Salmon Salad with Beans

salad bean olive tomato backyard bbq lunch lemon basil salmon green bean summer grill grill/barbecue healthy lettuce sugar conscious wheat/gluten-free peanut free tree nut free soy free no sugar added diabetes-friendly

Mark Bittman

Makes 4 servings

Source

Ingredients

1/2 pound salmon steak (leftover grilled salmon is fine)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons if using raw fish, plus more to taste if necessary

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

more extra-virgin olive oil to taste if necessary

Several sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, if using raw fish

1 red or yellow bell pepper

Juice of 1 large lemon, plus more to taste if necessary

3 cups cooked or canned white beans, drained

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup diced shallots

12 to 15 good black or green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

freshly ground black pepper

4 cups torn assorted salad greens (trimmed, washed and dried)

Method

If you are starting with raw salmon, start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler; the rack should be about 4 inches from the heat source. Marinate the fish in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the thyme.

When the fire is ready — it should be quite hot — grill the fish for 3 to 4 minutes per side. At the same time, grill the red pepper. Cool, peel and seed it, then cut into strips.

Cool the fish, then cut it into small cubes and toss it with the lemon juice, beans, and remaining olive oil while you prepare the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes, shallots, olives, and herbs to the salmon. Taste for salt and pepper and correct the balance between olive oil and lemon juice if necessary. Serve on a bed of greens, topped with the strips of grilled red pepper.