Feta, salmon and fennel summer salad
This salmon salad makes a fantastic light meal for a hot summer’s night as it is packed with flavour but easy to prepare.
Ingredients
For the fennel salad
- 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 star anise
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 small leeks, trimmed
- 3 small baby fennel bulbs, trimmed
- 1 green and 1 yellow courgette, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 100g/3½oz fresh peas, briefly blanched
- ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
For the salmon
- 300g/10½oz good-quality salmon
- 1 slice stale bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes
- salt and white pepper
For the feta dressing
- 200g/7oz feta
- 1–2 tbsp soured cream
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the fennel salad, heat the oil, fennel seeds, star anise, wine and lemon slices in a large saucepan and add the small leeks, baby fennel bulbs and courgettes. Cover and braise for around 25 minutes until softened. Set aside to keep warm. Place 4 tablespoons of braising liquid in a bowl and add the vinegar and honey and mix together.
Meanwhile, to make the salmon, season the salmon with salt and white pepper. Add a tablespoon of oil to a hot frying pan, then fry the salmon until just cooked through. Remove the salmon from the pan, add another tablespoon of oil, if needed, and fry the bread cubes until golden-brown and crisp. Season the croûtons with salt and pepper and set aside with the salmon.
To make the feta dressing, blitz 150g/5½oz feta with the soured cream, mayonnaise and white wine vinegar to make a smooth dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the feta dressing onto a serving plate. Remove the cooked vegetables from the cooking liquid and tumble over the feta dressing. Scatter over the peas and raw sliced fennel, flake over the salmon and drizzle with the honey dressing. Crumble over the remaining feta and croûtons and serve.