Spinach and Smoked Salmon Salad with Lemon-Dill Dressing

This refreshingly crunchy salad makes for an excellent light lunch or super-quick dinner.

Total Time: 15 mins
Servings: 4

• This salad combines tender baby spinach, cool cucumber, and smoked salmon for a bright, refreshing dish that comes together in just 15 minutes.
• The lemon-dill dressing offers bright, clean contrast to the richness of the fish without overpowering its delicate flavor.
• Elegant yet effortless, it’s perfect for a quick lunch, light dinner, or starter course.

This sophisticated yet simple salad comes together in just 15 minutes — all in a single bowl. Using baby spinach eliminates the need for chopping; you'll only need to thinly slice the salmon, a single cucumber, four radishes, and two scallions. Whisk together the bright vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper, then toss everything until coated. Done!

Lox vs. smoked salmon

Though it's common to hear lox and smoked salmon referred to interchangeably, the two are not quite the same thing. Originally derived from the Yiddish word for salmon (laks), lox is cured but not smoked. It was developed to preserve salmon and other fish before refrigeration was widely available. Lox is never cooked; instead, it's made by curing a salmon belly fillet in salty brine, traditionally for three months. This technique gives lox its signature salty flavor.

Smoked salmon is similar to lox in that it’s salt-cured, but there are two significant differences: It can come from any part of the fish (not just the belly), and, of course, it’s smoked. Cold-smoked salmon, which is smoked at a temperature of 85°F or lower for about 18 hours, has a raw texture similar to lox or gravlax. Hot-smoked salmon is firmer, flakier, and decidedly smokier, and cooks for roughly eight hours.

Should smoked salmon be eaten cold?

Yes, both cold-smoked and hot-smoked salmon are ready to eat right out of the package, though hot-smoked salmon can also be served warm since it was previously subjected to heat during the smoking process. Once the package is opened, you'll want to store leftovers in the fridge and eat the salmon within about five days.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• Slice the radishes thinly and seed the cucumber before slicing so they retain crunch and balance the softer salmon ribbons.
• Toss the greens and other ingredients gently but thoroughly, ensuring the dressing coats everything without wilting the spinach.
• Serve immediately to preserve the texture of the greens and fish.

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Ingredients

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This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoon chopped dill

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 8 cups baby spinach (7 ounces)

• 6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch ribbons

• 1 medium English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

• 4 radishes, halved and thinly sliced

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice and dill; season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach, smoked salmon, cucumber, radishes, and scallions to the bowl and toss well. Transfer the salad to plates and serve.

Originally appeared: February 2012