I didn’t have much interest in seafood growing up. Occasionally I would eat tuna fish if it was doctored with enough mayonnaise and relish (which, coincidentally, is a preference I still have), but anything else I’d probably have deemed too fishy. I famously eschewed the lobster—prized and highly anticipated by everyone else— at dinner on our annual summer trips to Nantucket in favor of a meal comprised entirely of French fries. Even a generous coating of melted butter couldn’t convince me.
I don’t remember my mom ever cooking fish at home, though I’m sure she must have once or twice, and we didn’t eat at restaurants (unless traveling) at all growing up. Living in Maryland meant an endless parade of crab feasts for birthday parties, which I’d also skip, waiting for cake or ice cream and calling it a day. When friends’ parents would take us to the bagel shop on post-sleepover Sunday mornings, I’d opt for asiago cheese with butter instead of sesame topped with the whitefish salad my friends loved.
It wasn’t until high school that I learned I liked seafood quite a bit, although it was a slow and tentative discovery. I started with the easy stuff—salmon, yes, but scallops, a hard no. Flaky, mild white fish was good but calamari, even battered and fried, was too chewy and off-putting. With time though, I tried everything. I figured out what I genuinely disliked (lobster, still, sorry!) and what was merely a holdover from childish aversions (shrimp, octopus).
Liking seafood opened up a world of options. I ate oversized head-on prawns on the beach in Mexico, relishing the crunchy bits and the juicy, briny liquid within. I ate pastrami-spiced hake, rubbed with red spices and tasting just like meat, overlooking the ocean in La Jolla. I tried fish tacos for the first time at a gorgeous jewel-box of a restaurant in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the crispy fish hidden under piles of Asian herbs and chili oil, all wrapped inside a warm and pliable rice flour tortilla.
In Manhattan’s West Village, I ordered the swordfish dinner special at my favorite Italian restaurant whenever it was offered: thick steaks of fish grilled alongside baby new potatoes with wedges of lemon. I ate mahi-mahi in the Turks and Caicos and halibut at a seaside restaurant in Maine and crispy-skinned salmon over rice in Oregon and the famous miso-lacquered cod in South Beach and spicy tuna rolls just outside of San Francisco on a weekend trip for a wedding.
I taught myself to cook fish, too, figuring out how to roast it and pan-fry it and sear it on the grill. Despite my increased comfort level, I don’t cook it with much regularity at home, even though at the moment I’m lucky to live just a stone’s throw from an excellent seafood market. If I buy fresh fish, I want to use it right away, whereas other ingredients have a slightly longer shelf life, allowing more flexibility around my cooking plans.
Enter: smoked salmon. You can get very good smoked salmon almost anywhere—regardless of how close you are to water—and you need not worry about using it up right away; in fact, it’s a boon to remember that I’ve got some in the fridge and can spin it into a number of different meals. I could layer it with sprouts and avocado and herb butter on toasted 7-grain bread for a sandwich. I could tear it into pieces and turn it into a frittata with capers and sautéed leeks and dill. I could toss it in hot pan with spaghetti and white wine and lemon juice. I could mix it in a casserole dish with orzo and sour cream and artichoke hearts and bake it. I could turn it into a Sunday eggs Benedict with hollandaise and a brioche bun.
Usually though I either drape it over crackers (preferably a thin crisp bread like Wasa or buckwheat Le Pain de Fleurs) spread with softened butter and sliced radishes, or I make it the centerpiece of a salad.
This salad is quick and easy, but also more interesting than just a pile of vegetables. I’d suggest doubling or tripling the garlic yogurt sauce, as it’s useful as a dip or a marinade or a dressing.
Smoked Salmon Salad
Serves 2
4 cups baby arugula
6 ounces smoked salmon
2 large cucumbers, sliced into half moons
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, grated
pinch kosher salt
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons mixed seeds (I use poppy, sesame, sunflower, flax, anise, and caraway)
*I often buy this seed blend from KAB to use for salads, even though it’s intended for crackers and bread! You can easily replicate it by blending the individual seeds, which I often do, but it’s nice to have it at the ready.
Divide the arugula between two bowls. Top with the smoked salmon and cucumber.
Whisk together the yogurt, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Dollop as much as you like over each bowl, then top with the seed blend.