cabbage, roasted salmon and persimmon salad / insalata di cavolo cappuccio, salmone arrosto e cachi mela

the salad looks nice in a Limoges tureen (zuppiera)¹
(tablecloth by La FABBRICA del LINO)

During winter months, usually soup is on the table more often than salad. This year, however, I am having an intense relationship with raw cabbage. It's not that I discovered it, but I've been reminded how much I like a salad of finely shredded cabbage, and how much I enjoy playing with it, adding various ingredients and tasting the results.

One such ingredient recently has been pan-roasted salmon, prepared according to the recipe² in Jessica Fechtor's memoir Stir³, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club. 

I enjoyed the book, both for the writing style — clear, concise, without frills but also rich in vivid images — and for the way the author deals with her health scare, the various setbacks and subsequent challenges. I like that she keeps her focus on her experience as individual. My favorite part of the book comes at the end of chapter 14, where she writes:

The doctor's question was a version of something I'd start hearing a lot. “Everything happens for a reason.” People said it to me all the time. I know they meant to comfort. [...] I'd feel my chest tighten every time and do my best not to roll my eyes.

Everything happens for a reason? I don't see it that way at all. To me, only the first part is clear: Everything happens. Then other things happen, and other things, still. Out of each of these moments, we make something. Any number of somethings, in fact.

What comes of our own actions becomes the "reason." It is no predestined thing. We may arrive where we are by way of a specific path—we can take just one at a time—but it's never the only one that could have led us to our destination. Nor does a single event, even a string of them, point decisively to a single landing spot. There are infinite possible versions of our lives. Meaning is not what happens, but what we do with what happens when it does.

I'd like to meet Jessica Fechtor and give her a hug to thank her for writing this half page.

crisp ribbons of green freshness

Back to beautiful cabbage, fresh from the farmers' market, the recipe for the salad is mine and while you don't need to follow Fechtor's recipe for the salmon part, I recommend you give it a try: it is easy, fast and gives a very nice result. I also prepared black cod (a.k.a., sablefish) in the same way and was happy with my decision. I usually purchase king salmon (a.k.a., chinook) or coho, rigorously wild-caught.

Fuyu persimmons glow: impossible not to buy these sweet beauties

The weeks before Christmas (Natale) I bought a lot of persimmons at various farmers' markets in Berkeley. I mean, how could I not? They are excellent eaten out of hand or used as ingredients. Plus, the farmers' market were taking a break until early January, so I planned accordingly.

ready to be added to the shredded cabbage

One day, as I was shredding cabbage, I thought about adding sliced Fuyu persimmon. Leftover salmon invited itself to the party and tahini sauce convinced me it would bring the ingredients together in a nice salad. I loved the result. I made more salmon, had more leftovers (avanzi), prepared the salad again and again enjoyed it to the last bite, so I am sharing the recipe below.

I made roasted sesame tahini and tahini sauce for an earlier recipe⁴ and have since used the sauce with various vegetables always with nice results. For this salad, I made a batch without garlic. Tahini sauce offsets persimmon's sweetness and brings together the rich, oily salmon with the crisp, fresh-tasting cabbage.

a view from above before tossing

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Cabbage, roasted salmon and persimmon salad

Salad ingredients serve 1, to be multiplied as needed; tahini sauce ingredients make 1/2 cup

Ingredients for toasted sesame tahini:

• 1 cup /150 g / 5 1/4 ounces white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredients for tahini sauce:

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml tahini, homemade or store-bought
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml water
• 4 teaspoons / 20 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Note: the recipe I used previously⁴ includes: 2 roasted garlic cloves, peeled and crushed OR 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced. I omitted the garlic in the tahini sauce for this salad.

For the salad, for each person:

• 2 ounces / 55 g roasted salmon
• 1/2 medium Fuyu persimmon
• 4 ounces / 110 g finely shredded cabbage
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml tahini sauce

Note: Fuyu is a non-astringent variety of persimmon. It can be eaten when firm or it may be left to ripen (and soften), as preferred.

How to make toasted sesame tahini
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. This will take just a few minutes, so guard the seeds like a hawk: they will burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.

Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

How to make tahini sauce
Whiz all the tahini sauce ingredients until smooth. You will get more than you need for the salad, but this sauce (without or with garlic) can be used to dress roasted or steamed vegetables.

How to compose the salad
If the roasted salmon is refrigerator-cold, warm it up slightly. Flake the salmon.

Wash the persimmon, halve it, pull away the stem and use the knife to remove the core. Slice half for the salad. If the slices are long, halve them crosswise.

Plate the salad: season the cabbage with the sea salt and toss. Distribute the salmon and the persimmon on the cabbage bed. Drizzle the tahini sauce on the top.

Serve with additional tahini sauce on the side. Each person will toss the salad before eating.

Serves 1

buon appetito!

If Fuyu persimmons are not available where you are, try substituting it with an Asian pear.

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¹ A great find at a thrift store: it has a small chip and no lid, but I paid $1 for it
² Pan-roasted salmon recipe
³ Stir by Jessica Fechtor
⁴ Purgatory bean salad with tahini sauce and Asian pear

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di cavolo cappuccio, salmone arrosto e cachi mela

or launch the insalata di cavolo cappuccio, salmone arrosto e cachi mela audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

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I am contributing my salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

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FTC disclosure: I have received the tablecloth free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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cabbage, tahini, salmon, tahini, sesame-seeds, salad, persimmon, Italian cuisine

Comments

[Deb in Hawaii]

I like everything about this salad Simona. Persimmons are such a great ingredient and I love the combination of flavors you have going on here. I'm so glad you enjoyed the book too. It definitely made me want to give Jessica a hug and get into the kitchen and cook with her.
Thanks for joining in! ;-)

[Simona Carini]

You are welcome, Deb. Glad you like the salad and indeed, I am discovering that persimmon goes well with a lot of foods, besides being a delicious snack. I managed to find some more at the farmers' market earlier this week and I was overjoyed :)

[Frank]

Beautiful colors to his winter salad, Simona!

[Simona Carini]

Thank you Frank. In the winter I need color therapy on my plate ;)

[Debra Eliotseats]

What a great passage to pull from the book. This is a beautiful and colorful dish, Simona.

[Claudia]

A perfect selection from the book. So true that our lives become what we do with what happens, what choices we make. And, a perfectly lovely salad to go with it. I've made a version of your tahini dressing myself, so delicious.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Debra :)

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Claudia and thanks for letting me know you made some tahini dressing and liked it :)

[Wendy Klik]

I just familiarized myself with persimmons a few months ago after receiving them in a sponsor box. Loved them and cannot wait to try this salad.

[Amy CookingAdventures]

Your salad looks gorgeous!

[Tina]

This was a wonderful book, I also liked that passage you quoted. So many great recipes from this book too. What a lovely salad. Do you know, I have never had a persimmon. Perhaps I should get a few today and try your salad recipe. It's very pretty.

[Simona Carini]

Glad you got some persimmons to taste, Wendy. I love all varieties. When their season is over, I buy dry ones and snack on them.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Amy!

[Delaware Girl Eats]

Simona -- your salad looks so refreshing for us here in the frigid northeast! I really liked this book, partly because Jessica was from Cleveland for a time, where I grew up. I also liked her quotes about how food refreshes the soul. It’s essentially a story about courage and faith. Plus she quoted MFK Fisher. I read the book, made the Almond Cake, photographed it but then due to some stuff that came up didn't get to do the web-post in time. Oh well -- great read. Catch the next one.

[Simona Carini]

Tina, I recommend you try some persimmon when in season. They are so versatile!

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Cathy. For once I am actually ahead: I have already read the current selection and prepared the dish. Finding the time to write the post is my next challenge. Hang in there, spring is just around the corner. It's not cold here but quite wet and windy, with more to come.

[Delaware Girl Eats]

Simona I was the next book already too. My dilemma now is what dish to make in inspiration. Stay tuned

[Jeffery Sugarman]

Simona, just thought I'd check out your food blog and what a great coincidence. I've just finished baking a batch of persimmon bread (a favourite from Beard on Bread!) and have an extra persimmon so this may be just the thing to use it up! Always happy to see new Italian food ideas, and it was lovely to hear you say the recipe in Italian. Buon appetito! Ciao, Jeff

[Simona Carini]

Dear Jeff, thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your comment. I hope you try the salad. Coincidentally, I had a version of it for dinner, minus the persimmon, since here their season is now over. Ciao!

[Sabine]

You´re so right about the irresistible beauty of persimmons. And I´ve hardly ever seen a salad as bravely composed as this one. What an amazing, mouthwatering combination! A fan of cabbage , salmon and persimmons, I´ll go see if I can still get cabbage and kaki here, then try!