Mediterranean Salmon Salad

I am never ready for summer to end! Summer is my favorite season and always has been. I am, however, grudgingly admitting that the cooler days we've had for the past few weeks have been a relief after the inferno of a summer, the hottest on record, we have had this year.

One of the many things I enjoy in summer is making salads as a meal. And when I say salad, I do not mean dumping out a bag of lettuce, opening a box of rock-hard croutons, and unscrewing the lid on a bottle of commercial salad dressing. No, I prepare my salads with as much love and care as any other food made in my kitchen.

For this salad, I bought some frozen salmon fillets. We don't have a lot of salmon swimming around here in the mountains, so if I want to eat it I have two choices--buy it frozen, or pay 30 prices to have it shipped in fresh.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad
2 salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. green beans
1 large tomato
4 oz. cannelini beans (canned)
2 oz. calamata olives
2 boiled eggs
4 slices toasted bread

Dressing
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. good quality olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until blended and emulsified, then refrigerate while preparing and assembling the salad.

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat and saute the salmon fillets, which have been salted and peppered, until a nice crunchy crust forms on each side.

Wash and trim the beans and cook in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside. Wash, peel, and slice the tomato. Drain the canned beans and rinse in sold water.

Place 2 slices of toast on each plate. Break the salmon fillets onto bite sized pieces. Arrange all the prepared ingredients on the toast slices. Slice the eggs and add to the salad. Drizzle with the dressing. Garnish with olives and fresh basil.

Serves 2.