Salad w/ Tamari Quinoa, Pears, & Salmon

This Salmon Salad consists of anjou pears, avocados, zucchini, apple cider vinegar, tamari, quinoa, and red leaf lettuce.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Asian, Latin American

Servings 4 servings

Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger produce and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices. 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.

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. I made this same recipe with Tuna Steaks and Scrambled Eggs later in the week!

Set the lettuce, quinoa, and salmon steaks aside.
Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
You can prepare this up to a day ahead of time to let marinade or even use some of the extra juice to marinade the tuna steak. Although that was entirely too much effort for my day! So, I skipped it here. But a possibility for next time.
Arrange quinoa, lettuce, pear salad, and salmon on a plate. Serve immediately.

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 an article on Quinoa w/ Jalapeños, Shallots, Tamari, & Ginger.