Chili Crisp Salmon Panzanella
Food52
Photo by Food52
- Serves
- 2
- Prep Time
- 20 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 Minutes
"A panzanella is a stale-bread salad: Day-old bread is torn into bite-size pieces and then toasted into chewy, crunchy croutons that briefly soak up the juices of whatever else you choose to construct your salad with. Tying for first place with homemade breadcrumbs, a panzanella is one of our favorite uses for a rejected loaf of sourdough bread. The ideal level of stale is a loaf that’s a day or two old, but you can make a worthy panzanella even if your forgotten loaf has turned to brick—simply pour a thin stream of water onto your hardened loaf and pop it into a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes; the resulting steam will nudge it back to life. This rendition leans on the convenient delight of a frozen bag of peas and a tin of our flavor-loaded chili crisp smoked salmon to create a fabulously textured summer salad."—Rebecca Millstein
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 loaf stale sourdough bread, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 heaping cups)
- Fine sea salt
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, plus an extra splash for seasoning the peas
- 1 garlic clove, grated or very finely minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, plus whole sprigs for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tin Fishwife Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp
- 2 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions
Featured Video
From The Fishwife Cookbook by Becca Millstein. Copyright © 2025 by Rebecca Millstein. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Directions
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, pour in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the bread and a generous sprinkle of salt. Toss to coat, making sure every surface of bread is well lubricated. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When hot but not smoking, add the pieces of bread to the pan and spread out evenly. Cook, tossing and agitating the pan occasionally, until the bread pieces are beautifully golden on all sides. The objective is for a nice crispy exterior with a fudgy interior. Set aside to cool while you prepare the other components.
- Step 2
Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat and season generously with salt. Prepare an ice bath by adding ice cubes and water to a large bowl. Quickly blanch the peas by dropping them into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the peas with a mesh sieve and immediately transfer them to the prepared ice bath.
- Step 3
To make the vinaigrette, add the sliced shallot to a small bowl, season with a pinch of salt, and cover with the rice wine vinegar. Set aside to macerate for 5 minutes. This softens the pungency of the raw shallot, mimicking the effect of a quick pickle. Add the garlic, chopped parsley, another pinch of salt, a generous grind of pepper, and the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Whisk vigorously to emulsify.
- Step 4
Strain the blanched and shocked peas, place them in a small bowl, and season them with a pinch of salt and a splash of rice wine vinegar.
- Step 5
To assemble the panzanella, place the fried bread, peas, smoked salmon, and sliced scallions in a medium bowl. Drench the mixture with the vinaigrette and toss well to combine. A panzanella does well with a moment to sop up all the juices, allowing the bread to hydrate in the flavor. Plate and garnish with a few sprigs of fresh parsley.