a poached salad for lunch

I had my friend Carol over the other day for lunch. It was a lovely sunny autumn day and a light poached salmon salad dressed up seemed perfect for the occassion. I ran into this recipe as I was reading through one of my favorite food blogs. It was delicious! I only adapted it slightly, breaking down the raw edge of the shallots by soaking them in lemon juice a few minutes. I always think this is better than the raw oniony taste. Enjoy!

poached salmon salad with crumbled feta, chickpeas, and crispy capers. (mustard horseradish dressing)
recipe adapted slightly from what katie ate
Ingredients
10 oz salmon fillet
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp black peppercorns

2 large handfuls of baby arugula
1 small shallot thinly sliced soaked in lemon juice and pinch of salt (to take edge off)
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 oz good quality Feta cheese
3 tsp salted capers, well rinsed
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing:
1 tbsp mincred fresh horseradish
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard (or dijon)

Procedure:
Into a medium-sized saucepan place 3 cups of water, the peppercorns and lemon juice, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse flavors. Place raw salmon fillet into the pot, cover and take off the heat. Set aside for 15 minutes. By the end of this time, the salmon will be cooked. Allow to cool to touch then remove salmon using slotted spoon and flake into pieces.

Using a large flat platter (or bowl if you prefer), scatter the baby arugula, shallots, chickpeas and poached salmon then crumble the feta cheese on top. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and when sufficiently hot, add the capers and fry for a few minutes until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Sprinkle crispy capers all over plated salad. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

To make the dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over salad.