get a little along with each bite of salmon. When combined with dill and a bit of lime juice it is kind of like a simple tartar sauce and can easily compliment a fish as flavourful as salmon.
- Salmon
- 1 lb filet wild salmon, pinned
- olive oil (around 1-2 tablespoons)
- sea salt and pepper
- Salad
- 2 cups greens
- 1 cup pea shoots
- 1 watermelon radish, peeled, sliced thinly then quartered
- 1 granny smith apple, halved, cored and then sliced thinly
- 1 lime, juiced (around 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped finely (around 6 leaves)
- 1 green onion stalk, sliced thinly
- Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from around ½ lime)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Flavoured Crème Fraîche
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped finely
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice (from around ¼ lime)
- Optional topping: 4 small sprigs of fresh dill
- Salmon
- Preheat oven to 400°. Lay the salmon, skin side down, on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper then drizzle the olive oil over. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
- Salad
- Have the lime juiced first in the base of a medium sized bowl, then cut the apple and stir the slices around in the bowl with your hand until each piece is coated with the lime juice. Remove the apple then do the same with the radish. There should be enough juice from just one lime to cover all the slices of each and it will keep them crisp and vibrant.
- Dump any remaining lime juice from the coating and add in all the vinaigrette ingredients, except the oil. Stir them together then whisk continuously while pouring the oil in a slow, steady stream. Add all the salad ingredients into the bowl and toss until evenly combined.
- Crème Fraîche
- Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Assembly
- Once the salmon is done, remove from the oven and set aside for a minute or two to cool slightly. When cooled enough to touch, gently lift it up and peel the skin off the bottom and discard it. Serve the salmon family style on a large platter or cut it up into individual portions and plate with the salad. Place a dollop of the crème fraîche on each piece of salmon. Top with a small sprig of dill to finish it off with desired.
