Destination Anywhere

Here's my dirty little secret. In spite of my cultural heritage, I am indifferent to most smoked salmon. From hand-sliced nova to hot-smoked flaky Alaska salmon, I just much prefer the fresh to the smoked. And since I've been avoiding as much sodium as possible for the past few months, my tastes have changed so that even a tiny piece just screams "SALT!" to my taste buds. I looked around for a recipe where the salmon would be used for the salty counterpoint to the rest of the ingredients, and by chance, stumbled across this recipe for little appetizer cups of a cucumber-apple-radish salad topped with smoked salmon, here: http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2009/08/19/verrine-cucumber-yogurt-smoked-salmon/

As I followed the recipe, I thought the radishes would overpower the delicacy of the cucumber and apple so ended up leaving them out. I also made the slaw more about apple than cucumber. What resulted was a light little slaw-type thing, topped with tangy yogurt and lime and the salty salmon. I loved the contrast between the apple and the salmon, and think that's the strength of the dish.

Apple, Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Salad

Makes four appetizer portions

* 2 small cucumbers, peeled and seeded
* Salt
* 1 lime
* 1 sweet red apple, not peeled
* 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
* 1 tablespoon chopped dill
* 4 slices of smoked salmon, diced

Steps:

* Grate the cucumber (I used a food processor) and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 30 minutes.Use your hands to squeeze out the excess water.
* Grate apple, and drizzle with lime juice from half the lime to prevent oxidation. Transfer to a bowl. Combine with the squeezed cucumber.
* Add the fresh herbs (reserve a bit of dill for garnish) , and 3-4 tablespoons yogurt. No need to add more salt as the cucumber is already seasoned. Taste and adjust for balance as needed--a bit more apple for sweetness, some pepper, maybe more lime juice?
* Divide between four glasses.
* Top with another spoon of yogurt in each glass and finish with the diced smoked salmon.
* Sprinkle with a bit more dill. Serve with more lime juice to taste.