Oregon Transplant: Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad

- with poached egg

Last week, the hubby and I were picking up a few items at our big box warehouse. Just our usual fare- coffee creamer, huge jars of dill pickles (if the hubby eats any more dill pickles, I swear, he will become a dill pickle), tortillas, cheese, etc. The normal stuff. Anyways, we were smack in the middle of mundane, moving our way through the seafood, when I saw smoked salmon on a sale for a reasonable price. I consider $10 a reasonable price for a filet of smoked salmon, whereas it's normally around $20. I've only got 10 gazillion recipes stuffed in my back pocket for smoked salmon, so I grabbed up that fishy fare as fast as I could. And now, I'm wishing I'd picked up more!

I love smoked salmon. One of my most favorite ways to eat it is on a toasted bagel with cream cheese, and garnished with some diced red onion and capers. Hands down, one of my favorite breakfasts. Indeed, I had this bagel breakfast 3 out of 7 mornings the hubby and I were in Mexico. That would be the mornings where I wasn't hungover.

I mean, smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, and capers? On a nauseous, I-had-10-more-margaritas-than-I-should-have kind of morning?

I don't think so.

Hangovers aside, smoked salmon is an excellent choice for way more than breakfast. It comes pre-cooked, so it's an excellent timesaver for busy weeknights. You can put it in salads, soups, sandwiches, pastas- really just whatever you like salmon in. It's versatile and delicious. I've got a vision in my head of Smoked Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo. Which is why I should have picked up another smoked salmon filet. Argh!

When I suggested to the hubby that we put smoked salmon on my homemade Caesar salad, his eyes lit up. That could be because it's been years (seems like years!) since I've made homemade Caesar salad. Not only is the dressing homemade, but so are the croutons. The croutons might be the hubby's favorite part. Don't let homemade croutons turn you off, they literally take minutes to make. Simply cut some stale bread into cubes, toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, then shove them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. The broiler will toast off the bread cubes, rendering them crispy and crunchy. Like real croutons. It also might be that the hubby was so excited for this salad because I suggested putting a poached egg on it.

Doesn't putting a poached egg on anything make it better?

When it's perfectly cooked and gets that ooey-goey, yummy yolk on absolutely everything- yes, yes it does.

Doesn't that make you want to go poach an egg? Like, right this second? Soooooooo good.

Wednesday is looking to be fairly low-key around these parts. We are having the hubby's mom, our niece, and our nephews down to our house for a couple of hours this morning. The kids are fresh off their spring-break trip to Florida, so I'm sure there will be lots of stories to be told. I'm crossing my fingers for a nice sunny day too. In case they want to go outside and burn off some energy :)

Have a great day everyone!

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

Croutons-

1 1/2 cups stale bread, cubed

olive oil, salt, pepper

Dressing-

1/3 cup Greek yogurt, plain

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp red-wine vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp anchovy paste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salad-

2-3 large eggs

3-4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

3 ounces smoked salmon, flaked apart

Directions:

1. Prepare croutons- turn broiler on. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Layer bread cubes in a single layer on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place tray under broiler, broil for 1 minute. Stir bread cubes. Broil for another 1-2 minutes, stirring as needed. Croutons are done when cubes are browned all over. Remove from heat, set aside.

2. Prepare dressing- in a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt through black pepper. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. Prepare the eggs- bring a pot of water to a steady boil. When simmering consistently, crack one egg into a small bowl. Stirring water in a circular motion, drop egg into water, using circular motion to wrap egg white around egg yolk. Be gentle, the egg white doesn't have to be perfectly wrapped. Repeat with remaining egg(s). Boil gently for exactly 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove egg from water and place on a paper-towel to drain. Set aside.

4. Prepare the salad- in a large bowl, combine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing. Toss to combine. Distribute lettuce between plates. Top with a poached egg and flaked salmon. Serve immediately.

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