I fell into the abyss of summer.

My lazy, hazy days of summer have been punctuated by hours in the car. Between many trips to the shore, quick jaunts to Chicago and West Virginia, and my annual August trip to Vermont, it’s been a harder summer than ever to stay on top of this blog.

Now to pick up where I was almost two months ago…

It was so long ago Game of Thrones was still on. Wow.

I decided to stay down at the beach to watch the finale with Atlee (who has a guest post comin’ to ya soon – watch out!) so we whipped up a classic Sunday night dinner. This particular June weekend had been full of red meat on the grill and probably one too many ice creams, so we opted for a lighter meal of salmon.

Which I then smothered in a mayonnaise based sauce. Oh well.

I can never seem to stay away from a Niçoise-y vibe when it comes to salmon in the summer. It’s definitely a sign that I need to find some new inspiration, but for an unplanned dinner, stick with what ya know. Ya know? Plus, this meal just happened to be gluten-free for our good pal Suzy, resident Celiac-sufferer.

I grilled the salmon with a layer of sauce over it, mostly because I was curious, and then added a few more ingredients to make a sauce for the asparagus and potatoes. Next time, I would just grill the salmon with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and drizzle sauce over it.

^Doesn’t understand candid, but is a lil cutie.

^Understands candid, also a lil cutie.

(Pictured below: the best wine charms you’ll find anywhere)

And if you think I just basically re-did these blog posts (see here and here) from last summer…you’re kinda right.

“Potato Salad” Salmon

So named because the sauce is inspired by this

Serves: 3-4 lil biddies on a calm summer evening

Ingredients:

3-4 6oz portions of salmon (I wish I’d asked the fishmonger to leave it whole and then portioned it out myself, but oh well)

Mayonnaise – about 5 tablespoons

Dijon mustard (country grain or smooth, or both) – about 5 teaspoons

1 lemon – will use the juice and zest

A small shallot

A clove of garlic

Dill and chives– a lot! Or however much you prefer!

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

*Suggestions to serve with salmon – roasted or grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes, hardboiled eggs.

Instructions:

1. For the sauce over the salmon (if you dooooo want to do that) – mix 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon, the zest of half a lemon, some lemon juice (from half a lemon tops), and some alt and pepper. Spread it over the salmon.
2. Grill your salmon. I grilled it on indirect heat, first without closing the top. Then I closed the top for a few minutes. It cooks quickly. Maybe 15 minutes? I’m still feeling out the whole grilling thing.
3. For the “drizzling” sauce, mix together: 3 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise, 3 heaping teaspoons Dijon, juice from half a lemon, zest from half a lemon, the shallot (minced), the garlic (minced), the herbs (chopped finely), salt and pepper to taste.
4. Once you have your meal assembled, go to town! Drizzle that sauce everywhere!