smoked salmon – part 2

This is the recipe using smoked salmon that I told you about a couple of days ago, the one I found in an old Gourmet Magazine and wanted to try for my smoked salmon-loving husband.  It is a winner!!! Perfect for picnics, tailgating, or lunch brown-bagging.

If you made the Brussels sprout salad from yesterday’s post, then you have extra mustard vinaigrette leftover… use 1/4 cup of that and just stir in the shallot listed here… then skip making the vinaigrette in this recipe, and you are ready to rock and roll.

Picnic Salad in a Jar

Inspired by a recipe from Gourmet Magazine 2008

1/2 pound haricots verts, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 hard-boiled large eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
1 large celery rib, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 pound sliced smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
5 cups baby spinach leaves

4 (16-ounce) wide mouth jars with lids

Blanch beans in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.

Lift beans out with a slotted spoon or spider and drop them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and cool. Drain on paper towels.

In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, shallot, vinegar, oil, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add green beans to the bowl and toss to coat.

Stir together chopped eggs, mayonnaise, Sriracha sauce, celery, chives, lemon zest, and juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Divided the egg salad among the four jars. Layer the salmon, green beans, and then the spinach on top. Screw on the lids and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Assembled jars can be chilled for up to 36 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, invert the jar over a dinner plate and gently dump ingredients onto the plate. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4