Blackstone Salmon Caesar Salad
On rare occasions, I have a quiet night at home.
A night when everyone has activities that I don’t have to attend. A late practice. Evening work schedules. A night out with friends. They are the nights no one is concerned with what’s on our weekly menu board.
A night when I can cater to what I’m craving.
Now, sometimes I crave Kraft mac n cheese. I don’t always want to put in the effort. I have simple, “just want something I loved as a kid” kind of nights, like most people.
But there are also nights when I want to spoil myself just a bit.
My broader household isn’t super high on fish. Outside of walleye, that is (this is Minnesota, friends.) I, however, happen to be a huge fan of salmon. Unfortunately, because it’s not a crowd-pleaser around here, I wait for a night alone to make it.
Luckily for me, we have a good friend who takes an annual trip into Canada and fishes for salmon. He always brings me back some fillets, and few things are better in my book. It waits patiently in my freezer, until just such an evening on our family calendar arrives.
Cooking Notes
This recipe is a bit of an exercise in timing. While the salmon marinates, prep the croutons. While the salmon and croutons cook, whisk together the dressing. When the romaine hits the griddle, you should have a lineup of ingredients that will come together well.
Heat a Blackstone or other cast iron griddle to medium. Then preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
To start the marinade, blend together the spices and mix with honey and olive oil. Zest and juice one half a lemon and add to the mixture. Place the salmon in the marinade and set aside while you prep the salad ingredients.
Cut up any leftover bread you have available. In this recipe, I used some brioche buns we had in the pantry. But I’ve made these croutons with leftover French bread, English muffins, a couple of croissants that were hanging around… you name it.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the cut bread with 1 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of grated parmesan and a light shake of salt and pepper. Pour them out onto a baking tray and set aside.
Cut two romaine hearts in half. Rinse them, and place face down on a plate lined with paper towels. Let sit for about 5 minutes and change out with new paper towels to allow to dry completely.
Place the salmon, skin side down, on the griddle. Place the tray of bread in the heated oven. Allow both to cook for 10-12 minutes.
While both are cooking, mix together all the dressing ingredients. I often put everything in a small mason jar and shake vigorously. You can also whisk together in a small bowl. Set aside.
When the croutons have browned, pull the tray from the oven.
Drizzle olive oil lightly across the cut side of romaine. Place face down on the griddle with the salmon.
Place a round dome or large metal bowl over the top of the salmon while the lettuce chars. This will take approximately 5 minutes but watch closely.
Place the charred lettuce on a platter and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with grated parmesan, then lay the salmon across the lettuce. Scatter the croutons over the dish and finish with more dressing and parmesan.
Blackstone Salmon Caesar Salad
Equipment
- Blackstone griddle
- Cooking dome
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
To marinate the salmon
- 1 Salmon filet 1/2 to 1 lb
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp each ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1-2 tsp lemon zest about half a lemon
To make the croutons
- 2 cups bread cubed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper
To make the dressing
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp honey
For the salad
- 2 hearts of romaine
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat a Blackstone or cast iron griddle to medium heat. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, olive oil, cardamom, cumin, coriander, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Pour over the salmon and let marinate while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- Toss the cubed bread with 1 tablespoon olive oil, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet.
- Cut the romaine hearts in half lengthwise and rinse well. Pat dry and place cut-side down on paper towels for several minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Bake the croutons for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Place the salmon skin-side down on the preheated griddle. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
- While the salmon cooks, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parmesan, and lemon juice to make the dressing.
- Lightly brush the cut side of the romaine with olive oil. Place cut-side down on the griddle and cook for 3-5 minutes, until lightly charred.
- Place a dome over the salmon and allow to cook while blackening the lettuce.
- Transfer the charred romaine to a serving platter. Drizzle with Caesar dressing and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
- Lay the cooked salmon over the romaine and top with the croutons.
- Finish with an additional drizzle of dressing and more grated parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.
