Smoked Salmon Salad with Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing

• 12 oz. good quality cold-smoked salmon
• ½ cup celery, very finely chopped
• 1 large ripe avocado (not overly soft)
• 30 thin slices of peeled cucumber
• 6 cups baby lettuces, washed and spun dry
• Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing (see below)

Remove skin, bones and any other unwanted bits from the salmon; discard. Use your hands to break up the salmon into small chunks. Place salmon into a small mixing bowl with the celery. Add ½ cup of the dressing to the salmon and the celery and mix together very gently.

Place the avocado, cucumber and lettuces onto 6 salad plates in a decorative manner. Divide the salmon mixture into 6 equal portions and place onto each of the salad plates. Drizzle a little more dressing over the plates and serve. Makes 6 salads. This recipe may be prepared a day in advance. Keep all the parts separate until just before plating and serving.

Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing

• Zest from one Meyer lemon (or regular lemon)
• 3 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, slightly crushed but still whole
• 2 tbsp. chives, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon thyme, chopped (or fresh thyme)
• 2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped (in winter you can also use fresh chervil)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the mayonnaise into a small bowl. Place the garlic into the mayonnaise, cover with plastic and refrigerate for an hour or two (or longer, if desired). A little garlic flavor is all that’s needed in this delicate dressing. Remove garlic and place the mayonnaise in a bigger mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and the juice to the mayonnaise and blend together with a whisk. Next, add the buttermilk to the mayonnaise mixture; whisk together until smooth. Add the chives, lemon thyme, and the tarragon (or chervil) and salt and pepper to taste. Makes approximately 1 cup dressing for salads, crab cakes, etc. Keeps approximately 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.