FOOD PORN #08: Smoked Salmon - Making a Simple Salad Look Sensational

Hello lovely Steemies!

I don't know about you but I hate the winter, and today has been particularly miserable, wet and grey!

So there's only one thing to do: count down the days until spring, get in that kitchen, make a summery dish and pretend you're outside in the lovely warm sunshine!

This is an easy salad to make. So easy you could do it with your eyes closed...but then again, probably best not to, given it does involve some knife work! Seriously though, this really can be ready in minutes and looks fabulous on the plate, making it an ideal hassle-free starter or light lunch.

And treat the plate like a blank canvas: have your colourful ingredients ready, and with the eye of an artist, you can place a beetroot sliver here, and a dash of dressing there.

For me, the key to a delicious and aesthetically pleasing salad comprises of three things:
FLAVOUR
COLOUR
TEXTURE

I also try to use a minimum of five ingredients so that there's plenty of variety to look at and taste.

Smoked salmon is always an elegant choice, and combined with the sweetness of the beetroot and the tang of the capers, makes a mouth-watering salad.You could also add either toasted pine nuts or walnuts, just for that extra crunch.

Here's what you'll need:
Smoked salmon
Salad leaves (washed)
Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber
Beetroot (ready cooked- not the vinegary kind - the flavour is too strong)
Capers
Hard-boiled egg, quartered
Satsuma/Clementine
Lemon
A mild olive oil
Clear honey

1. Start by placing your tomatoes in an oven dish, drizzling them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and roasting them in an oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.
2. Chop your cucumber, beetroot, lemon and egg into shapes to please your fancy- different shapes will look better on the plate, so be inventive!
3. Cut the satsuma/clementine into peeled segments.
4. Make your dressing: mix one part lemon juice to one part honey and three parts oil, plus a little black pepper.
5. Arrange your salad on the plate. I start with some leaves, then the salmon, and then the rest!
6. Finish by drizzling some of the dressing over (less is more!). I've also sprinkled a little Hawaiian black salt over mine.
7. Perfect with a glass of crisp, white wine! 

See you soon lovely Steemies! XXX