Smoked Salmon Chopped Salad with Pesto-Buttermilk Dressing
Smoked Salmon, baby arugula, tomatoes, corn, asiago cheese, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), currants, and couscous combine to make a super colorful, flavorful and delicious Chopped Salad!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 438kcal
Ingredients
Pesto Buttermilk Dressing
- 1/4 cup Spinach Basil Pesto can substitute purchased or or Homemade Genovese Pesto
- 1/2 shallot chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise I like to use mayonnaise made with olive oil
- 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
- squeeze of lemon
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Smoked Salmon Chopped Salad
- 1 tablespoon lemon-flavored olive oil can substitute plain olive oil
- 1/2 cup Israeli pearl couscous
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 ounces aged Asiago cheese crumbled
- 1/3 cup toasted pepitas Mexican pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup currants
- 2 cups chopped seeded plum tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped baby arugula
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels see Notes below
- 8 ounces chopped smoked salmon see Notes below
Instructions
Pesto Buttermilk Dressing
- Place the pesto, shallot and mayonnaise in a food processor and blend.
- With the motor running, pour in the buttermilk. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Blend.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
Smoked Salmon Chopped Salad
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the Israeli couscous and cook until lightly browned, around 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook just until the couscous is al dente, around 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain off any excess liquid and set aside to cool.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the cheese, pepitas and currants.
- On 6 shallow bowls or dinner plates (or one large platter), arrange the salad ingredients in rows in the following order – tomatoes, corn, cheese mixture, arugula, couscous and salmon.
- Pass the dressing on the side.
Notes
Note on corn: I like to use fresh, frozen organic that is thawed, or freeze-dried. The latter adds additional crunchy texture to the salad.
Note on salmon: You can use either honey smoked (which is usually a thicker piece) or gravlax-style - it's delicious either way!
Make ahead: dressing and cheese mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead, placed in separate airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator.
Gluten free: Substitute quinoa for the couscous. Use gluten free mayonnaise.
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 943mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1255IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 247mg | Iron: 2mg