The feeling of humility of calling Rivky Kleiman my colleague is superseded only by my feeling of gratitude at being able to call her my friend. As such, I follow her recipe trends and know that the girl likes plums, from her famous plum galette (I even saw her demo it for one of her many cookbooks) to her plum pie and her plum upside-down cake. So when I was assigned a salad, I knew the dressing, the most important ingredient, would be my fave — ume plum vinegar. Rivky likes elegant presentation and fresh, bright ingredients, so mango and edamame were a given, and I used a creative salmon brining technique for the win. I hope she’s as crazy about it as I am about her!

SERVES 2

1 cup diced mango

1 cup defrosted edamame beans

2 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds

2 cups spring mix or romaine lettuce, sliced into ribbons

Salmon

2 slices salmon, skinned and cut into 3 large cubes

2 Tbsp avocado oil

⅓ cup brining mixture (recipe below)

Brining Mixture

½ cup kosher salt

¼ cup sugar

Dressing

½ cup avocado oil

2 Tbsp ume plum vinegar (if not available, use balsamic vinegar)

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

Prepare brining mixture by mixing ingredients together in a bowl. Reserve ⅓ cup for recipe. Store the rest for future use.

To prepare the salmon, coat pieces with brining mixture on all sides. Let the salmon sit in the fridge for 45 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the fridge. Wash off the brining mixture and pat completely dry.

Heat the avocado oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry salmon for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and fry on other side for 2–3 minutes. Set aside.

Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Lay the spring mix or romaine on a plate. Scoop mango and place in one area; place edamame in another area, deconstructed style. Drizzle dressing, add seeds, and lay the salmon elegantly on top.

Note: For a yummy snack, coat the salmon skins with the brining mixture too. Let them sit in the fridge along with the fish, then fry until crispy (they will pop…be careful). These are great to crunch on, like the best potato chip you ever had.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 906)