Beans, Greens, and Fish Salad with Lemon Dressing and Fried Capers

A recipe from Hilary Jacks of San Luis Obispo

Happy Thursday! Today, as promised, I’m sharing a recipe from Hilary Jacks of San Luis Obispo. If you missed her story earlier this week, check out our interview to learn about how she spent her early cooking years learning about friends’ family food traditions and building a repertoire of go-to dishes that she could make for her own family. (She also spoke very eloquently about how making and sharing family meals helps her build the life she knew she wanted for her kids.) I’ve also resurfaced a fun and surprising recipe from the archives that works well a hearty breakfast or a quick lunch or dinner—see the end of this missive for a photo and link.

Beans, Greens. and Fish Salad with Lemon Dressing and Fried Capers

Hilary refers to this as a “Summer Salad” because it’s great for using whatever greens are going wild in your garden. (“Send the kids out into the yard to forage for some of the ingredients!” she suggested.) She enjoys a mix of watercress, flat-leaf parsley, and pea greens; when I made this salad, I used arugula and parsley, and it was delicious.

This is a big, hearty salad that is full of protein, but the flavors are light and almost refreshing, thanks to an abundance of celery and the lemony dressing. It’s a fantastic way to use up leftover fish—something I struggle to do in my house—but Hilary has also made it with canned fish (I imagine canned salmon would work well). Lastly, it gets a lovely note from fried capers, which add a bit of salty crispness and a nice flavored oil. If you have any lavender in your yard, you can also throw two or three blossoms into the frying oil as it cools, which adds a very subtle fragrance and flavor.

Once made, this recipe works wonderfully as a stand-alone lunch (you can keep it in the refrigerator and eat it over the course of a couple of days). It would also be a fantastic addition to any potluck or cookout.

Serves 4 as a lunch or 6-8 as a side

2 tablespoons capers
¾ cup high-quality olive oil, plus more as needed
2–3 heads lavender (optional)
Leaves and inner, tender stalks of 1 head of celery*
2 ~15-ounce cans of mild beans, like cannellini, drained and rinsed (or, if you prefer, about 3 cups of cooked whole grains, like farro or quinoa)
1–2 cups of fresh, barely torn garden greens
1–3 filets of cooked fish (or a can of tinned tuna or salmon, drained)
2–4 large Meyer lemons, depending on their size and juiciness (or 2 Amalfi lemons, which is what Hilary has in her yard)
1 tablespoon whole-seed Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Ground white pepper

1. Make the fried capers: Pat the capers dry (or let them sit out on a paper towel for an hour). Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a small pan, add the capers, and fry until they’re crisp. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lavender (if using) and let the oil and capers cool to room temperature.

2. Chop the celery (stalks and leaves), and put them in a large bowl with the beans and garden greens. Break the fish into large flakes and add it, as well. Use a microplane or the small side of a box grater to add the zest of the lemons to the bowl.

3. Squeeze the lemons into a jar or a small bowl, add the remaining ½ cup of olive oil and both kinds of Dijon, and season with a large pinch of salt and a touch of pepper. Shake or whisk the ingredients together (the smooth Dijon should help the mixture emulsify). Taste the dressing and add more oil, if needed, to balance out the flavor of the lemon.

4. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything well. Add the capers and their oil, and mix gently. Taste the salad and adjust the olive oil, salt, and pepper to your taste before serving.

*Hilary removes the outer ribs of the celery and freezes them for stock; another good option would be to cook them with eggs; see recipe below.

From the Archives

One excellent way of using up the outer celery ribs left over from Hilary’s salad is to try out the surprising and delicious recipe for Eggs and Celery that Kato Banks shared with us last year. It has a phenomenal flavor that totally changed the way I thought of celery. (Lots of butter doesn’t hurt, either!)

Photos: Georgia Freedman