LIGHTENING THINGS UP

[HostDave]

The holidays are over and if you read any of the polls published in local newspapers and posted online, then you know that if you over-indulged you’re certainly not alone. The vast majority of Americans admit to having gone back for seconds and even thirds during the traditional holiday meal. We know that we can vouch for everyone here in the American Queen Steamboat Company office here in Memphis when we say that we seem to have followed the national trend as well. And we can also vouch for our guests who have been putting quite a dent in the provisions loaded onto the American Queen earlier this week for her 9-day Old-Fashioned Holidays voyage roundtrip from New Orleans. The Cajun Stuffing, Bourbon-Pecan Pie and Cola-Glazed Ham have been particular favorites.

But we also have noticed that right after the big holiday meal, both our guests sailing on the river and those of us at home all gravitate toward slightly lighter fare in the ensuing days. While we often emphasize the hearty and tasty Southern dishes that give our cuisine local flair, it is other items that can bring even more finesse. For example, our salads are universal favorites.

They say that if you start with fresh ingredients for a salad, you can’t go wrong but the truth is that garden-to-table lettuce, vegetables and fruits are only the beginning of a successful salad on the American Queen. Our chefs excel at mixing ingredients that, at first glance you wouldn’t think of assembling in the same salad bowl. But the results are salads so flavorful, so light, so contemporary in concept, and so enjoyable that guests frequently bring the menus home to replicate them. And that culinary touch extends to both main course salads as well as salads that accompany a meal.

Side salads can sometimes be the star of the show if you use unique ingredients. We have a Bibb Lettuce Salad that relies on grapefruit sections and avocado slices drizzled with homemade French dressing for an interesting twist. Our Bouquet of Spring Mix Salad contains traditional red and yellow pear tomatoes, cucumber and shaved parmesan but adds the distinctive flavor of a molasses vinaigrette dressing. While most people serve the classic Wedge of Lettuce Salad with blue cheese dressing, we crumble the cheese onto the iceberg lettuce with the customary chopped tomato, cucumber and bacon but then drizzle it with a lighter lemon vinaigrette for a fresher flair. Our chefs even turn the traditional tomato and mozzarella salad on its head with our wildly-popular Seasonal Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad which combines ripe strawberries with bite-sized fresh mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette and fresh mint.

For an entrée at lunch paired with a soup, we have created salads with a welcoming addition of protein that isn’t always what you’d expect. While our Poached Chicken Salad might seem rather pedestrian, once we add in roasted peppers and cashews on a bed of green garnished with creamy roasted pepper dressing, it’s anything but ordinary. Our Grilled Chicken Salad adds a touch of remoulade to the mix and our Fillet of Salmon Salad is served on seasonal green with a satisfying bacon-molasses vinaigrette that takes an ordinary dish and makes it extraordinary. And speaking of salmon, smoked salmon isn’t just for bagels with cream cheese in the mornings. Our Smoked Salmon Salad with Watercress features a lemon-caper vinaigrette that brings an unexpected zest to what might otherwise be a salad without pizzazz.

While salads can reflect the culture of the region in their vegetables and fruits and choice of lettuce, it is how you treat the protein that can truly elevate a dish. In our case, the South is the muse and our chefs the artists as they add Southern flair to salads that prove so popular, guests can’t wait to recreate them at home.

The Crispy Fried Oyster Salad presented on the American Queen features cornmeal-crusted oysters served over seasonal mixed greens tossed in mustard vinaigrette drizzled with a touch of remoulade sauce and crisp bacon. Our guests absolutely love it. Even adding shrimp to a salad can raise the bar if done properly and with local ingredients. Our St. Francisville Shrimp Salad is not a heavy mix of mayonnaise and shrimp but instead fresh spinach garnished with hard-boiled egg and tomato, plump grilled shrimp placed over it, and then the entire glorious combination is drizzled with the ever-popular bacon-molasses vinaigrette. But going Southern doesn’t mean things can’t get a bit fancy now and then, even in a salad. Once you take baby spinach tossed in mustard vinaigrette and topped with crispy fried semi-boneless quail, sliced mushroom and chopped egg, you get our Kentucky Fried Quail Salad.

You can see that when the chefs at the American Queen Steamboat Company get their creative hands on salads, they can work just as many wonders as they do with our tantalizing appetizers, rich soups, delectable entrees and decadent desserts. Lighter fare doesn’t have to be uninteresting if you start fresh, buy local and think outside the box.