Dijon Mustard and Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette on a Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad with Salmon
Description
When coupled with a piece of Salmon, this is an amazing entrée course salad. Or, it can be used as a side salad. We are so blessed to grow so many different types of fruits and vegetables at our home in the Santa Rosa Valley. This salad has some added meaning to us because we have included a number of items in it from our garden: the pink grapefruit, the garlic cloves, the kale, the avocado, and the red onion.
At a Glance
Equipment
No special culinary equipment is required to prepare this wonderful salad or main course.
Ingredients
For the Dijon Mustard and Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette:
½ cup of freshly squeezed Pink Grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon of Pink Grapefruit zest
1½ teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon of Honey
½ teaspoon of Tajin, or other Chili Lime Seasoning
½ teaspoon of ground Pink Peppercorns (or, substitute white pepper, if you do not have pink peppercorns)
Dash of Cayenne Pepper (to your taste preference)
1 clove of Garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons Safflower Oil
Salt to taste
For the Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad:
1-½ cups of fresh Baby Spinach, torn into about 1 to 1-½ inch sized pieces
½ cup of Kale, torn into 1 to 1-½ size pieces
2 tablespoons of Red Onion, finely chopped
One small Pink Grapefruit, segmented
One Avocado, sliced
4 slices of Bacon, Baked in the Oven, cooked and coarsely chopped, but retain the bacon drippings (for the recipe, click here)
1/3 cup of Goat Cheese, crumbles
1/3 cup of Croutons (for the recipe, click here)
For the Salmon to top the Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad:
One 4-6 ounce slice of Salmon per person – skin on
Salt and pepper to taste
Left-over Bacon Drippings from the Bacon cooked for the salad (about a tablespoon for each piece of salmon)
A little of the Dijon Mustard and Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette to top the salmon
Directions
To Prepare the Dijon Mustard and Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette:
With the exception of the oil, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together. Slowly drizzle in the oil, and continue to whisk it all together. Pour the dressing into a jar or salad dressing container, and place it in the refrigerator.
To Prepare the Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad:
Mix the spinach, kale, and red onion in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator. Make the bacon, croutons and salad dressing – refer to those separate recipes in the ingredients’ list. Make sure the bacon has cooled. About 20 minutes prior to serving, add the bacon and the goat cheese to the salad and toss it together. Just before serving, lay the grapefruit sements and avocado decoratively around the bowl. Add the croutons, then add some of the dressing to your taste.
Serving Suggestion: Adding salmon (or some other protein) will transform this into a wonderful entrée salad.
To Prepare the Salmon to top the Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad:
Use a cast iron pan and add the bacon drippings (the quantity of drippings will depend on the number of pieces of salmon; for example if you are cooking two pieces of salmon, add 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings). Heat the pan with the drippings in it on medium-high heat, so that it is hot before you put the salmon in it; this should take only a few minutes. Carefully monitor the drippings in the pan; they should be hot but be careful to ensure it doesn’t burn or worse, start a fire. Once the pan and the drippings are hot, add some salt and pepper to the salmon and then add the salmon pieces to the pan – skin side down. Cook the salmon on a medium-high heat to get the skin nice and crispy but without burning or over cooking the salmon. Cover the pan to keep the drippings and salmon from “spitting” out of the pan. The length of cooking will depend on the thickness of the salmon. Use a spatula about half-way through the cooking time to lift the salmon in order to make sure that it doesn’t stick, then cover it again until it is done. Check the salmon after about 4 or 5 minutes. Cook the salmon to your taste; we prefer our salmon “medium rare”. Once the salmon is done to your taste, move it to a cutting board to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once the salmon is cooled, lay it on top of the Spinach, Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad and drizzle with the Dijon Mustard and Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette.
