Rainbow Chard Salmon Wraps

Want to make a colourful, crunchy, healthy veggie rich wrap? These wraps are all goodness with a blanched rainbow chard leaf used as a wrap. It is filled with herbs, rainbow chard stalks, carrot, smoked salmon, green onion and cucumber. All served with a delicious garlic crema.

Dear Reader, I have an addiction. I have an addiction to buying rhubarb and rainbow chard. Whenever I see both, in their most colourful state, I feel the urge to buy them, even if I don't know what to do with them.

Like this bunch of rainbow chard. There I was clutching it in one hand and I didn't know what to do with it. And then a friend said that she had had it as a wrap at a healthy cafe. That would be this bunch's destiny.

Rainbow chard actually doesn't taste like much. It's really more the fantastic juicy crunch that the stalks impart. The leaves are also very mild and make for a good wrap. You do want chard that is very fresh though especially if you want the leaves to be usable as a wrap as you want the leaves as whole as possible. I added flavour by stuffing them full of smoked salmon. Add hot smoked trout or smoked chicken if you like. You do want to add something because it needs the flavour.

I also added a dipping sauce because sauce is my life and because this is such a healthy meal, we need balance. To it I added a lime and garlic crema. The crunchiness combined with the smoked chicken in mine (Mr NQN had smoked salmon) was fantastic.

While I'll admit this made for a really delicious and healthy dinner, but super healthy it is not my usual modus operandi. I am the woman that recently went on a trip with other media and talked to another woman for about 30 minutes straight about potato chips. We were sitting across from each other at a long table and once we got started about the chips we couldn't stop.

"Have you tried this one?" we'd ask each other before debating crinkle, ultra crinkle and thins. Every time we'd pause in our conversation and people would try and resume a normal non-chip conversation we'd start again. I'm sure I was reading their minds which said, "Oh jeez not the bloody chips again!".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you love long walks to the pantry for chips, you can still love these. In fact I think you deserve a packet of chips (or chocolate or wine or whatever you like) after eating these. They're very good for you and still satisfying but leave enough room in your tummy for something sweet or crunchy. Or both.

So tell me Dear Reader, what topic can you talk about forever? And what is your favourite chip? And what do you think about thins, crinkle cut or ultra crinkle cut? And do you have any suggestions with the next bunch of rainbow chard that I'll inevitably buy?

Rainbow Chard Salmon Wraps

Makes 8 wraps

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

1 bunch Swiss chard in a variety of colours (8 pieces)
300g/10.6ozs smoked salmon or chicken
1 carrot
1 cucumber
8 batons of spring onion
Lime and garlic crema* to serve, see recipe below

Step 1 - Cut the leaves from the stalks. Blanch the leaves in simmering water for 30-45 seconds until the spine is soft and pliable. Drain and cool.

Step 2 - Grate the carrot and slice the rainbow chard stalks and the cucumber thinly. Lay out one of the leaves and lay out the carrot, chard stalks, spring onion, cucumber and smoked salmon. Wrap up making sure to tuck in the sides and serve with the lime garlic crema sauce.