Composed Salad of Asparagus and Salmon with a Lemon Vinaigrette and Toasted Pine Nuts

 

   
Suggested wine: Champagne; domestic sparkling wine; Austrian grüner veltliner; sauvignon blanc

This main-course salad is a perfect example of how to combine efforts so just about everything is cooked outside. While the grill is preheating, I make the salad dressing and toast the pine nuts. With those ready and set aside, I can focus my attention outside, double-timing the grilling of the salmon and asparagus. As soon as the fish and veggies are done, all that is left to do is arrange the plates and serve. This is a light, simple entrée, absolutely delightful for dining al fresco on a warm summer night.

SERVES 4

Dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

• ½ cup pine nuts
• 4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each), skin on and scaled, pin bones removed, skin dried by wiping with a knife
• Kosher sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 28 thick spears asparagus, tough ends removed
• Vegetable oil for brushing
• ¼ cup 1-inch-long fresh chives

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE SALAD DRESSING: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard, sugar, salt, and lots of pepper. (Several good grinds of pepper make the vinaigrette taste robust.) Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

Heat a dry 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When hot but not smoking, add the pine nuts and toast them, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.

Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and brush all sides with some of the olive oil. Brush the asparagus spears with olive oil.

To grill the salmon and asparagus, brush the grill grate with vegetable oil. Place the salmon, skin side up, directly over the medium-hot fire. (Space the salmon so there is room to add the asparagus.) Cover the grill and cook the salmon on one side until beautiful grill marks are etched across the fillets, about 4 minutes. Turn the salmon skin side down. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the grill grate and cover the grill. Cook the asparagus for 3 minutes on one side, then turn the spears to cook the other side until nicely burnished and crisp-tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 minutes more. Continue cooking the salmon until it is almost opaque throughout, but still very moist, or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers between 125° and 130°F, about 5 minutes more. Remove the salmon and asparagus from the grill.

To arrange the salad, fan 7 spears of asparagus on each of 4 entrée plates. Place a salmon fillet in the center and on top of the asparagus. Divide and scatter the pine nuts over each plate. Give the dressing a last-minute shake and drizzle over the salmon and asparagus, dividing evenly. Garnish with the chives and serve immediately.