Endive, orange, and mint salad with Asian vinaigrette
Recipe by Chef Jean Soulard
“With this salad, I needed a catalyst, not an easy task. The bitterness of endive could easily overpower everything else. It wasn’t going to be a tango; the endive was ready to dance alone. So, I played with the freshness of cucumber, the aroma of mint, the saltiness of samphire, and the sweetness of raisins. But the dish still needed rhythm. The vinaigrette brought it all together, infused with the flavours of the China Sea: UMAM fish sauce, ginger, and ground chili. A finale worthy of a grand opera.”
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 oranges
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 4 endives, cut into pieces
- 1 bunch mint, chopped (reserve a few leaves for garnish
- 1 bunch parsley (flat-leaf), chopped (reserve a few leaves for garnish
- 80 g (⅓ cup) raisins
- 90 g (3 oz) fresh samphire
- A few lettuce leaves
Asian vinaigrette
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- A pinch of sugar
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) UMAM fish sauce
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
- 5 g (1 tbsp) seaweed seasoning
- 2.5 g (½ tsp) grated ginger
- 2.5 g (½ tsp) ground chili
Instructions:
- In a bowl, mix the minced garlic with the lemon juice.
- Dissolve the sugar in the mixture, then add the UMAM fish sauce and soy sauce.
- Stir in the remaining vinaigrette ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Peel the oranges, removing all the white pith over a bowl to collect the juice. Cut them into cubes.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the same bowl.
- Pour over the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.
- Arrange a few lettuce leaves on each plate and top with the salad. Garnish with mint and flat-leaf parsley leaves.
Note: If fresh samphire is not available, substitute 5 g (1 tbsp) of dried sea bacon. Soak in warm water for 15 minutes, drain, cut into thin strips, and add to the salad.
Recipe photo for reference only.