A Summer Salad from Spain - Cool, Delicious & Healthy, Organic & Local!

Being from New England I am especially appreciative of long growing seasons since ours feels like about one week long. Spain's growing season is virtually never-ending with something to harvest any time of the year. We have passed through orange season, strawberry season, are in the midst of cherry season, and of course pretty much all year is salad green season.

As the days grow warmer and hotter here in June I am naturally drawn more to salads and living in Spain, I have grown very fond of sardines. Sardines are a great fish choice in general and so easy for salads. They are high in healthy omega-3 fats and, being small and low on the food chain they do not contain the large amounts of mercury found in tuna - a common salad protein ingredient. Here is a delicious, easy and inexpensive salad made with all fresh and local ingredients which you can even make in New England although the olives and sardines will obviously and unfortunately not be local.

Spanish Sardine Salad
Pepiños (cucumbers) chopped
Pimentos rojas (red peppers) chopped
Mezclum (Mesclun) salad mix
Mache (cornsalad/Valerianella locusta)
Rucula (arugula)
Olives sliced
Sardines - 1 tin - Sardines from the Galicia region of Spain are the best packed in olive oil - mash up with a fork
Drizzling of Olive Oil (see the upcoming e-book Olive Oil...An Olive Lover's Guide to the Organic Oils of Spain for a choice of over 35 organic olive oils available soon on this blog)
Drizzling of Balsamic Vinegar

and....EAT!
You can serve the salad with a side of olive-rosemary bread drizzled with olive oil, or a little grated Manchego sheep cheese.