This is my favorite light, lunch or supper salad to entertain with. Everybody seems to love it, and again, it’s fairly effortless. As I get older, I seem to gravitate towards the simpler and interesting flavors.
Serves 4 but can be stretched and doubled so easily. It also only takes 20 minutes to prep.
*Use plenty of seasoning on this salad.
Ingredients for dressing
1/2 good sized cup of pitted Kalamata olives (all these measurements are according to taste)
5 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp small capers
Ingredients for the salad
1/2 lb pack of fine or ordinary green beans
4 eggs
1lb cooked or steamed Puy lentils ( I buy them ready done in a vacuum pack from the supermarket.)
4 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2lb cold or room temp cooked salmon flaked into large chunks. (Here, I buy uncooked, skinned wild salmon and saute it on fairly high heat, taking if off the heat while it’s still fairly “rare” and leaving it to one side till needed)
Good handful of arugula leaves (Rocket)
* Although not in this recipe, you can also add coarsely chopped avocado.
Chop half the olives (set the rest aside) then mix with the remaining dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
Boil the green beans for 5 minutes till just tender, then refresh in cold water. Set aside.
Put the eggs in cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Cool, then shell and halve or quarter. Set aside.
Heat the lentils in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes on high. Tip into a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, most of the dressing, the whole olives and green beans. Toss well and taste for seasoning.
Lay out on a decorative platter and arrange the egg pieces and salmon on top, scattering with the arugula leaves and finish with the remaining dressing.
Serve with some crusty bread.