Salmon and quinoa salad
Another delicious meal inspired by two of my favorite food blogs What We’re Eating and 101 Cookbooks. Lately the most difficult part of blogging and cooking is that I go out to the food blogosphere to find inspiration and I become distracted by all the pretty food. Food porn is a great way to waste time but I’ve got to write this up and cook dinner so I better get cracking…although I’ll admit that I’m definitely making that chicken that I just saw at What We’re Eating. I haven’t even taken the time to read the post…but the photo says it all. Plus I know I have a lot in common, taste-wise, with Amanda and Tyler. So look for some derivation of that recipe later next week.
Last night the boy’s dined on succulent Willowcreek Pork Shoulder, slow roasted and then pulled for BBQ sandwiches, but they have grown and their appetites are huge so I knew one roast would maybe feed the two of them but not all four of us. That’s okay with me because although I love BBQ pork I also love a good hit of protein from fish served on a bed of flavorful grains and veg.
The fish is Marinated Wild White Salmon from TJ’s and the salad uses quinoa as the grain and a flavorful array of herbs and veg. I tossed the salad with a blood orange vinaigrette and reserved some to drizzle on the fish…it was delicious and added just the right note of acidity. The nuts on top are Wild Chilean Avellanas that are roasted and lightly salted. The avellana is a hazelnut. But these are crunchier and sweeter…adding just the right addition to a perfect meal. My only issue is I’m still not very good at cooking the quinoa. I tried pouring boiling water over it to, covering it, and setting it aside for 30 minutes, but that didn’t work so I finished it off in the microwave for 3 minutes. That took care of it. I think I’ll check my Deborah Madison books to see what she says about cooking quinoa. The rest was easy, chop, whisk, grill, serve.
Quinoa Salad
1/2 an english cucumber, matchsticked
1 jalapeno, sliced thin
1 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, chopped fine
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
A handful of grape tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, biased cut, thin
1 1/2 cup quinoa
Cook the quinoa. Sorry, but at this time I have no idea how to properly cook quinoa. Please let me know how if this is a skill you have.
Toss the quinoa until its cooled or alternatively plan ahead and chill it in the refrigerator. Add the veggies.
Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Juice 2 to 4 blood oranges depending on their size
Add olive oil to taste. I think it was about 1/2 cup
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Whisk until it’s cohesive. Reserve about 1/4 cup for the fish and toss the rest on the salad. Refrigerate while you grill the fish.
Grill the fish indoors in a really hot pan coated with canola oil. The outside grill is better but mine needs some repairs.
Once the fish is done plate the salad, add the grilled fish, spoon the reserved vinaigrette over the fish. Add the avellano nuts, a little sea salt, serve and enjoy.
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6 Responses to “Salmon and quinoa salad”
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this looks totally yummy. and you are soooo right. we do definitely have similar tastes! :-) you know, i’ve never heard of those delightful sounding nuts before but i’m gonna have to see if i can hunt some down. when i cook quinoa i just toast it in some oil for a few minutes until it changes color slightly, add the water (2:1 ratio, like rice), bring it to a boil then drop the heat to low and let it simmer until all the water has been absorbed. i don’t know if that’s the “proper” way to cook it, but that’s how i was taught! i can’t wait to see what you do with chicken later this week.
I forgot mention that I found the nuts at Trader Joe’s. Thanks for the tip on the quinoa…I don’t know why i thought I could cook it like bulgar!
Quinoa doesn’t seem as popular over here as it does your side of the pond. I haven’t had it in ages, mostly because only a few places stock it and it’s always sold out.
I like the fish-orange combination a lot. I tried it out on some bream a couple of days ago and it was really good
Apparently Trig has been trying to comment over the last few days and hasn’t been able to. The comments box seems fine for me but maybe you should check it out just in case. I will forward you his e-mail anyway.
Hi Vanessa, looks like the comments issue is sorted! I was going to say that quinoa is a wonderful discovery I made not too long ago myself. It’s described as “the rice of the Andes” and has apparently been a staple of the Andean diet for over 6000 years. I ‘ve really enjoyed it whenever I’ve cooked with it, what did you think?
Hi Vanessa - this looks lovely and is a great option to the usual rubbish baked salmon I cook. You have a lovely blog here. Simple, honest and beautiful.
trig, now that I have abetter understanding of how to cook it I’ll love it. Its texture is fun and the flavor is nutty. I like it.
Mallika, thank you so much!