Warm weather around our farm means outdoor eating! I love sitting at our picnic table watching the sun sink lower in the sky with a glass of wine and the goats grazing in the foreground.
As the spring weather warms I crave light and refreshing meals. Bright flavors, crisp veggies and tender salads are some of my favorites. We also eat a lot of fish in the summer. I love how fast a filet of fish cooks on the grill or sautéed in a pan, and I can quickly get back outside without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Something about seafood conjures up images of the beach, clam bakes and days of nautical dreaming.
One of my favorite ways to eat fish, is to cook it simply, and top it with a really flavorful fruit or veggie salad.
This carrot and ginger salad is wonderful as a stand alone side dish or slaw, but also goes wonderfully with salmon, one of the best fish (in my opinion) for sweet accompaniments. The creamy citrus and ginger dressing and the crunchy apples and carrots are a wonderful contrast to the warm flaky fish.
You will need:
2 carrots
1 Granny Smith apple
4 green onions
1 orange segmented
Dressing:
The zest from the segmented orange (above)
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger root
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice from orange
½ tsp salt
Roasted sunflower seeds
With a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots into long ribbons.
Core and chop the apple into match sticks.
Finely dice the green onions.
Zest the orange (set zest aside in a bowl)
then peel and segment the rest cutting the bulk of the fruit away from the tough fibrous parts. Squeeze the remaining juice from the fibrous sections into the same bowl with the zest.
Mix the carrots, apples, onions and oranges in a bowl.
In the other bowl add the grated ginger, mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, and salt to the orange juice and zest. Whisk well.
Toss the veggies with the dressing to coat evenly and top with roasted sunflower seeds.
Use as a side dish, or a topping for your favorite seafood.
For more recipes, gardening and farming ideas visit our blog at Iron Oak Farm
