Spinach Salad with Blackened Salmon, Oranges, and Red Onion

Suggested wine or beverage: Austrian grüner veltliner; Bloody Mary

A spinach salad, colorfully mixed with red bell pepper, thinly sliced red onion, and segments of navel orange, makes a terrific salad all on its own, but when a fabulous serving of blackened salmon is placed on top, you’ve got a main-course salad worth raving about. This salad is easy enough to serve for a weeknight meal, or at a Sunday brunch. It’s dynamite with a Bloody Mary!

Save yourself some time and buy the packaged, prewashed, and trimmed baby spinach. The greens stay fresh for several days in the refrigerator.

SERVES 4

• 4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each), skin and pin bones removed
• 2 tablespoons Blackening Spice
• 7 cups (about 6 ounces) lightly packed baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded, deribbed, and cut into long, thin slices
• 2 navel oranges, peeled and white pith removed, cut into segments
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

One hour before serving, coat both sides of the salmon fillets with the blackening spice. Set aside at room temperature. Meanwhile, place the spinach, onion, and bell pepper in a large salad bowl. Put the oranges in a small bowl.

In a small jar with a tight -fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Twenty minutes before serving, heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat until a drop of water sprinkled in the pan sizzles and evaporates immediately. Turn your exhaust fan on high. Add the vegetable oil, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and then carefully place the salmon fillets in the pan without crowding. Cook the salmon undisturbed until it blackens on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the heat if the salmon is blackening too quickly. Turn the salmon and cook the other side until blackened and almost opaque throughout, but still very moist, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the salmon to a plate and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

When ready to serve, add the orange segments to the salad bowl, give the dressing a last-minute shake, and pour over the salad. Toss gently. Arrange the salad on 4 dinner plates. Place a salmon fillet in the center, on top of the salad, and serve immediately.

BLACKENING SPICE

This recipe makes more than you’ll need for the above dish, but it is a boon to the cook’s pantry. Use it on other seafood such as red snapper, swordfish, catfish, shrimp, and scallops. This mixture is also good when rubbed into burgers, flank steak, and pork tenderloin. In addition to the blackening method described above, use this rub when grilling.

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine the salt, sugar, pepper, cayenne, paprika, thyme, and oregano in a small bowl. Stir well to blend. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP