I have a soft spot for composed salads. The classic, of course, is salad Nicoise, Ever since Julia Child brought this salad to the attention of Americans, there have been claims about the “right” way to make it. I’m not that fussy. And summer makes a great time to experiment with variations on the theme.

Tonight I threw together a composed salad with things that happened to be in the house.  It’s built on a bed of (what Italians call) arugula (and the English call “rocket”).  A warm succotash – made of roasted corn ad onion, mixed with edamame and seasoned with a bit of garlic, fresh ginger and olive oil – is accompanied by a cool mix of cucumber and avocado, fresh ginger and lemon. To bring a little protein to the party, a filet of smoked mackerel tops it off. I seasoned as I went along and the ginger and garlic are to taste.

Ginger iced tea was all I served on the side.

The mix of animal and plant protein with plant carbohydrates made for a really balanced meal (from a blood glucose POV).