Oh my, this Swiss chard, salmon and fresh lovage warm salad is absolutely divine. It is packed with beautiful seasonal ingredients, some even grown in own garden. Truly flavoursome too!
So far I’ve only got herbs and flowers in my garden and one of my absolute favourite ever herb is lovage. I use it quite a lot in my cooking especially fresh in salads and soups. Its unique flavour gives such a great taste and flavour to anything that this amazing herb goes into making it a truly delicious recipe.
My only issue with lovage is that it doesn’t last long, sadly. I’d love to have it in the garden all throughout the year but it’s just a spring-early summer herb and then it goes away.
I, therefore, use it as much as possible when it’s nice and fresh to make the most of it and the bigger stems I cut, wash them and freeze. Frozen lovage is great for soups and I particularly like it with this meatballs, lamb or beans soup.
Here is a shot of my lovely lovage that is happily growing in my garden.
Oh my! I just realized that I’ve never managed to get my lamb soup recipe live yet, a soup that is loved by everyone that had it in my place, my friends told me that it really should be my signature dish. It is a great soup especially for those that love a good old soup. That recipe has to come soon now that I've mentioned.
Do you like salmon?
Coming back to this lovely and so nutritious salmon salad recipe, I’ve made it last week, kids were on holiday, all nice and happy. I came home from a heavy day at work - you know when all issues, phone calls pour in all at once - a kinda day when you feel like your head is about to explode and all you need it’s to hit the bed.
On the way home, while driving I was thinking I need to come home, just relax and do nothing the whole day, let hubby finish the day get the cooking and the dinner done and all the rest.
All those thoughts shuttered when I hit home and went in the garden (my top favourite time in the garden is now) saw my beautiful Cala lilies and my herbs and the freshly looking grass. I instantaneously came back to life and felt suddenly so invigorated.
Here’s a shot of one corner of my paradise, what do you think?
I remember saying to Jesu (those who don’t know who Jesu is - he’s my lovely hubby) that wished I could just move my kitchen out there in the middle of my garden to do all my cooking.
I have to repeat myself and say that I truly love 
my garden very much in April, May and June especially and of course the sexy gardener that I’ve now known for quite some time. I have had two lovely kids with and shared my last 14 years (soon 15). I did not marry him for his garden skills though 
- that was just a bonus, another bonus, through many others. Lucky me! I know!
It might sound like a trivial thing but I do appreciate it, big time and small things like this sometimes bring us a lot of joy, happiness and sense of contentment, don’t they? I think it should.
I picked up a couple of lovage stems and had a bigger fillet of fresh salmon, a nice bunch of beautiful organic Swiss chard, kids expressed their wish, they fancied pasta, thus I had to make everyone happy.
Here’s how this gorgeous and so vibrant salmon warm salad was born.
It is such a refreshing dish with a great mix of textures to which that cute little acini de Pepe pasta -the size of peppercorns looking like giant couscous- adds to, beautifully.
This cute ’n nice pasta makes kids so happy and gives the dish especially salads like this a really nice texture finding those tiny pasta grains all throughout. It’s just lovely.
We just love the tiny types of pastas like angels hair, this giant couscous type, the rice-like pasta called orzo, they are great for soups but also in salads and look so great! 
I hope you will enjoy eating this colourful swiss chard, salmon and fresh lovage warm salad as much as we do.
Swiss chard, salmon, turmeric and fresh lovage warm salad with acini de pepe pasta
Equipment
- pan
- chopping board
- knife
Ingredients
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 400 g salmon cut into 4 fillets
- 240 g pasta I have used acini de pepe - giant couscous works too
- 150 g Swiss chard with stalks chopped into strips
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh turmeric grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt * see recipe notes
- ¼ teaspoon umami salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ½ Thai red chilli optional
- 50 g pomegranate seeds
- 1 red pepper optional
- 3 tablespoon lovage finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon dill finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon parsley roughly chopped
- 1 lemon - its juice
Instructions
- Season the salmon with a little salt and pepper and set aside.
- Meanwhile wash, chop and prepare the ingredients that need preparing, onion, garlic, chard and wash the herbs - do not chop the herbs till the end.
- Heat the olive oil in a larger and deeper pan over medium high heat. Place the salmon skin side down and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until the salmon is nicely cooked through.
- Remove the salmon from the pan and place on a warm plate placing another warm deep plate over. Foil will also do.
- Add the julienned onion in the pan where the salmon was and cook for 2 min stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, stir for another minute and add the pasta and toast it for 90 seconds stirring every 20-30 seconds.
- Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Lover the heat and cook (covered) for 7-8 minutes. No need to stir.
- Stir the pasta, add a drizzle of water if too dry but remember this has to be dry as it’s nice with no juices left. Add the turmeric, chard followed by the julienned pepper (if chose to put in- I did). Cook for 2 more minutes or more if you wish but I like my veggies slightly crispy and only just about wilted.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the freshly chopped herbs, squeeze the juice from one lemon, season well with the umami salt give it another good old mix.
- Bring on the salmon, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds all over, add a drizzle of olive oil even if you prefer and a few slices of chilli if fancy and serve. Soo good and totally taste buds blowing!!
Notes
Nutrition
Sangita says
Looks and sounds delicious. My boys will definitely try it out.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
You're making me hungry... I think I just heard my tummy growl. hahaha!
Angela says
Is a perfect dish I love the colors and its freshness.
Chef Dennis says
My wife really loved this recipe!
Ramona says
So glad to hear this Dennis! I hope you did too 😉
Jo says
I love everything about this salad. Salmon in salads are my thing and there is so much more deliciousness in that bowl of salad, I can happily eat this and be satisfied. Saving this, going to try later.
Ramona says
Thank you Jo, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this. It’s so delicious!