About the winners - $1,000 Finalist ~ Cold Sandwich
Salmon & Arugula Tailgater
Recipe Category: Cold
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 lemons
1 pound wild salmon steak(s)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers
4 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup Mezzetta Cream Style Horseradish
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped
4 cups arugula
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt (fine)
2 French baguettes (at least 20 inches in length)
Directions:
Zest one lemon, and set aside. Juice the zested lemon and set aside.
Set salmon steaks on a large piece of aluminum foil. Pour half of the lemon juice onto the steaks; thinly slice the other lemon, and place the slices on the tops of the steaks. Wrap the foil around the steaks to seal in a packet, put the packet in a pie plate, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until just cooked through, approx. 20 minutes. Discard the lemon slices. Set aside to bring to room temperature, and gently break into chunks.
Combine Mayonnaise, Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers, chopped egg, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of the Mezzetta Cream Style Horseradish in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Set aside.
Combine the Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, remaining lemon juice, and fresh dill in a bowl; whisk together to make a vinaigrette. Start with pouring half of the vinaigrette over the arugula an red onion, and toss to combine and coat; taste, and add more of the vinaigrette as needed. Add salt and Pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cut off, on the diagonal, the hard rounded edges of the baguettes, leaving a length of about 20 inches. Slice both baguettes down their full length (leaving a top piece and a bottom piece for each).
To assemble the sandwiches, spread the egg mixture across the bottoms of the baguettes, and top with the chunks of salmon. Spread the remaining Mezzetta Cream Style Horseradish onto the underside of the tops of the baguettes. Generously heap the arugula mixture in between the slices of baguette, and wrap the sandwich with parchment paper to hold them together. Cut each baguette on the diagonal into four 5-inch pieces, and serve each person 2 sandwich sections.
I like to serve this sandwich with homemade potato chips and a Napa Valley Chardonnay.