Wild Rice, Vegetable, and Smoked Trout Salad

by Brenda Langton, Tastemaker in Residence

The earthy Northwoods flavors of wild rice and smoked trout are wonderful together. The best time to serve this salad is when you can garnish it with fresh wild blueberries. For a vegetarian option, try crispy diced fried tempeh.

This is also a great fall or winter salad. Serve it as a lunch with fruit on the side or with a squash soup and bread for an evening meal. This salad is great with fresh sweet corn cut off the cob but can also be made with frozen corn. // serVes 6 as a main course

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice

1⁄2 cup diced red onion

1 stalk celery, diced (1⁄2 cup)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup sweet corn, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Pepper

9 to 12 ounces smoked trout, deboned and broken into medium-size pieces

1⁄4 cup dried cranberries

Lettuce

Toasted pecans, nectarines, or berries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook the wild rice, following the directions on the package or in the recipe on page XX.

Sauté the onions and celery in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the corn and cook a few more minutes until the vegetables are tender. Mix the wild rice, sautéed vegetables, and dried cranberries in a bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and pepper to taste and stir well. Gently fold the dressing into the salad.

Put the lettuce leaves on a platter or individual plates. Spoon the salad onto the lettuce and arrange the trout and any of the optional garnishes you are using on top of the salad.