There are days in Andalucía when the temperature climbs past 35°C before noon and the only sensible answer is a smoked salmon salad. No hob, no oven, no heat. Just a large plate, good ingredients, and fifteen minutes in the shade.

This is the salad I made on the Casa Adora roof terrace on a June afternoon in 2013 — and it has barely changed since. The smoked salmon forms the base, but the beauty of it is flexibility. Smoked trout works just as well. So does tinned mackerel, drained and flaked. What matters is the layering — building up from the base so every forkful catches something different.

Smoked salmon salad on the Casa Adora roof terrace — lambs lettuce, beetroot, sun-dried tomatoes, radishes, cornichons and flat-leaf parsley

How to Make a Smoked Salmon Salad on a Hot Day

Start with the lambs lettuce spread across a large plate — it forms the foundation and stops everything sliding. Lay the smoked salmon around the edge, then scatter the beetroot, tomato wedges, and grated carrot and courgette across the middle. Add the red onion rings, radishes, and cornichons. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the centre — they anchor the whole thing visually and pack a punch of concentrated flavour. Halve the hard-boiled egg and tuck it in alongside. Finish with a generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and plenty of black pepper.

Serve immediately. This is not a salad that sits around waiting.

INGREDIENTS

• Lambs lettuce
• Smoked salmon (or smoked trout, or tinned mackerel)
• Tomatoes, cut into wedges
• Red onion, thinly sliced into rings
• Beetroot, cooked and sliced
• Grated courgette
• Grated carrot
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Radishes, sliced
• Cornichons
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• Flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper

METHOD

1. Spread lambs lettuce across a large serving plate.
2. Arrange smoked salmon around the outer edge of the plate.
3. Scatter beetroot, tomato wedges, grated carrot and courgette across the centre.
4. Add red onion rings, radishes, and cornichons.
5. Place sun-dried tomatoes in the centre.
6. Tuck in the halved hard-boiled egg.
7. Finish with flat-leaf parsley, a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and black pepper.
8. Serve immediately.

FOOTNOTE This recipe is part of my Fish & Seafood Recipes collection — a growing collection of fish and seafood recipes cooked and perfected at Casa Adora in rural Andalucía. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef