Smoked Salmon and Avocado Caesar Salad
By: Layla Pujol
Posted on: July 21, 2014
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I made a couple of summer salads for this month’s post. The second salad is a smoked salmon and avocado Caesar salad with garlic waffle croutons. The smoked salmon and avocado Caesar salad is very easy to prepare and can also be customized based on your preferences. You can omit the smoked salmon or use leftover grilled fish; you could also use soft boiled eggs or grilled shrimp/chicken. The dressing is made with plain Greek style yogurt – instead of mayonnaise. I did add a couple of anchovy fillets to the dressing, but feel free to omit them if you’re not fan, or try just one small fillet – the flavor will be very subtle. My kids, like most kids, don’t like anchovies, and actually didn’t even notice that I used them in the dressing. Salads are perfect for summer, the dressings and vegetable/fruit prepping can be done ahead of time, making it easy and quick to assemble right before serving.
Ingredients
Dressing:, 4 ounces of plain yogurt, 3 or 4 garlic cloves, crushed, 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan, 2 teaspoons of mustard, ½ cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1-2 anchovy fillet, Salt and pepper to taste, Garlic waffle croutons:, 4 Van’s Waffles, 2 tablespoons of butter, softened, 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed, Caesar salad:, 8 ounces of romaine lettuce (about 2 heads) – washed, dried, and cut into small pieces, 4 ounces of smoked salmon, cut into small to medium size pieces, 1 large avocado - pitted, peeled and cut into slices, ¼ cup of shredded parmesan, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley,INSTRUCTIONS
Dressing
Combine all the ingredients in a small food processor and mix until you have a smooth sauce and the olive oil is well incorporated. Taste and adjust as desired. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
Croutons
Toast the waffles as you would regularly, using the lightest setting option
Mix the butter with the garlic.
Spread the butter onto the lightly toasted waffles and cut them into small pieces.
Place the waffle pieces on a baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet under a hot oven broiler for about 4-5 minutes, then turn them over and broil for another 2-3 minutes, or until nice and crispy. Exact times will vary based on each oven, keep an eye on the waffle croutons while they’re under the broiler.
Salad:
Toss the romaine lettuce pieces with the salad dressing and 1 tablespoon of the grated parmesan.
Add the smoked salmon and avocado slices.
Top with the croutons and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and remaining parmesan.
Serve immediately.