This is one of my favorite recipes. It’s perfect as a side dish especially during the summer when dining is a bit more casual. It’s served cold, so you can prepare it in advance. You can also add protein to it (such as grilled or rotisserie chicken) to make it a main course.
The ‘Susie’ in the recipe title is my Aunt Susie and one of Riegl Palate’s biggest fans. We had this salad the first time Ed and I visited Aunt Susie and Uncle Christopher M’s house together in 1992. For perspective, my cousins were little – Matthew was six and James was three – and Ed and I hadn’t even been dating for a year.
I originally shared Susie’s Wild Rice Salad in 2013. The original recipe calls for long-grain white rice (think Uncle Ben’s) and wild rice which are cooked separately. In the last few years I ran into a problem as I couldn’t easily find wild rice. I took this as an opportunity to get creative which resulted in both simplifying the recipe along while making it a bit healthier.
I turned to bagged rice blends. The kind with multiple types of rice but no extra and unnecessary seasoning or salt. I have now made it with both Lundberg Wild Blend Rice (blend of black, brown, red, and wild rice) and RiceSelect Royal Blend Rice (blend of Texmati white, brown, wild and red rices). I have a slight preference for the Lundberg version as I prefer the rice mixture but either work well. The key is finding a rice mixture with wild rice. Using a bag of mixed rice means that there’s one less pot to clean. If you prefer or try to eat brown rice, the rice found in these mixtures are healthier than the long grain white rice used in the original recipe. The nuttiness of these rices pairs well with the pine nuts and capers.
I recently made this for a dinner party and it got great reviews. I took that as a sign that I should share the ‘revisited’ recipe with a broader audience. It was the perfect accompaniment to Josephine’s Beef Spiedini (think Italian kabobs).
The sign of a good recipe is that it can be adapted over time and this is a perfect example. Thank you, Aunt Susie, for sharing the original with us over thirty years ago.
My parents gave me this bowl around the time we first had this salad. It came from a potter in Essex, New York (on Lake Champlain) where we have vacationed since the late 1980s. It’s still one of my favorites.
| Susie’s Wild Rice Salad Revisited | | Print |
- 2 cups wild rice blend (see Notes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 scallions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ⅓ cup capers, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 dashes Tabasco
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Prepare rice according to the package directions and be sure to add bay leaves to the pot.
- While the rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, tabasco, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil so it emulsifies (comes together and thickens).
- Remove the bay leaves and transfer the warm rice to a large bowl. Add the dressing, scallions and oregano. Stir well. It may seem like a lot of dressing, but it will absorb.
- Cover and refrigerate until cool – about 2 hours.
- Remove the rice salad from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to serving. Stir in pine nuts, capers and chives. Season with additional Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.
* I like to have the pine nuts, capers and chives ready to go so I can add them to the salad and serve.
* Salad can be made 24 hours in advance.
Source: Adapted from Susie McCawley’s book of recipes
Love Lundberg rice and what a great idea. I will have to try it, although I have a harder time finding Lundberg rice than I do wild rice. So happy you posted this again! Susie
Susie – There must be more wild rice in CT than PA! Always one of our favorite side dishes.
Memory flash! This reminds me of a dish that I had in Door County, Wisconsin in my late teens. So unique, so nourishing. Going to have to try this recipe, Nicole, and renew the experience–with the updated and creative twists here. Yum yum!
Spenser – I love food memory prompts. This one is a good one!