At home, especially on the weekends, lunch often looks a little something like this. Something green (from the garden, if something’s going), a little protein and almost always a carrot. Good simple fare, not always glamorous, but tasty and nourishing.

But this salad bowl was something a little bit different all thanks to my husband, for I gave him the task of making us lunch and this salad is what he came up with. The outstanding feature? Violets.

The violets in our front yard have been growing their little hearts out, after a late last breath of Winter and some early Spring rain. They are almost taking over, but I guess when something so pretty and fragrant takes over, it’s actually kind of awesome.

I’ve used violets in desserts before, a few years ago crystallising some for a good friend’s wedding cake. Violet macarons are something very special indeed, and I’ve had my time making those too. But never before had I thought to include violets in a salad. I don’t know why this had never occurred to me, especially because I grow other edible flowers to put in our salads ! Violas, no less! But violets, I just never even thought of it.

As someone who often likes to be in charge in the kitchen, I guess the lesson for me is to let others do the cooking sometimes 😉 you never know what kind of greatness you will get.

Think I might just kick back while I await my next delicious meal…

Speedy Salmon Niçoise Salad with fresh Violets

Hot smoked salmon is more meaty than the cold smoked variety, and flaking some into a leafy salad easily turns it into a proper meal. I buy it when I feel like a bit of a treat and save it for the weekend, when we share it as part of an easy lunch. The violets take this salad to the next level – the fragrance they add is totally unique and makes for an amazing combination of flavours; of course you could make the salad with other edible flowers or without flowers at all, and it would still be delicious.

To top our salad we added the end of a packet of super seed rosemary crackers, all the little broken bits that were left at the bottom. It added another texture and was really delicious. For a similar idea you could try this savoury buckwheat granola recipe by Green Kitchen Stories, or this walnut and rosemary savoury granola from Food52.

Hot Smoked Salmon Niçoise Salad with fresh Violets

Serves 2

Creamy niçoise dressing

2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
salt + pepper to taste

For the salad :

2 large handfuls of lettuce leaves
one handful of dill
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, cut into cubes
1 hot smoked salmon fillet, flaked
a handful of fresh violets

To serve : a boiled egg, broken up crackers or toasted seeds, carrot or pickles

In a small jar, shake together all the dressing ingredients until completely smooth.

In a medium sized bowl toss together the lettuce, dill and cucumber with the salad dressing.

Divide the salad between two serving bowls and top with the avocado, flaked salmon and the fresh violets. Serve with a few broken crackers or toasted seeds, half a boiled egg, fresh carrot and a pickle.