What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen

Memorial Day weekend is supposed to mark the beginning of summer. In Fallon, though, that has always felt more aspirational than guaranteed. I still remember our first Memorial Day after moving here. We drove out to Lake Lahontan and watched snow fall over the water. That is part of living in northern Nevada. The calendar says one thing; the weather says another. Spring arrives on its own terms.

This year, however, felt different.

The long weekend brought the kind of weather that makes you want to throw open the windows and stay outside until the light disappears. The evenings were soft. Gardens are beginning to wake up. Even with a cooling trend back on the radar, it feels like we are standing at the edge of an early spring harvest.

There is a particular kind of optimism that comes with late spring in Fallon. Summer has not yet become punishing. The air still cools off at night. The desert has not baked itself flat and dusty. Everything feels possible for a few fleeting weeks.

That mood followed me into the kitchen this weekend while making a salmon salad loaded with herbs and crisp vegetables. Before the salmon even hit the smoker, the cutting board already smelled like spring. Mint, cilantro, and basil piled up in fragrant green drifts while sliced radishes and cucumbers brought their cool crunch to the bowl. The dressing delivered the bright, sharp punch that makes this kind of warm-weather food feel alive. Lime, fish sauce, and extra chiles cut through the richness with heat and acid. The flavor arrived in layers: salty, sweet, herbal, and spicy. It woke everything up.

Then there was the salmon itself, cooked just enough to turn buttery and tender while still holding its shape. Warm against the cold vegetables and herbs, it became the center of the whole thing without weighing it down.

Good seasonal food does that. It reminds us to pay attention.

Around here, Memorial Day often becomes a pivot point. Gardens get planted. Patio furniture comes back out. People start wandering farther into the evenings. The community stretches after winter and begins gathering itself for the busy months ahead.

So this week, get outside if you can. Pull a few weeds. Plant something. Open the windows. Cook something bright and fresh. Call a friend and eat dinner on the patio before the heat settles in for good. Tend your garden, literally or figuratively. This is the season for it.

Grilled (or smoked) Salmon Salad with Lime, Chiles, and Herbs

Adapted from Melissa Clark @ NY Times Cooking

INGREDIENTS:

2 limes
2 Serrano peppers (or 4 if you’re like me), thinly sliced, seeds removed if you prefer
2 T red onion, thinly sliced
2 T fish sauce
Kosher salt
Pinch of granulated sugar
¼ c extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 ½ # salmon fillet, preferably 1 large piece
4 c salad greens (I used baby red butter lettuce)
2 c mixed soft herbs (cilantro, basil, and mint), leaves and tender stems
½ c radishes, thinly sliced
½ c cucumber, cut into small chunks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Light the grill for indirect heat. Alternatively, fire up that smoker and set to 325 degrees.
2. As the grill or smoker does its thing, make the dressing: halve 1 lime and squeeze juice into a small bowl. Add the chile slices, half of the red onion (save the rest for the salad), the fish sauce, and a pinch each of salt and sugar. Let sit for 1 minute to dissolve, then whisk in the olive oil. It won’t emulsify, so mix again before using.
3. Brush the salmon with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over the indirect (unlit) side of the grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is and how thick the salmon is. If using a smoker, there’s no need to flip the fish and it took me about 15 minutes at 325 degrees. Check the salmon often — the goal is fish that is just finished.
4. As the salmon cooks, halve the other lime. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and throw cut-side down on the grill with the fish.
5. When the salmon is finished, transfer it to a plate and spoon some dressing over it. Let it cool slightly, then break up the fish into large chunks.
6. Place greens, remaining red onion, herbs, radishes, and cucumbers in a large shallow bowl or on a platter. Dress with some more of the dressing. Squeeze some of the juice from the charred lime over it and drizzle with a little olive oil. Toss and taste, adding lime juice, olive oil, or salt as needed.
7. Top with the salmon chunks, drizzle with the remaining dressing, and try not to scarf it all down in one go!