A Fourth of July cured salmon with a chilled cucumber salad

With summer and July Fourth coming upon us. I thought I would share with you a recipe that I have used for special occasions at the restaurant.

Karen and I are having Ralph and Linda Marrone over for dinner this Sunday so we can thank them for all the wonderful things they do for us. So we will be preparing this meal for them.

As you may or may not know, June 9 was the first Farmers Market of the season at Mills Park. Although the weather was not cooperative, the farmers were. If what I viewed there is any indication of what to look forward to this season. You can expect bountiful, beautiful, farm-raised produce. This week, the blackberries were some of the most astounding I've ever seen. They were a triple WOW!

To get back to the recipe, when buying your salmon, choose only the wild variety (not farm-raised). I think an 8- to 10-ounce portion per person is a perfect size for dinner.

When curing the salmon, make sure it is fully immersed in the solution. If not, then turn the fillets over every 45 minutes to ensure they are properly cured. Just before putting the fillets on the barbecue, sprinkle them with a little kosher or sea salt and rub them with a little olive oil.

I like my salmon cooked to medium, which means 5 to 6 minutes per side if your barbecue registers between 400 and 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can prepare the salad earlier in the day. That way, it will be nicely chilled and saves any last-minute running around.

One tip when cutting the cucumbers: It is easier to handle them if you peel them with a potato peeler and cut them lengthwise so you have two pieces. You can lay them on the cutting board and slice into half moons approximately 1Ú4 inch in width.

This time of year, sweet peas are coming in, and this salad is even better if you add a half cup of raw peas.

For a wine recommendation, I suggest a crisp fumé blanc such as Murphy Goode Fumé Blanc from the beautiful Dry Creek Valley.

As for the cheese to go with this wonderful dinner, Karen and I bought this one from the Tamales Bay Foods. We will serve it as a starter course for our early summer feast. This is a goat cheese called Pau, which has an edible washed rind and is a soft, aged cheese from Barcelona, Spain. It is made from the milk of a special herd of goats living in the hillsides about 5 kilometers from the Mediterranean. It is a very mild cheese and aged for15 to 20 days.

As always enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City for 22 years. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.