Melissa Clark’s five-star salmon salad with lime, chiles and herbs

Savory and sour, salty and sweet, tangy and spicy, fresh and funky.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 11, 2024 Melissa Clark's grilled salmon salad with lime, chiles and herbs. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Lime and chiles and herbs, oh my By Mia Leimkuhler It's probably not a good idea to tell millions of people how to trap me, but I can't resist anything with lime, chiles and herbs on it. That trio is a perfect combination of flavors and textures — sour, juicy lime; spicy, crisp chiles; green, leafy herbs — that enlivens pretty much whatever you pile it on. Rice noodles. Chicken breasts. Vegetables of all kinds and colors, whether raw, grilled, blanched or roasted. Not that making Melissa Clark's grilled salmon salad requires any persuading; the supple fish and crisp lettuces would be good dressed with lots of things. (I'll leave this green goddess recipe right here.) But that lime, chile and herb combo, boosted and balanced with a little fish sauce and sugar, is particularly punchy and lip-smackingly assertive. The reader notes on this five-star recipe are full of great suggestions: Add radishes, cucumbers or oranges; swap in leftover cooked chicken for the salmon; shower everything with crispy fried shallots. Featured Recipe Grilled Salmon Salad With Lime, Chiles and Herbs View Recipe → Yewande Komolafe's quick ginger chicken with crisp napa salad also nails that acidic-spicy-herbal trifecta. The acidic element here is rice vinegar (and lime!), the spice kick comes from ginger and a bit of cayenne, and mint and cilantro keep things fresh and herby. And I wouldn't have guessed it before looking at the ingredient list, but this German potato salad, a "Joy of Cooking" classic adapted by Suzanne Hamlin, also gets some balance and kick from cider vinegar, dry mustard and celery leaves (which, for my purposes here, I'm counting as herbs). Two more recipes that got Scooby-Doo reactions from me: Sue Li's smashed cabbage and mushroom burgers, which caught me with Sue's note that the crunchy, slightly meaty texture of the patties is inspired by okonomiyaki. And then there's Ham El-Waylly's gorgeous grated tomato pasta, which beckons all those bruised tomatoes I scoop up from the discount tables at my farmers' market. I've been on a big berries 'n' cream kick lately — I blame Wimbledon — tumbling handfuls of berries and a greedy drizzle of honey on Greek yogurt as my nightly dessert. With a little extra planning (and some cardamom and confectioners' sugar), I can have Tejal Rao's shrikhand, or sweet strained yogurt. The planning part is easy enough; I just need to drain my yogurt in the fridge overnight to turn it thick and supercreamy. Then in goes the cardamom, sugar, pistachios and saffron, though I still might top my shrikhand with berries. Or, better yet, sliced mango. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Linda Xiao for The New York Times Ginger Chicken With Crisp Napa Salad  By Yewande Komolafe 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. German Potato Salad Recipe from "The Joy of Cooking" Adapted by Suzanne Hamlin 40 minutes Makes 6 servings Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Smashed Cabbage and Mushroom Veggie Burgers By Sue Li 1 hour Makes 6 servings Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Classic Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage and Pork Pancakes) By Kay Chun 50 minutes Makes Two 7-inch pancakes Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Grated Tomato Pasta By Ham El-Waylly 40 minutes Makes 4 servings Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Michelle Gatton. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson. Green Goddess Dressing Recipe from Jessica Battilana Adapted by Samin Nosrat 10 minutes Makes 1 1/2 cups Davide Luciano for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Gozde Eker. Shrikhand (Sweet Strained Yogurt) By Tejal Rao 10 minutes, plus 24 hours straining Makes Serves 6 to 8 Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018