Summer time – and the salads are easy. But you can make them extra special with a little imagina-tion and an extra ingredient or two. We’ve tapped the enduring legacy of the late, great Anthony Bourdain for some ‘chef secrets’…
Bourdain’s Fancy Potato Salad: A little over-the-top for daily fare.
But an outstanding interpretation of the classic concept…
Sister Erin loves summer salads. Especially Chicken, Potato, Egg and their bosom relations. She was grinning ear to ear in anticipation when she dropped a post on me extolling the virtues of some ‘secret’ tips from the late, great Tony Bourdain.
The man may be gone, but the legend lives on – in a whole shelf of cook books, and several more of classic TV series episodes.
Who’s not a fan?
Who’s not a fan of Chicken, Egg or Potato Salad? And what’s more symbolic of a traditional summer lunch, whether you’re dining on the patio or under the trees in the park?
And who doesn’t wish they could zip up any or all of those classics, even just a little, to make them even more special, for that special summer event?
Bourdain to the rescue
I’ll admit, I have long known some of the summer salad secrets Tony Bourdain shared in his cook books. But following a quick straw poll of confidants – both chefs and family cooks – I have discovered that the little touches folks of prior generations used to elevate these simple dishes have largely gone by the wayside.
And I have no hesitation in placing my mom and her Mom right up there with AB as inspirations on this particular issue.
Chicken Salad
Bourdain is justly famous for his ‘1-ingredient’ salad upgrades. Not the least of which is his suggestion to add a generous pinch of Celery Salt to your chicken salad.
I agree with this one. But I wonder about bothering with celery salt. That’s just celery seed ground up with regular table salt. It’s not clear whether he wants us to add extra salt, or just ‘salt’ the dish with celery salt. The wisdom handed down to me by Mom and Grandma has always been to salt (and pepper) to taste first. Then add flavours such as celery seed to that properly balanced base.
I also believe that crushing my own whole celery seeds in a mortar and pestle, or my trusty spice grinder, just before adding them imparts a much fuller, floral flavour, with a suggestion of sweetness. Perfect.
Egg salad
Egg Salad lovers all have their own recipe, and they gauge all others by their ‘standard’. But even Tony Bourdain admitted that his own Egg Salad paled in comparison to the ‘convenience store’ version he found in Tokyo.
“At Lawson’s, you can dig into their unnaturally fluffy, insanely delicious, incongruously addictive egg salad sandwiches. I love them. Layer after layer after layer of awesome,” he enthused in a Tokyo episode of his last – and maybe best – food expedition, Parts Unknown.
He never gave us the recipe. I don’t recall him even asking the folks at Lawson’s for it. But his description has inspired many other chefs to attempt reverse-engineering it. The most thorough and thoughtful such exercise I’ve seen immortalized online is by Chef Jillian, who goes into extensive detail on the techniques involved.
Her ingredients list is pretty standard. DO make the mustard Dijon, if you have it on hand. Makes world of difference. And don’t leave out the squeeze of lemon! But she fails to add what I consider an essential flavour. Mom and Grandma both garnished their egg salad with a good pinch of nutmeg.
Also… More than one review of Lawson’s Egg Salad I’ve come across mentions a slight sweet edge. You could add a slim 1/2 tsp. of sugar, a few drops of maple syrup… And/or a few drops of Vanilla Extract…
Potato Salad
Here Boudain goes totally overboard, turning Potato Salad into a proper luxe main. To the usual blend of cooked potatoes and mayo he adds a whole ‘nother dimension of flavour and texture.
He fancies up the dish from the get-go with red-skinned potatoes and red onions. Then there’s crumbled bacon, Dijon Mustard, red wine vinegar and cornichons (gherkins).
I love the idea of Bourdain’s fancy Potato Salad. But I’m of two minds about relying on it as every-day fare. My predecessors in the James distaff line staunchly believed – as do I – in a simpler formula. Use any waxy potato you like. I prefer ,’baby’ white or red spuds – though I’ve used a mix of white, red and purple my go-to supermarket occasionally stocks. I just add mayo, salt and white pepper, and some finely chopped celery and white onion. And garnish with either sweet paprika or nutmeg. Nutmeg for me…
My take
I usually have on hand everything it takes to make any of these classic summer salads. You might have to go shopping for one or two ingredients, but do make the effort. You’ll thank me – and yourself – later!
~ Maggie J.