GINGER SALMON QUINOA SALAD

23 Aug

By Nagi Maehashi

This is a big salmon salad bowl inspired by the textures of tabbouleh, but with Asian flavours. Nutty quinoa is tossed with finely chopped kale and little bits of radish for some contrasting sharpness, then topped with pan-seared salmon. The salmon needs nothing more than a pinch of salt because the whole bowl is generously doused with not one, but two dressings: a Japanese-style ginger dressing, plus a little drizzle of a spicy creamy dressing for a touch of richness. It’s filling, interesting, good for you and I love that it can be eaten with a spoon!

PS: Don’t skip toasting the quinoa for free nutty flavour!

SERVES: 2 AS A MAIN, 4 AS A SIDE
PREP: 15 MINUTES
COOK: 25 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

PAN-SEARED SALMON

250 g skinless salmon fillets, cut lengthways into 1.5 cm thick pieces
¼ tsp cooking salt
1 tbsp canola oil

QUINOA

½ cup (90 g) white quinoa (or other colour of choice)
1 cup (250 ml) water
¼ tsp cooking salt*

GINGER DRESSING

2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp grapeseed oil or other neutral-flavoured oil
1½ tbsp light soy sauce or all-purpose soy sauce 1
2 tsp finely grated ginger
½ tsp white sugar
Pinch of white pepper (substitute black pepper)

CREAMY SPICY SAUCE

2 tsp Ginger Dressing (above)
1 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise or whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tsp sriracha, adjust amount to your taste (optional)

SALAD

1½ tightly packed cups (75 g) finely chopped curly kale leaves 2
4 red radishes, finely sliced, then cut into batons
2 heaped tbsp crispy fried shallots

METHOD

Toast quinoa – Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Spread the quinoa on a baking tray. Toast in the oven for 15 minutes until it smells nutty, shaking the tray once halfway through. Rinse under running tap water for 10 seconds using a fine-mesh sieve and thoroughly shake oﬀ any excess water.

Cook quinoa – Tip the quinoa into a medium saucepan. Add the water and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium, put the lid on and simmer for 8 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove the saucepan from the stove and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluﬀ the quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and let the quinoa cool to room temperature before assembling the salad, about 20 minutes.

Ginger dressing and creamy spicy sauce – Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Place the creamy sauce ingredients in a small bowl and add 2 teaspoons of the ginger dressing. Mix to combine.

Cook salmon – Sprinkle both sides of the salmon pieces with the salt. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. Cook the first side of the salmon for 1½ minutes. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute, then transfer the salmon to a plate. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest.

Assemble – Add the kale and radish to the bowl with the quinoa. Pour most of the dressing over and toss well. Divide between two serving bowls. Top with the salmon, breaking it gently into large chunks with your fingers. Pour over the remaining dressing, then drizzle with the creamy sauce. Sprinkle with crispy fried shallots, then dig in immediately!

NOTES

1 Do not use dark soy sauce*. It’s too intense and will ruin your dish!

2 Curly kale is easier to chop into little pieces – the natural curly shape of the leaves lends itself to crumbling into small pieces with less chopping eﬀort. You can also use cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), baby spinach or even raw bok choy would be on-point here.

3 Make ahead: Just keep the dressings in separate jars and the salmon separate from the rest of the salad. Store in the fridge for 3 days.

LEFTOVERS

Dressed leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

RecipeTin Eats: Tonight by Nagi Maehashi, published by Macmillan Australia, RRP: $49.99, photography by Nagi Maehashi

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Nicole Fuge