Salmon Carpaccio with Hearts of Palm Salad and Coconut Dressing for Tyler Florence Fridays

Stormy weather morphed into humid weather so I wanted something light and easy for Tyler Florence Fridays this week. I found this recipe for Salmon Carpaccio with Hearts of Palm Salad and Coconut Dressing in Tyler's Ultimate (pgs 26-27) and it sounded light and delicious, with some of my favorite flavors and ingredients. Plus with the omega-3s in the salmon and all the vitamins and nutrients from the spinach in the dressing, it is a healthy choice.

Tyler says, "Pounding salmon between sheets of plastic wrap gives it the paper thin effect of carpaccio. The thin sheets are so light and delicate, they practically melt in your mouth. The salmon doesn't compete with the other flavors in the dish, so with every bite you get a different sensation."

Salmon Carpaccio with Hearts of Palm Salad & Coconut Dressing

Tyler's Ultimate, Tyler Florence

(Serves 4-6)

Marinated Hearts of Palm:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 fresh green chili, cut in half lengthwise

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed with the side of a large knife

1 can (14 oz) hearts of palm, drained and cut into 1/4-inch rings

Coconut Dressing:

2 firmly packed cups stemmed spinach leaves

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)

leaves from 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 pieces

radish sprouts, optional

lime wedges, for serving

In a medium bowl, stir together the vinegar and sugar. Add the chile, ginger, and hearts of palm and give it a toss. Set that aside  while you make the coconut dressing.

Toss the spinach into a blender along with the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on your cutting board and put a piece of salmon in the center. Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Use the flat side of a meat cleaver or a rolling pin to pound the salmon out to a paper thin sheet. Repeat with the rest of the salmon pieces.

To serve, carefully remove the top sheet of plastic from one of the pieces of salmon. Invert the salmon onto a plate so that the plastic is on top; carefully pull off the plastic. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter some of the hearts of palm salad  and a few radish sprouts on top. Make 3 more plates just like this and serve with lime wedges.  

Notes/Results: Really good--light and refreshing with great flavors and textures. I used wild salmon, light coconut milk and local hearts of palm, spinach, sprouts and herbs. This recipe goes together quickly and simply, the most time consuming part is pounding out the salmon. In fact, I probably could have spent a bit more time on pounding and getting my salmon fillets thinner-mine were more poster board than paper! A very pretty dish that makes a nice starter salad or pupu, or even a light, warm weather lunch or dinner. A make again recipe that I might also try with some ahi or another local fish.

You can see what recipes the other Tyler Florence Friday participants selected this week and what they thought of them by going to the TFF site here. 

Happy Aloha Friday!