While salads are perennially popular, in the scorching summer months they are the ideal choice for meals.

Not only is the cool crispness appreciated on a hot day but also the fact that the kitchen and the cook can stay cool as very little cooking is required for the salad.

This smoked salmon salad with rye recipe  is a perfect summer salad and great for a picnic or lunch dish.

The mayonnaise binds all the ingredients together, and it can be eaten with a fork or piled on to the bread and eaten as an open sandwich. This smoked salmon salad is quite thick with mayonnaise, making it suitable to pile on to sliced ryebread or crispbread. I like to use hot-smoked salmon but you can also use cold-smoked salmon.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

· 350g hot smoked salmon, flaked

. 1 punnet baby plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

· 1/2 cup mayonnaise

· 1 tbsp mild mustard

· 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

· 1 cup baby butter leaves

· 1 cup curly endive, roughly chopped (spinach can be an alternative)

· 1/2 bunch chives, chopped

· 2 hardboiled eggs, chopped

.  freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the salad leaves and tomatoes, then fold through the smoked salmon.

Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Fold the mayonnaise through the salad.

Sprinkle the chopped egg and chives over the top of the salad.

Accompany the salad with some rye bread.

Recommended wine

The Arniston Bay The Shore Rosé 2009 will complement this dish. This is an uncomplicated easy drinking Rosé filled with sweet red berry and strawberry aromas.

Source: themercury.com