Award-Winning Oak Smoked Irish Organic Salmon
A loose take on a niçoise, with smoked salmon instead of tuna and avocado for richness. The smoke does for the salad what good cured tuna usually does: it makes everything else taste sharper by contrast. Build it on a platter at the table and let people help themselves. It’s a lunch you can eat off your knees in the garden, or plate up properly with a glass of cold rosé and pretend you’re in Provence.
Soft-boil the eggs for 7 minutes. Plunge into cold water, peel, halve. Set aside.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Blanch the green beans for 3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain and run under cold water.
Make the dressing. Crush 2 of the anchovy fillets to a paste in a small bowl. Whisk in the shallot, mustard, red wine vinegar, then the olive oil in a steady stream. Season with pepper. Don't add salt, the anchovies bring it.
Lay the baby gem leaves across a wide platter. Arrange the avocado, eggs, green beans, tomatoes, and olives in loose piles. Drape the smoked salmon between them.
Drape the remaining 2 anchovy fillets across the salad.
Scatter the parsley. Drizzle the dressing across everything at the table, just before serving.
