Salad w/ Salmon, Black Rice, & Roasted SnapDragon Apples
This Salmon & Rice Salad consists of baked salmon, roasted apples, black rice with sweet potatoes, shallots, ginger, and coconut milk.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Black Rice
- 1 sweet potato diced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tsp. ginger minced (or liquid)
- dash cumin
- dash coriander
- dash cloves
- dash smoked paprika
- dash salt
- dash pepper
- 1⅓ c. black rice
- 16 oz. coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 c. water
Roasted Apples
- 3 apples cubed (I used SnapDragon)
- splash olive oil (~1 tbsp.)
- dash cumin
- dash coriander
- dash cloves
- dash smoked paprika
- dash salt
- dash pepper
Salmon
- 1 filet salmon per person( 4 total for entire batch)
- splash olive oil
- dash salt
- dash pepper
- lemons sliced
Salad
- 1 filet salmon per person
- 1/2 c. quinoa
- 1 apple roasted & cubed
Instructions
Black Rice
- Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices and vinegar. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
- Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook. When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a wooden spoon.
Roasted Apples
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Core the apples and slice into 1-inch cubes and toss in oil and spices.
- Place the apple cubes evenly across a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir or flip the apple cubes halfway through to get an even cook on all sides.
Bake Salmon
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place salmon skin-side down on a griddle or baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper. Slice a lemon and place evenly on top of the salmon.
- Bake salmon for 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon begins to flake. Salmon tends to be cooked when it loses the bright color and you can take a fork and it easily separates. Larger cuts of salmon may take upwards of 20 minutes. Smaller, individual portions may take less time. It's best to begin checking after 10 minutes of cooking and adjust the cooking time to the doneness of your filet.
- This entire recipe will make 4 servings. I typically make 1 small filet per person.
- Otherwise, I tend to cook just enough for myself and then use the rest of the quinoa and lettuce for other dishes.
Salad
- Arrange the quinoa, salmon, and squash seeds on a plate. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve as a cold salad later on. When I know that I'm going to have leftovers, I'll oftentimes shred the salmon and mix in for a grab and go lunch.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- For more information on baking salmon, check out my articles on The Fundamentals of Oven Baked Salmon and Barbecue Salmon. I'm particularly fond of cooking on a well-seasoned cast iron griddle because you don't need additional oil or foil to to keep it from sticking. But there are certainly ways around this if you don't want to dedicate an entire cast iron pan to fish! Cooking salmon is also more of an art than a science. No two filets are going to cook in the exact same amount of time and there are definitely some tips and tricks to nailing the cook on fish.
- I also have articles on Black Rice w/ Shallots & Sweet Potatoes and Roasted SnapDragon Apple Cubes.