# SF Appetizing Platter with Beet Salad, Plus Lox, Eggs & Ramps > Silky lox and smoked whitefish anchor a spring appetizing platter with sweet beets, tangy goat cheese, walnuts and plenty of fresh herbs. Favas, mushrooms and mint sit alongside lemony potato and cabbage salads; breakfast carries the theme forward with soft eggs, wilted ramps and lox folded in at the end. - URL: https://www.chezjk.com/recipes/jubilee-style-lox-platter-with-beet-salad-potato-dill-salad-fava-ramps-and-scram - Author: Jonathan Katzman - Cooked and photographed: 2023-05-23 - Recipe updated: 2026-10-23 - Serves: 4 servings at each of two meals - Tags: gluten-free, pescatarian ![SF Appetizing Platter with Beet Salad, Plus Lox, Eggs & Ramps](https://www.chezjk.com/api/images?path=9e5d6860-dd86-455e-b57b-e352c363fc57%2F8ae9c9955b9ea217.jpg) ## Lox and Smoked Whitefish Serving the fish cool preserves its silky texture and lets the bright salads balance its salt and richness. ### Ingredients - 12 oz thinly sliced lox or cold-smoked salmon, gluten-free - 8 oz smoked whitefish or smoked sablefish, gluten-free - 1 tbsp chive tips or edible chive blossoms - 1 lemon, cut into wedges ### Instructions 1. Check the whitefish carefully for skin and pin bones, keeping the flesh in broad pieces. 2. Loosely fold the lox and arrange it beside the whitefish on a chilled platter. 3. Garnish with chives and serve with lemon wedges alongside rather than squeezing juice over the fish in advance. ### Notes - Keep refrigerated until shortly before serving. The lox for breakfast is listed separately. ## Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Chives Roasted beets bring sweetness, while vinegar and fresh goat cheese keep the salad lively. Walnuts provide a needed crisp contrast. ### Ingredients - 1 1/2 lb small to medium red beets, scrubbed - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided - 1 tbsp red wine vinegar - 4 oz soft fresh goat cheese - 1/3 cup walnut halves - 2 tbsp chives, cut into 1-inch lengths - 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste - 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper ### Instructions 1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the beets in a snug baking dish with a splash of water, cover tightly and roast for 50–70 minutes, until a knife slides through the centers easily. 2. Toast the walnuts on a small tray in the same oven for 5–7 minutes, checking early, until fragrant. Cool. 3. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub off their skins and slice into thick rounds or wedges. 4. Toss the still-warm beets with the vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. 5. Arrange on a plate, add generous pieces of goat cheese and scatter with walnuts and chives. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. ### Notes - Dress the beets separately and add the cheese just before serving to keep it white rather than pink. ## Spring Favas and Mushrooms with Mint Tender favas and browned mushrooms combine spring freshness with savory depth. Mint and lemon keep the mixture from feeling heavy beside smoked fish. ### Ingredients - 2 cups shelled fresh fava beans, from approximately 2–2 1/2 lb pods - 8 oz oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces - 1 tbsp ghee - 1 small shallot, thinly sliced - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, larger leaves torn - to taste kosher salt and black pepper ### Instructions 1. Blanch the shelled favas in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain, cool in ice water and slip off their pale outer skins. 2. Heat the ghee in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a loose layer and cook for 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned at the edges. 3. Lower the heat to medium, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. 4. Add the peeled favas and 2 tablespoons water. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the beans are tender but still hold their shape. 5. Take off the heat and fold in olive oil, lemon juice and mint. Season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature. ### Notes - Frozen peeled favas can replace fresh; cook according to their package before folding into the mushrooms. ## Herbed Potato and Radish Salad Warm potatoes absorb a sharp dressing without mayonnaise. Dill, chives and crisp radishes make this a fresh counterpoint to the fish. ### Ingredients - 1 1/4 lb small yellow potatoes - 5 radishes, thinly sliced - 1 tbsp white wine vinegar - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup roughly chopped dill - 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley - 3 tbsp chopped chives - to taste kosher salt and black pepper ### Instructions 1. Cover the potatoes with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until a knife passes easily through the centers. 2. Drain and let steam-dry for 5 minutes. Cut into thick slices or bite-size pieces. 3. While still warm, toss gently with vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. 4. Let cool until barely warm, then fold in the radishes, dill, parsley and chives. Taste again before serving; potatoes often need another pinch of salt or splash of acid. ## Lemony Cabbage with Sumac A small, sharp cabbage salad refreshes the palate between bites of rich fish and cheese. ### Ingredients - 10 oz napa cabbage, thinly sliced - 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tsp ground sumac, gluten-free - 1/4 tsp kosher salt ### Instructions 1. Toss the cabbage with salt and lemon juice, then gently massage for 30 seconds to soften it slightly. 2. Add the olive oil and sumac. Let stand for 15 minutes, then toss again and adjust the acidity and salt. ## Soft Scrambled Eggs with Lox and Ramps Ramps replace the onion in a classic lox-and-eggs scramble. Adding the fish at the end preserves its delicate texture instead of cooking it firm and salty. ### Ingredients - 10 large eggs - 6 oz lox, gluten-free, cut into broad strips - 1 bunch ramps, approximately 3 oz, thoroughly cleaned - 1 tbsp ghee - 1 tbsp unsalted butter - 2 tbsp snipped chives - 1/8 tsp kosher salt, plus more only if needed - to taste freshly ground black pepper ### Instructions 1. Separate the ramp bulbs and stems from the leaves. Thinly slice the bulbs and stems; cut the leaves into broad ribbons. 2. Beat the eggs with the salt until no streaks of white remain. 3. Heat the ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ramp bulbs and stems and cook for 2–3 minutes without browning. Add the leaves and stir just until wilted. 4. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Once melted, pour in the eggs. 5. Use a flexible spatula to sweep the setting eggs slowly from the edges toward the center, pausing between strokes to form broad, soft curds. 6. When the eggs are nearly set but still glossy, fold in the lox and remove from the heat. Let residual heat finish setting the eggs; there should be no loose liquid egg remaining. For a thermometer check, the egg mixture should reach 160°F. 7. Scatter with chives and black pepper and serve immediately. ### Notes - Taste before adding more salt because the lox seasons the eggs. - If ramps are unavailable, use 4 scallions and 1 small garlic clove; the flavor will be less wild and pungent. ## Tender Braised Chard Well-cooked greens add an earthy, pleasantly bitter contrast to the soft eggs. ### Ingredients - 1 large bunch Swiss chard, approximately 12 oz - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced - 1/4 cup water - 2 tsp lemon juice - to taste kosher salt and black pepper ### Instructions 1. Separate the chard stems and leaves. Cut the stems into small pieces and roughly chop the leaves. 2. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the stems, garlic and a pinch of salt; cook gently for 4 minutes without browning. 3. Add the leaves and water, cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. 4. Uncover and cook off any pooled liquid. Finish with lemon juice, salt and pepper and keep warm while scrambling the eggs. ## Shaved Fennel with Lemon Thin fennel stays crisp while a short lemon marinade softens its raw edge, balancing the warm breakfast components. ### Ingredients - 1 medium fennel bulb - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1/4 tsp kosher salt ### Instructions 1. Trim the fennel, reserving a few fronds. Halve the bulb and shave very thinly with a sharp knife or a mandoline fitted with a guard. 2. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, then add the chopped reserved fronds. ## Overall Timing / Workflow The platter is mostly make-ahead, while the breakfast is organized around cooking the eggs last. ### Instructions 1. For the appetizing platter, roast the beets first and toast the walnuts while the oven is on. The beets can be cooked and dressed a day ahead. 2. While the beets roast, boil and dress the potatoes, shell and peel the favas, and prepare the herbs and radishes. 3. Cook the fava-mushroom mixture and let it cool slightly. Dress the cabbage, then finish the potato salad with its herbs and radishes. 4. Just before serving, add cheese, walnuts and chives to the beets and arrange the chilled fish. 5. For breakfast, prepare the fennel salad and start the chard first. Clean and slice the ramps, cut the lox and beat the eggs while the chard cooks. 6. Keep the greens warm and scramble the eggs last so they reach the table immediately. ## Plating Keeping the salads in distinct clusters preserves their textures and prevents beet juices from staining the entire plate. ### Instructions 1. For the appetizing platter, arrange the fish in loose folds across the center-left of a large platter or divide among four plates. 2. Place the beet salad, fava mixture, potato salad and cabbage in separate clusters around the fish. Keep wet beet dressing away from the lox and finish with the chives and mint already allocated to the components. 3. For breakfast, spoon the eggs onto warm plates and place small piles of braised chard and shaved fennel beside them. Finish the eggs with their chives and serve at once. ## Leftover Path Separate storage protects the fish and keeps the salads usable beyond the first meal. ### Instructions 1. Refrigerate all perishables within 2 hours of serving. Store fish separately from vegetables and keep goat cheese and walnuts separate from any undressed reserve beets. 2. Use opened smoked fish according to its package directions, generally within 2–3 days. Keep refrigerated salads and cooked vegetables for up to 3 days; the cabbage and fennel are best the next day. 3. Serve leftover potato, beet and fava salads cool or at room temperature, taking out only the amount you plan to eat. 4. Refrigerate leftover scrambled eggs promptly and use within 1–2 days for best texture. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water until they reach 165°F; they will be firmer than freshly cooked eggs. 5. Warm leftover chard with the fava-mushroom mixture for a quick vegetable lunch, or serve the remaining salads alongside the reserved smoked fish. --- From ChezJK (https://www.chezjk.com), Jonathan Katzman's public home-cooking archive: every meal he has photographed, written up as a recipe you can cook.