Seattle Salad: an original PNW recipe

Seattle salad with pan-seared salmon, blackberries, hazelnuts and goat cheese in a ceramic bowl

Seattle Salad with pan-seared salmon, blackberries, hazelnuts and goat cheese in a ceramic dish

 

This original recipe was developed by Kathryn Brookshier and photographed by Amanda Nazon to celebrate the bounty of Pacific Northwest summer ingredients.

Ingredients

Portion serves 2 people.

Seattle Salad

  • 8 ounces salmon

  • 6 ounces blackberries

  • ¼ cup hazelnuts

  • 2 ounces goat cheese

  • 6 ounces mixed greens

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp pepper

Rosemary vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard

  • 2 Tbsp balsamic

  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

Estimated preparation time: 15 minutes

  1. Prepare the salmon: pat dry with paper towels, then season with sea salt and pepper on both sides, flesh and skin.

  2. Sear the salmon in a hot pan until cooked to 145°F, about 3 minutes per side.

  3. Assemble the salad: plate mixed greens, add hazelnuts and blackberries, crumble goat cheese, and top with seared salmon.

  4. Make the vinaigrette base: emulsify the dijon and olive oil to give the dressing a smooth, consistent texture. To achieve emulsification, follow these steps:

    • Add dijon mustard to a bowl.

    • Add about one third of the olive oil to the dijon mustard, whisking vigorously with a fork until fully combined.

    • Add another third of the olive oil, then whisk until fully combined.

    • Add final third of the olive oil, then whisk until fully combined.

    • Author’s note: If you start with the full amount of olive oil with the dijon mustard, it will likely break up and fail to fully incorporate.

  5. Season the vinaigrette: strip the rosemary branch and finely chop the leaves to release the aromatics; then mix rosemary and balsamic into vinaigrette base.

  6. Serve Seattle Salad with rosemary vinaigrette.

Recipe originally published on August 29, 2026.