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Prep time
35 minutes
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Cook time
10 minutes
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Serves
4-6
Author Notes
My passion for crème fraîche is a little like Lorelei Lee's for diamonds: I just love finding new foods it can dress up. Here, whisked with lime, chives and honey. Instead of the usual tuna, I used a bit of smoked fish: delicate smoked salmon for a gentle embrace, or mackerel for when you are up to a punch of flavor. Both are good. If, like me, you become an addict of the lime-chive cream, you could try it with potato salad or, thickened, as a dip for crudités. —creamtea
Test Kitchen Notes
What a wonderful way to celebrate the freshness of summer vegetables on a hot summer evening. But to be honest, the true star of this dish is the dressing. The combination of crème fraiche, lime and chives elevates this hearty and delicious salad to a new level, and makes a delightfully happy marriage with smoked salmon. Cook the beans, potatoes and eggs in the morning, and make the dressing. Everything else can be quickly prepped and assembled just before you’re ready to eat. But, trust me, you’ll want to double or triple the dressing recipe. It’s that good. —TheWimpyVegetarian
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Ingredients
- For the Salad
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1 1/4 pounds
tiny creamer potatoes, trimmed
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3/4 pound
French filet beans or regular green beans, stem end removed
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4 cups
butter lettuce leaves, loosely packed, washed and spun dry
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2 cups
baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
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2
pointed sweet red peppers (or 1 large red bell pepper), quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
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3
Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
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3
ripe, red-brown or other flavorful tomatoes, cored and sliced into wedges
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4
hard-cooked eggs, halved
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1
clove from a head of shallot, halved and thinly sliced
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1
avocado, cut into thin wedges (optional, but good)
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3 ounces
mild smoked salmon such as Scottish or Gaspe, sliced in ribbons, or one filet of smoked, peppered mackerel, flaked (about 3 oz.), as preferred
- For the lime cream
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1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons
crème fraîche
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1/2
lime, juiced and zested
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1 pinch
fine sea salt to taste
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1/2 teaspoon
mild honey
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2 tablespoons
minced chives
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5 tablespoons
olive oil
Directions
- For the Salad
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Bring a medium pot of water, seasoned with salt, to the boil, and add the beans. Cover and turn off heat. After about 3 minutes, beans should be crisp-tender. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon to a bowl, rinse with cold water to refresh, drain, and set aside
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Re-heat water to boiling point, add potatoes, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
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Toss lettuces together and arrange on individual plates.
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Over lettuces, arrange remaining vegetables and eggs attractively, ending with smoked fish and shallots. Drizzle with li dressing and serve.
- For the lime cream
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Whisk crème fraîche, lime juice, zest, salt, and honey together until smooth. Add chives and whisk again to incorporate
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While whisking, add olive oil in a thin stream until blended. Drizzle over individual salads. Note: if increasing, taste for seasoning as it should be tart but not too tart and may require adjustment.
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