Warm Salmon Salad with Asparagus, Farm Eggs, and Fingerling Potatoes

For a late-spring lunch or light dinner, make a salmon salad the centerpiece. Surround with tender hearts of butter lettuce, asparagus, radishes, and waxy new potatoes. A vinaigrette whisked with fresh herbs and capers brings all the elements together. Open a rosé or Chardonnay. From Wine Country Table by Janet Fletcher (Rizzoli).

Vinaigrette:

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce

  • 1 large shallot, finely minced

  • 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

  • 1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and finely chopped

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

  • Kosher or sea salt

  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 pound medium asparagus, tough ends removed

  • 4 fresh skin-on wild salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each

  • Kosher or sea salt

  • 1 heart of soft butter lettuce, separated into leaves

  • 1 dozen radishes, trimmed and halved

  • 1 dozen ripe olives

Make the vinaigrette:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, fish sauce, shallot, parsley, tarragon, and capers. Whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt, then adjust the balance with more oil or vinegar as desired. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to mellow.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Drain and peel when cool enough to handle. Let cool completely, then slice crosswise or halve lengthwise.

Put enough water in a medium saucepan to generously cover the 4 eggs but do not add the eggs yet. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer so you can add the eggs without jostling them. With a large spoon, lower the eggs into the simmering water so they do not crack. Adjust the heat so the eggs cook at a gentle simmer. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Cook the eggs for 6 minutes exactly. (The yolk will be runny; cook for another minute or two if you prefer a firmer yolk.) Transfer the eggs to the ice water with a slotted spoon. When cool, lift them out of the water and peel.

Bring a large skillet half full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and boil until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and chill quickly under cold running water. Pat dry.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until the flesh just flakes, about 12 minutes.

While the salmon bakes, arrange a few lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates. Leaving room in the center for the salmon, arrange the sliced potatoes, asparagus, radishes, olives, and 2 egg halves on each plate. With an offset spatula, lift the salmon fillets off of their skin and transfer to the plates, leaving the skin behind. Whisk the dressing and spoon it over the salads; you may not need it all. Serve immediately.

Serves 4