White Bean Salad with Grilled Salmon and Lemon-Tarragon Dressing

Easy Summer Dishes

June 2014

Last winter when we were snowed under and packed up in boots and parkas, we thought nothing of cooking hearty, rib-sticking meals. But that seems a distant memory doesn’t it? Now that it’s almost summer, and it’s beautifully sunny and hot outside, most of us couldn’t tolerate that heavy winter food and besides, few of us want to spend too much time cooking.

During the dog days of summer, when even the blasting heat of an outdoor grill can be too much to bear, we need other options. Fortunately there are ways of preparing a light but nourishing, satisfying dinner without too much fuss, heat or stress.

Salad is an obvious choice, especially when it’s based on beans, which are filling enough to satisfy as a main course. They are easy to use too: start by opening a can. Canned beans are incredibly versatile. The White Bean Salad with Grilled Salmon and Lemon-Tarragon Dressing may sound fancy, but is actually straightforward and can be changed as your pantry and refrigerator pickings and your taste buds dictate. Use any kind of bean: white, black, pinto, kidney, and so on. Rinse the beans, place them in a bowl and add all sorts of other ingredients. Grilled salmon is luscious but canned salmon (drained, 15-ounce size) would be fine. Or switch to leftover cooked chicken or cut up boiled shrimp. For a vegetarian choice substitute diced extra-firm tofu, hard cooked egg or cheeses such as mozzarella, feta or chevre. If you use frozen peas (corn kernels are fine too), you won’t even have to cook them. Include other leftover cooked vegetables if you wish, or cut up avocado, bell peppers, kohlrabi, olives or grape tomatoes. For those who don’t like tarragon, use basil, dill or thyme, and for those with no time or patience to make homemade croutons, packaged ones are fine, or cut up toasted ciabatta or Italian bread.

If you think sandwiches aren’t enough of a meal, consider this: topping bread with meat or fish, some fresh vegetables (such as avocado, tomatoes, zucchini, cole slaw, beans and so on) and layering that with a mess of cheese, can be truly filling, making this kind of sandwich, a “melt,” the perfect dish on a hot summer evening. A sandwich melt is as versatile as bean salad. Salmon Zucchini Melts can include freshly cooked or canned salmon or one of many other protein items -- sliced chicken, hard cooked egg, cooked shrimp or fish – and any soft vegetable/fruit (such as avocado, yellow squash, bell peppers). Use rye bread or multigrain instead of English Muffins if you prefer, and substitute the herb of your choice for the dill. You can change the cheese to any that are meltable and flavorful (such as Swiss, havarti, cheddar and Monterey Jack).

Frittatas require some cooking, but not much – a few minutes frying the eggs and a brief trip under the oven broiler to firm the surface. They’re worthy candidates for light summer meals because, like bean salads and sandwich melts, frittatas can be varied endlessly. Bulk the dish up by adding cooked fish, smoked salmon, chopped chorizo or ham or additional vegetables such as bell peppers, cooked potatoes, thawed frozen peas, olives, sun dried tomatoes, cut up grape tomatoes, canned (rinsed, drained) chick peas, diced tofu and even cooked elbow macaroni. Serve frittata with a hunk of bread and perhaps a side salad or sliced tomatoes and you’ve got it made for an easy, breezy summer meal.