The magic of this light, luscious Good Food Diet salad lies in its effortless simplicity – only three main ingredients are used: smoked salmon, strawberries and asparagus. What’s more, the flavours, textures and colours perfectly complement each other. Lavishly drizzled with a honey, mustard and dill dressing, this salad makes an excellent starter for the festive season. You can also pack it as a lovely fresh picnic treat.

This recipe is heart-friendly, wheat-free, gluten-free, fibre-rich, dairy-free, and egg-free. The salmon provides lots of essential Omega 3 fatty acids.

MAIN INGREDIENTS:

(When strawberries and/or asparagus are not in season, you can use other fruit or veggies – see Tip at end of the recipe).

1.slivers of sliced smoked salmon, smoked salmon trout, smoked trout or smoked rainbow trout

2. fresh strawberries, hulled, cut in half

3. fresh asparagus (choose the thinner ones)

HONEY, MUSTARD AND DILL DRESSING:

These quantities make about 60 ml (¼ cup) of dressing. But you can make as much as you need. It will keep in the fridge for several days. Don’t skimp on this dressing!

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

15 ml (1 tbsp) apple cider vinegar

20 ml (4 tsp) honey

10 ml (2 tsp) prepared wholegrain mustard

10 ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh dill or fennel

milled black pepper to taste (use generously)

Combine all the dressing ingredients. Stir very well. Set aside.

Place the asparagus in a large pan with just enough simmering water to cover them. Simmer until just cooked but still crisp. This will only take a few minutes. Take care not to overcook – there’s nothing worse than floppy asparagus! Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process. If you are not going to use the asparagus right away, cover them with cold tap water and leave until ready to use. Drain well before using.

Arrange the asparagus and strawberries on a platter. Roll or fold the salmon or trout slivers and add to the salad (see recipe picture at www.conca.co.za). Drizzle lavishly with dressing just before serving. Serve extra dressing and black pepper on the side.

Tips:

You can replace the strawberries and/or asparagus with avocado, mango, pineapple, papaya, sweet melon, seedless red grapes, kiwi fruit, sugarsnap or mangetout peas, but be sure to stick to just two other main ingredients together with the salmon or trout. You want to keep this salad simple. (If using sugarsnap or mangetout peas, just pour boiling water over them and leave for 5 minutes. Rinse well under cold water and leave in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.)

The smoked salmon can be replaced with strips of sliced ham or gammon.

• For info about gluten-free cooking classes and consultations, contact Dalene (021 913 4457 or 082 562 9787). You’ll find a picture of this salmon salad plus many other Good Food Diet recipes at www.conca.co.za.