Peter Gordon – Summer Salads to Savour

What defines a salad? In his latest book Savour: Salads for all Seasons, acclaimed chef Peter Gordon shows us what versatile dishes salads really are, from a perfectly crafted plate able to take centre?place at a dinner party, to a quick three-ingredient salad that can be assembled in minutes.

“Salads have never been as varied or as exciting as they are right now. Today, the idea of having a salad as a main meal, instead of just a starter or side dish, no matter what the season, is commonplace. We’ve come to appreciate that salads are not just for summer, they can be enjoyed all year round.” – Peter Gordon.

Today, we are bringing you not one but two of Peter’s delicious seasonal salad recipes – we do spoil you don’t we!

First up is Peter’s recipe for burrata and tomatoes with a delicious mango dressing, refreshingly simple and guaranteed to make your taste buds sing!

Burrata and tomatoes with mango dressing

From Peter: “This was one of the stand-out dishes of the day during our first photoshoot for this book. The burrata was as fresh as could be, recently arrived from Puglia in Italy; the mango was an Alphonso from India – ripe and aromatic; the tomatoes were perfectly coloured and full of summer-sunshine flavour. All I had to do was create a dressing that would bring harmony to the plate. Make sure you use a very ripe mango and avoid hothouse tomatoes: summer-sweet heirloom varieties look and taste best for this.”

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

600g (1lb. 5oz.) tomatoes

1 burrata (250–300g/ 10½ –12oz.)

1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced and rinsed, then drained for the mango dressing

1 perfectly ripe mango (about 250–300g/9–10½ oz.), peeled and all flesh cut from the stone (pit)

15 basil leaves

½ garlic clove, sliced

2 tsp finely chopped ginger

¼ medium-heat green chilli, chopped (including seeds)

¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

To make the mango dressing, place all the ingredients except the oil into a jug and purée until smooth using a stick blender. Slowly add the oil and purée for 20 seconds. Add salt to taste. Alternatively, make in a jug blender; although, as this volume is quite small, you may have less success.

Thinly slice the tomatoes and arrange on a platter. Grind over some black pepper and sprinkle with flaky salt.

If your burrata has a solid ‘knob’ on it, then cut this off and thinly slice it. Break the burrata into chunks.

Arrange the burrata slices and chunks on the tomatoes. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with the sliced spring onion (scallion) and serve immediately.

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The second recipe we’re sharing with you today is a salmon sashimi salad, perfect for a warm summer’s evening.

Salmon sashimi, cucumber, tomato, ginger, almond and yogurt

Peter says: “Rather like a generous sashimi assembly, this refreshing dish works a treat after a bowl of miso soup or tomato gazpacho. It can be made from most fish, but the oiliness of salmon works especially well with the cucumber. Other fish worth trying are halibut, bream (larger ones), tuna and cod, as well as scallops.”

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a starter

Ingredients

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeded

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger

1 tsp wasabi paste (or use creamed horseradish or mustard paste)

4 tbsp Greek-style plain yogurt

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp mirin (or use 2 tbsp runny honey dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water)

700g (1lb. 9oz.) very fresh salmon loin (the thickest part), skin and bones removed

1 small handful salad leaves (I used wild rocket/arugula)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

20g (¾ oz./ ¼ cup) flaked almonds, toasted cress or micro-greens, for garnish (I used baby red-veined sorrel)

Method

Slice the cucumber 5mm (¼ in.) thick crossways. Mix with the tomato halves, lemon juice, three quarters of the ginger and ½ teaspoon of salt. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes in the fridge. Drain before using.

Mix the wasabi into the yogurt and place in the fridge.

Mix the soy and mirin with the remaining ginger.

Slice the salmon 5mm (¼ in.) thick and, when you’re almost ready to serve, gently toss it with the soy mixture. Leave to marinate for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander, being careful not to crush the flesh.

To serve, lay the salad leaves and salmon on chilled plates. Scatter on the cucumber and tomatoes. Dollop on the yogurt, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the almonds, cress and some flaky salt.

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Recipes and images from Savour: Salads for all Seasons by Peter Gordon, photography by Lisa Linder, published by Jacqui Small (£25).

Here’s what Yotam Ottolenghi had to say about the book:

“This book is a thing of complete beauty! Peter is a master of a very elusive art: combining great innovation with a massively delicious tummy?hug.”