Summer is upon us and ‘tis the season for entertaining on your boat! Entertaining is challenging enough ashore, but on a boat, organization, planning and make ahead dishes are critical! With the abundance of fresh vegetables at farm stands and markets, it’s easy to make simple delicious salads ahead of time. I plan to use these regularly on the boat this summer!
Mushroom salad
This salad is great with grilled meats and very flexible. If you can’t get fresh mushrooms, try this with canned button mushrooms (just drain and rinse). I like adding sliced red peppers, black olives, hard boiled egg slices or a little Swiss cheese to this salad.
1 pound fresh mushrooms (any kind)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or other vinegar such as: sherry vinegar, raspberry vinegar, balsamic or Japanese rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons capers
Pinch of hot paprika, cayenne pepper or piment d'esplet (from Basque region)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large head butter, Boston or romaine lettuce
1 Tablespoon fresh chives, thyme, rosemary, parsley or cilantro chopped (or use a teaspoon of dried Italian herbs or herbs de Provence)
Wash, slice and marinate mushrooms in oil, vinegar, capers and spices for one or two hours in refrigerator (or marinate 30 minutes at room temperature). Arrange cleaned lettuce on a plate and mound marinated mushrooms on top of lettuce. Garnish with fresh herbs
Sugar Snap and Snow Pea Salad
This dressing is tangy and offers a sharp counterpoint to the sweetness of the peas. Pea shoots are the leaves from green pea plants and they taste mildly sweet and have the texture of a delicate lettuce. If you can find pea shoots, try them in this salad.
1 cup sugars snap peas
1 cup snow peas
1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
6 cups pea shoots (optional)
Dressing:
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Asian sesame oil
11/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
Boil snap peas for two minute and cook snow peas and green peas one minute then drain and rinse in ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry. Mix dressing ingredients until sugar dissolves and toss with peas and pea shoots (if using). You can replace pea shoots with mesclun, mache or other small, sweet lettuce.
Coleslaw with Fresh Lavender Dressing
Coleslaw becomes an elegant first course with this sophisticated salad dressing. While you don't need to use lavender, it makes a simple slaw a special gourmet treat. In place of lavender, try an equal amount of fresh herbs such as tarragon, thyme, basil, oregano or rosemary. 6 cups shredded cabbage Or a blend of: 3 cups shredded cabbage (a mix of purple and white is nice) 2 cups shredded carrots 1 cup thin-sliced onion (purple is pretty)
Dressing:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 fresh lavender sprigs (or use a tablespoon of pesticide-free edible dried lavender flowers)
Combine, oil, vinegar, sugar and lavender in food processor or blender for 30 seconds or mix by hand using chopped fresh lavender. Toss coleslaw with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top with a few lavender sprigs or flowers, if available.
Variations:
Herb Slaw: Replace lavender with 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram or oregano.
Orange Slaw: Replace lavender with 1 tablespoon fresh grated orange peel (or 2 teaspoons dried, grated orange peel)
Rose Petal Slaw: Replace lavender with 2 tablespoon rosewater and 6 pesticide free rose petals (to decorate slaw
Radish Salad I love radishes any time of year, but in early summer they taste the sweetest and make a wonderful salad. 12-18 radishes washed and sliced thin
6 scallions washed and sliced thin
Dressing:
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix dressing ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Combine radishes and scallions in a bowl and toss with dressing.
Celery Salad Celery and blue cheese are delightful partners in this crisp, tangy salad. Try this salad with swiss cheese if blue cheese is not to your taste.
2 cups sliced celery
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tarragon or other white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh tarragon or chives (optional)
Mix oil, vinegar or lemon juice and salt and pepper. Toss with celery and blue cheese. Garnish with fresh tarragon or chives.
Corn Salad
Unlike spicy, complex corn salads, this one is simple, sweet and comforting and it is tasty warm or cool.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small diced red onion or two medium shallots
4 cups corn kernels cut from fresh ears of corn (or canned or frozen corn works too)
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot, add red onion or shallots and sauté until soft. Add corn, salt, pepper, sugar and red onion to pan and sauté on medium for 5-10 minutes, until the corn and onions are caramelized and turning brown. Remove from heat, and stir in chopped scallions and thyme. Serve cold or at room temperature.