Heirloom German Speckled Trout Lettuce, Smoked Trout, Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
In last weeks posting, the Choy Sum Salad, I wrote about same ingredients being called from among multiple names depending on the international flavor of the market.
This week I’ve learned that multiple names for same heirloom lettuces is also quite common.
One of the reasons, according to author, and renowned Master Heirloom Gardner, William Woys Weaver, is that the seeds from these lettuces, having been distributed by varying companies over time and were then sold with newly created names even though the heirloom lettuce plant actually remains the same. You can read a more detailed article by Weaver on heirloom lettuces on Mother Earth News here.
This spring the local garden nursery was bursting with a great variety of beautiful lettuces and one of the new picks called Heirloom German Speckled Trout Lettuce. Aren’t the leaves so pretty?
Delicate yet crisp, the bright green leaves are so named for their resemblance to the speckled trout. Clever resemblance really. Now I’m not sure if the seeds originated via Germany, although we do have some very strong German roots in this region and so indeed it is quite possible.
Our delicious and easy to put together salad from the garden planter today, Heirloom German Speckled Trout Lettuce, Smoked Trout, Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing.
Heirloom German Speckled Trout Lettuce, Smoked Trout, Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups Heirloom German Speckled Trout Lettuce leaves
- 2 smoked trout filet cut into small bite sized pieces
- 1 small red onion, halved, cut into very thin half moons
- chive or thyme blossoms for garnish
- For the Dressing:
- pinch coarse kosher salt
- pinch cracked black pepper
- pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 lemon, juiced, seeded (2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preparing the dressing: Into a small bowl, sprinkle in the salt, pepper and sugar. Pour in the lemon juice then whisk in olive oil a bit at a time whisking until well blended. Stir in the poppy seeds. Check seasoning, adjust to taste
- Preparing the Dressing: Lightly toss lettuce with the dressing, evenly arrange and stack leaves around plates, top with onion and pieces of smoked trout. Garnish with chive or thyme blossoms.
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