Shaved Asparagus Salad with Smoked Salmon and Capers

It’s been a rough winter; eating soups and stews and very heavy, hardy foods trying to keep your body warm and cozy. Don’t get me wrong, I love soup, especially when I am sick; there is nothing better. But there comes a time where you begin to get tired of it. The past few weeks, I think we all have felt the need to break from our cozy little nooks in every aspect of our daily routine; especially during meal time. With the weather getting warmer over the past couple of days, I feel like I am finally able to take a breath of fresh air; to soak in the spring sun and begin enjoying newly sprouted vegetables in my dishes. And so sparked this recipe: With asparagus coming into season brings a very light and crisp spring salad to refresh and re-energize your body. Chock full of minerals from the veggies and subtle but delicious flavors, this salad is everything I crave coming out of the frigid winter months into the warm, lively season of spring. Enjoy as is, or throw a hard boiled egg on top and you have the perfect meal.
What You’ll Need:
- 1/2 bundle asparagus, washed and trimmed
- About 1/3 of a large cucumber, washed
- A few layers of Wild Caught, Alaskan smoked salmon, sliced
- 1 T capers
- About 1/4 red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly
for the dressing:
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
What to Do:
- Using a cheese peeler, or other very sharp peeler, begin shaving the asparagus starting at the base and working towards the tips. Repeat with all the asparagus and add shavings to a medium-small sized bowl.
- Cut off 1/3 of a cucumber. Slice the cucumber, without cutting all the way through, in 1/4 inch sections. Use your peeler to shave off slices of the cucumber and add to your bowl.
- Finely slice the red onion, and add to salad mixture along with 1 tablespoon of capers.
- Take a few layers of your salmon (usually it comes pre-cut in layers) and slice to smaller bite-size pieces, and add to your dish.
- In a separate, smaller bowl, squeeze lemon juice out of the half of lemon. Using a whisker, whisk the lemon juice while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, until mixture becomes creamy. Add salt and pepper and taste.
- Add dressing to salad, and toss to coat. Serve immediately or slightly chilled.
Serves 2