The black olive and watermelon are a perfect salty-sweet yin-yang that goes great with the grilled salmon. This is a very crisp, refreshing dish for a summer cookout—like a cool drink of water. This vinaigrette is good on almost anything, so save any that is left over and use it within the week.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 , makes 1 cup vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad
Vinaigrette
Salmon
Preparation
Step 1
To make the salad, toss the watermelon, black olives, red onion, and arugula together in a bowl. Put it in the fridge to chill. The contrast of a cold salad with the hot salmon is really refreshing.
Step 2
To make the vinaigrette, toast the spices in a dry skillet over low heat for 1 minute, until they smell fragrant; shake the pan frequently to prevent scorching. In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices with the sugar. Put the sherry vinegar and oil in a blender and add the ground spice mixture; give it all a whirl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill and get it very hot. Rub both sides of the salmon with oil; then season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel. Then carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill. This will create a nonstick grilling surface. Grill the salmon, skin side down, for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the fillets over and grill the other side for another 5 minutes, until the fish is opaque.
Step 4
Toss half the vinaigrette with the salad; wait until right before serving to prevent the arugula from wilting. Serve the grilled salmon on top of the salad family style. Easy McEasy.
