The French Bread Connection - Revisited!

I feel as though I may have more to say on the topic of "The Connection" - upon generation of the recipe, the little (and most of the time dim) lightbulb in my head kept flickering.  Creative juices remained flowing!

The collective dynamic in my house, God love them, were impressed with the offering of fabulous French bread in the house but found themselves stumped as to what to actually do as a mode of consumption.  SKINNYBITCH TO THE RESCUE!!

I am lucky enough to have this breakthrough in baking to occur during my Partner in Crime's favorite season of the year:  salmon fishing season.  So, to kill two birds with one stone, I sat down again to my favorite spot in the house and got to work. 

The SkinnyBitch's Salmon Salad

I feel like this recipe requires a bit of an explanation.  This is not your run of the mill "Tuna Salad" with a salmon substitute - I will toot my own horn here and go so far as to say that this is a sandwich topping on steroids!!  Do me a favor and give it a shot -- you'll agree!!

Ingredients -
4 - 4oz salmon filets; dry rubbed and allowed to sit in the fridge for a spell with 1t each of smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes)
1/2c chopped celery
1/4c chopped carrot
1/4c chopped onion
1/2c mayo (this will vary acording to your "moistness" taste; do what feels good to you!)
1/4c Dijon mustard
2T balsamic vinegar
2T dill pickle relish (NOT sweet!! For goodness sakes!!)
1 1/2t salt
1/2t pepper
Directions -
Start by roasting the salmon in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes - cool to room temperature (this will make peeling the skin off the filet a complete breeze!).  Combine the mayo, mustard, relish, vinegar, salt and pepper - then fold in your veggies. Flake in the cooled - and skinned - salmon and stir GINGERLY as to not disrupt the salmon too badly.  We want chunks of fish as opposed to the dreaded tuna-esque consistency that we're trying to avoid.  Pop into a plastic container and allow this lovely mix to sit for a few hours to let the flavors "come together" like John and Yoko (without all the hair though, please!). 

After what is sure to be a difficult waiting period, take one of your pre-made French rolls and slice it in half.  Remove some of the soft innards from the loaf and spread with mayo on one side and Dijon mustard on the other.  Scoop as much or as little of the salad onto your roll - top with your favorite type of cheese (our house favorite is PepperJack as of late) and broil until the bread is a little toasty and the cheese is melty and wonderful.  You could add a little fresh greens to the top - but I find that when I make this sandwich, I am strictly after creamy, gooey wonderfulness. 

Try. It.       You'll love it!!

XOXO

XOXO