I never learned to appreciate a good salad until I began going out for lunch. While richer, more substantial entrees usually take the spotlight for dinner, the salad really takes the stage during lunchtime. Plus, salads these days have gone full blown gourmet; long gone are the days of wimpy side salads and packaged caesar salads that take more time to assemble than eat (I have on more than one occasion gotten to the bottom of my salad only to find an unopened bag of bacon bits or almonds, completely drenched in dressing). Nowadays, you can find soft shell crab, flank steak, dragonfruit and so many interesting new combinations to try. With increasing awareness and demand for organic, farm-to-table food, the age of the salad has finally arrived.

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I not only love how salads allow me to experiment with several unique flavors and ingredients simultaneously, but I also love that they are easy to make and scale well. It can be tough to make a high quality, time consuming homecooked meal for one, especially if you’ve been working all day, but a fancy salad allows me to treat myself without spending too much time in the kitchen. This Asian salmon salad is wonderfully light for summer and only takes 15 minutes to make!