San Juan seafood salad

How to prepare a fresh salad for San Juan . We are in the middle of summer and the festivities of San Juán very close,  I prepared this recipe for super summer salad on San Juán’s day, which is my birthday. A recipe with all the sea flavor of blue fish and the contrast with the Arabian air of hummus . The combination seems a little daring but I assure you that when you have tried it it will be one of those salads that you will repeat. In addition to combining the flavor of anchovies and sardines with all the properties of lettuce and chickpeas, we will present it as if it were the best restaurant in Spain.

This salad is perfect for any dinner or meal with friends on this vacation, I recommend you accompany it with a very cool beer or a good wine, and I assure you that it is worth as the first and only dish because thanks to the combination of ingredients it is a super recipe complete. It can be prepared at home without complications the day before and taken cold but as it really is yummy it is warm or temperate, ideal for these summer dates.

The base is hummus or hummus , a delicious chickpea cream with lemon juice, tahina (a paste of sesame seeds), aove, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander and sweet or spicy paprika (depending on taste). It accepts all possible variations, in this case with that point that anchovy gives, and it is a very popular recipe throughout the Middle East. If you have leftovers after assembling the salad, leave it in the fridge and prepare some bread toasts or take it with freshly toasted pita bread, impressive.

Preparation of Hummus with sea flavor

1. Here you have a short summary, although on the blog you can find the recipe with all kinds of details and video included. Drain the chickpeas from the liquid in which they are preserved, you will see a little foam, pass them through some water until it disappears. We reserve in the drainer.
2. Peel the garlic clove. I prepare it only with one but those who like it can add more, as with the gazpacho. We put the chickpeas in the glass of the mixer with the garlic clove, the tahini or the sesame oil, the anchovies (without adding salt for which the anchovies carry, if you do not use them you have to add a pinch of salt), the coriander or failing parsley, the juice of half a strained lemon (we don’t want to find seeds), half a teaspoon of ground cumin, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and a handful of pine nuts.
3. We beat with the maximum power until we have a puree type cream but a little denser and we reserve in the fridge. Cold is much better.

And we already have our base for this salad. In case you are over we can serve it on a plate sprinkled with a little sweet or spicy paprika (to taste) and a drizzle of olive oil.

It is perfect with toast or pita bread. Or if you like it with some fresh vegetables cut into sticks such as carrots, celery sticks or julienned red peppers. Hummus is also an excellent cream for any snack, impressive.

Preparation and assembly of the salad

1. We wash the lettuce and other vegetables and drain well. Although these salads are usually sold already clean in plastic bags, I recommend, however, to wash them again in water before preparing it.
2. For the sardines I went to a supermarket and asked Verónica de Gennaro, a majestic fishmonger, to clean them for me on their backs or fillets with few bones. I recommend you go to your trusted fishmonger and prepare them for you. We must still remove those thorns that may remain and cut into small cubes for the vinaigrette.
3. We prepare the vinaigrette which is going to be one of the strong points when dressing and flavoring this summer salad. The proportions will depend on the taste of each one, the most important thing is the type of oil and the vinegar. In a glass jar add a pinch of salt and the freshly ground black pepper. We introduce the extra virgin olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, the honey, the sardine cubes and shake vigorously until it is bound, it does not take more than a few seconds. We reserve.
4. Peel the walnuts and break into small pieces and add to the vinaigrette.
5. We only have the final assembly. To do this we are going to plate individually just before dinner or lunch, it is 2 minutes and you take it to the table. We must take the container with the anchovy hummus out of the fridge to temper it. We are going to help you with a plating ring of about 11 cm in diameter, if you can not find anywhere to buy it, an easy trick is to cut a 2-liter soda bottle in the middle part with a sharp knife or knife and you will have your hoop plating for a rush (cheap if not but do not forget to wash it before using it)
6. We put the ring in the middle of the plate and cover with 2-3 generous tablespoons of hummus, press with the spoon until it is solid. Add the lettuce assortment on top and sprinkle with Maldon salt to taste.
7. We remove the plating ring and cover with a little of the dressing that we have previously prepared with the sardine pieces. The touch of honey will give you an exquisite sweet contrast against the strong blue fish flavor of the sardine.

And don’t forget that in ” San Xoan a sardiña molla o pan “, so choose a good loaf of bread and enjoy this special salad of the best summer. Long live San Xoan!

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog, I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.