Midsummer Treats

We took our little wooden boat ’Wilhelmina’ out on the day of midsummers eve. The day was hot and humid and people had anchored their boats in the middle of the waters to swim in the sea and soak in the beautiful summer weather. The waters were peaceful and quiet, a few dressed up boats passed us by, with celebratory flags on the sails and flowers or birch trees on row boats to show appreciation for summer solstice. Most people have migrated to the countryside but we will only be going there next week as my hubby’s holiday starts then. We keep the boat on our new property, where building will take in a few years’ time. It took a good year for us to design the house and apparently receiving the permit from the city can take up to a year in this specific area. However, it still feels rather dreamy that we will have our own beach and waterfront views and boating will become that much easier.

Today is midsummers day, and we started the day with breakfast on the balcony surrounded by all the growing flowers that have really appreciated all the daily warmth. I received these peonies from my hubby yesterday and I just cannot get over how beautiful and many there are. Their aromatic perfume takes over any space they are in, giving the air that wonderful summer fragrance. Today is another peaceful day, time spent outdoors in the midst of nature.

Summer Salad

Salmon Mousse

Dad Preparing Vendace for the smoker

Vendace (muikku in Finnish) or also known as the European cisco, is a freshwater whitefish that is found in Northern European lakes, such as in Finland, Sweden, Russia, Latvia and some lakes in Norway. It is a small fish, almost sardine-like that is commonly fried or smoked when eaten. The roe of Vendace is a real delicacy in Finland as is often eaten during Christmas time.

The lakes by our summer house are known for the muikku- fish and you can see locals pulling up fish nets from their boats right from our pier. To make this dish, you can also use other smoked fish such as salmon or sardines or whatever you have in the region you live. You can buy pre-smoked fish or smoke it yourself if you have the facilities for doing so. We have a smoker at the country house, so my father smoked the Vendace with juniper branches for some additional flavor. Cooked vendace is delicate and flakey, mild but delicious.

Meanwhile to make the salad, begin by marinating some red onion. Finely chop some onion slices and place into a bowl that fills with lemon juice. Leave them to soak in there for a good hour at least.

For the base of the salad, slice about 5 oranges and spread them on a plate.  Add some capers, spring onion and finely chopped dill on top. Then add your smoked fish on top by flaking it into smaller pieces. Add lots of black pepper and lastly, add some of the marinated red onions on top. Also pour some of the lemon juice the onion has soaked in that has turned a vibrant pink color. Add a gently drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of maldon salt.

To accompany the salad, I had a smoked salmon mousse bread for some additional carbohydrates. Basically, toast some sourdough bread, add some salmon mousse on top, fresh peas, some of the marinated red onion, black pepper and dill.

salmon mousse

To make the salmon mousse, you need some smoked salmon. We smoked the salmon ourselves in a smoker with juniper branches and let it completely cool down. However, you can just as easily buy a medium size piece of smoked salmon from the store. Once cool, mush the salmon with a fork into a bowl. Add about 1 cup of some crème fraiche, a couple of tablespoons of aioli, lemon juice and white pepper. Mix well so it becomes a mush. Check for seasoning.

I love the consistency and flavors of this salad. The juicy oranges give a lot of moisture and sweetness that balances out the capers and red onion. The delicate white fish adds a new dimension of smokiness to the dish, making it a lovely refreshing summer salad. Meanwhile, the creamy salmon mouse toast adds an extra comfort that easily works well in so many other occasions. You can serve the mousse as an appetizer on canapes at a party or in form of a tartar on top of avocado for example.

Summer Watermelon Salad

Sometimes the most quick and simple salads are the most rewarding in flavor. This simple summer salad has no lettuce, while the base is base from fresh watermelon and rich feta cheese. It is perfect on hot days and gives you enough salt that you crave for during the heat. We made this dish at the summer place a couple of times and most often enjoyed it by the lake. I love to set the table here and after lunch it’s great to dip those toes into the water when it gets too hot.

Watermelon Feta & Egg salad

• 1 watermelon, roughly sliced

• 1 packet rich feta, roughly sliced

• 3 small Spring onions

• 3 boiled eggs, roughly chopped

• 1 packet Crispy bacon

• Handful Roasted cashews

• Pinch of Salt/pepper

• Pinch of Fresh Thyme

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil Lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

This salad is extremely easy to make that literally requires a little bit of chopping and merging all the flavors together. Begin by cooking the bacon (I placed them into an oven for a good 20 minutes until crispy) and boiling the eggs. Simultaneously, you can roast the cashews on a dry pan with a bit of salt, until they receive a bit of color for a few minutes. Once ready remove to the side to cool.

Meanwhile roughly chop the melon, feta and finely dice the spring onions. Take a big bowl or platter and add all the ingredients together. Once the bacon and eggs are ready, roughly mush them into the mixture. Squeeze some lemon juice on top along with good quality olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper, the cashews and thyme twigs in the end. This makes a wonderful simple summer salad that is light, yet rich with flavor.