When I eat the last of my tomatoes from the garden, it brings on mixed emotions as our growing season comes to a close.
Never the less, we have some beautiful produce to use up, so lets do these tomatoes proud!
When your salad starts with great tomatoes, it would be a shame if we didn’t match them up with some equally outstanding ingredients! That said, I'm going to utilize a gorgeous piece of Atlantic salmon, an amazing fresh Ontario mozzarella, grilled scallions, homemade bacon and a super simple lemon dressing.
I matched this up with a beautiful Niagara sparkler. The 2015 Jackson-Triggs Entourage Brut is a great example of how well the Niagara region does traditional method sparkling wines. Niagara has a cool climate, which adds finesse and bright acidity that is showcased in this wine.
It is a blend for chardonnay and pinot noir and has been aged en triage for 2 years. This wine shows notes of (dried) apple, lemon peel, and toast, with a slightly creamy/ soft mouthfeel and mild bready finish.
This wines higher acidity complimented the tomatoes and cut through the richness of the salmon / bacon.
The round mouth feel as well as the lactic notes worked well with the flavours and texture of that mozzarella.
I was also really intrigued by the finish, as the oregano and charred scallion pulled out herbaceous and mineral tones while the autolytic notes continued to play with the cheese.
Seared Atlantic salmon with garden tomato salad, grilled scallion and crispy bacon
Serves 6
¼ cup olive oil
6 salmon fillets, 6-8oz skinless
6 tomatoes (preferably of assorted varieties), cut into wedges, rounds, and slices
12 scallions, root end removed,
500g fresh mozzarella or burrata, crumbled
400g bacon, crisped
½ cup lemon dressing
Fresh oregano leaves to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by preparing the scallions. Preheat your BBQ or broiler over high heat.
Toss the scallions with 1 tbsp. of olive oil then season with salt.
Grill or broil until heavily charred. Remove from the heat and place directly in the fridge to cool completely. Once chilled slice each scallion in half.
Next, add the remaining olive oil to a large sauté pan and place over medium high heat.
While heating season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.
Just as the oil begins to lightly smoke add in the salmon fillets.
Cook for roughly 3-4 minutes per side or until an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once cooked, remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
While the salmon is resting, attractively arrange tomatoes, scallions and the cheese on a plate.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place the salmon fillet on top of the salad, spoon the lemon dressing over the entire dish and finish by adding oregano leaves and bacon.
“Simple” lemon vinaigrette
4 lemons, juiced and strained
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. sugar
Salt and pepper
Juice lemons and strain into a large bowl.
Next add the sugar and mix well to incorporate.
Begin to whisk while slowly pouring in the oils.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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