Asparagus and Hot Smoked Salmon Salad

Why I Love Asparagus and Hot Smoked Salmon Salad

Easy. Easy. Easy. Ha. I love easy meals. Who doesn’t?

Using three popular ingredients for brunch – asparagus, salmon and eggs but I’ve added my own twist. The eggs are in the dressing.

Retaining the classic flavours of fresh asparagus and salty hot smoked salmon, the parsley egg dressing elevates the dish with a lemony and herby sauce.

I love the silky texture the soft-boiled eggs create with this dressing and when you layer it over the asparagus and hot smoked salmon, it’s insanely good.

If you love runny eggs, this Spring asparagus breakfast dish is perfect.

What is Hot Smoked Salmon?

When it comes to smoked salmon, we generally think of the thinly sliced fish that looks like sashimi. This is the cold smoked version. The salmon is dry-cured in salt for several days which draws out the moisture and then smoked in low temperatures around 25°C (80°F) for a few hours.

Cold smoked process is generally to preserve the natural flavours of the fish hence the end result is a more silky, raw-like texture.

For hot smoked salmon, the cooking process is slightly different.

It will start with a wet cure in a salty brine and then smoked in higher temperatures above 45°C (113°F). The end result will give you fish that resembles a cooked piece of salmon and with flaky pieces of fish that is deliciously smoky.

Hot smoked salmon is great on its own or tossed into salads, creamy pastas or mashed with potatoes to make a yummy fish cake.

The salty, full flavour makes it a versatile ingredient to have in your fridge ready to go. Plenty of great hot smoked salmon recipes around for you to try.

For some other salads with hot smoked salmon, check out: Asian Pear Salad with Soba and Hot Smoked Salmon or Risoni Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon and Crab.

How to Select A Good Bunch of Asparagus?

First signs of Spring for me – blossoms and asparagus!

Love it when it comes into season. A versatile vegetable that you can cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Nothing more satisfying than a good asparagus breakfast in our house! And so many different ways to eat asparagus as well – boiled, grilled, sauteed or eaten raw.

In Chinese cooking, we love to simply stir-fried green asparagus with garlic or for something fancy, we add scallops or pearl meat. The delicate flavours work well together.

Do we select thick or thin asparagus? Size does not matter as much as long as they are fresh. You may prefer thin asparagus if grilling whole or thick ones if you want to slice up. Thick asparagus means it is more mature than the thin variety.

Tips to Choose the Best Green Asparagus

• First make sure the stems are firm – no limpy asparagus here!
• Asparagus tips should be closed and with a bright green or violet tinge. If they have turned yellow, they are too old.
• Finally avoid the ones where the stems look dry and woody. They should be green and plump.

And some random fact – did you know asparagus comes in three different colours? Green, white and purple!

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make asparagus and hot smoked salmon salad:

How to Prepare the Salad

Very easy to get our asparagus and hot smoked salmon salad going as there are only 2 ingredients in actual salad part!

To prepare asparagus, snap off the woody ends and give a little rinse under water.

Bring a pot of water to boil but also have a large bowl of cold water ready. Dunking green vegetables after blanching stops them from further cooking and helps retain the green colour and crispy texture.

Add asparagus to rapid boiling water and blanche for 3-4 minutes depending on the size of your asparagus. Remove with tongs and add directly into ice cold water.

Remove hot smoked salmon from packaging. Discard skin and pull apart the salmon flesh into a bowl. Set aside for assembly.

How to Make Parsley Egg Dressing

The dressing in our hot smoked salmon recipe is the highlight of the salad.

Lemony, silky and herby, this egg dressing is more like a sauce. Delicious on our asparagus and hot smoked salmon salad but could also be layered over baked fish or a bowl of green beans.

First, let’s start with the eggs. When you search the internet for the perfect soft-boiled eggs, there are many, many articles on how to do this. Everyone will have their own method and to be honest, everyone will like their soft-boiled eggs slightly different textures.

My kids love soft-boiled eggs for breakfast and they have their own preferences. So I can tell you there is no right or wrong way to boil soft eggs!

If you love soft-boiled eggs, check out >> Salad of Dutch Carrots, Hummus and Soft-Boiled Eggs.

For this egg dressing, the egg whites will be just cooked and the yolks are soft and runny. I wanted the eggs to be just cooked enough so we taste and see the eggs in the sauce but soft enough so it has a saucy consistency.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the eggs to the rapid water. Turn off the heat and put the lid on the saucepan. Leave the eggs sitting in the hot water (with no heat on) for no more than 10 minutes.

Remove eggs and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking.

Rather than peeling the eggs, I like to crack the egg open and then use a teaspoon to scoop out the whites and yolk into a bowl. Repeat this process for all 4 eggs.

Mash eggs with a fork into small pieces.

Rinse and finely chop ½ bunch of parsley. Add chopped parsley into bowl with mashed soft eggs.

Add olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice to sauce and mix well. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.

How to Assemble the Salad

This salad is better served individually so that everyone can dip their own asparagus stems into the silky parsley egg dressing. Can even use your fingers!

On individual plates, divide the asparagus equally and layer hot smoked salmon on top of each serve.

Scoop a generous amount of parsley egg sauce over each portion to serve. Season with additional salt & cracked black pepper as required.

I would serve this immediately because of the parsley egg dressing. If you wanted to prepare ahead, have everything ready to go including the soft-boiled eggs but just whisk the dressing up when you want to serve.

Have warm crusty bread on the side if you wish for extra dunking in the parsley egg dressing.

This is super easy hot smoked salmon recipe to make for family and friends. And quick to whip up for light lunches during the week with ingredients readily available at your local grocer during asparagus season.

If you like soft-boiled eggs just like me, our asparagus and hot smoked salmon salad is going to be a winner.