Happy November! I’m purposely posting today so I can shock you into thoughts of the coming holidays: Thanksgiving in 24 days and Christmas, well, you know when that is! Shopping aside, it’s also time to start planning holiday foods, and what better ingredient than Irish smoked salmon for both. You might want to clip ‘n save this recipe and the ones that will follow in the coming weeks. You’ll find other holiday recipes in two of my cookbooks — Christmas Flavors of Ireland and Flavors of Ireland — both available on www.irishcook.com.

Smoked Salmon Turrets with Citrus-Honey Sauce

Serves 8

With the biggest meals of the year ahead, most cooks like to keep the starters as light and simple as possible. These salmon rolls, which stand upright on a salad plate like turrets, are made with oak-smoked Irish salmon slices wrapped around a salad of mixed greens. The salad greens are tossed with a sweet-tangy dressing to provide an interesting contrast to the smoky salmon taste. Delicious with brown bread!

Dressing

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Turrets

2 (10 ounces) bags mixed greens with frisée

24 slices smoked salmon

1. Make dressing. Combine ingredients in a lidded jar and shake until bended.

2. Make turrets. In a large bowl, toss greens in dressing. Lay salmon slices out on a work surface, fill with salad, and roll up. To serve, stand 3 turrets up on each of 8 salad plates. (Recipe adapted from Bord Bia).