Quinoa Salmon Salad
This easy salmon quinoa salad with avocado, red onions, and sesame seeds is healthy, tasty, and filling.
Servings 2 servings
Calories 778kcal
Equipment
- Small baking dish to fit the two pieces of salmon
- Bowls
Ingredients
Salad:
- ¾ cup quinoa 150 g, Note 1
- a small handful of arugula roughly chopped, about 1 oz/ 30 g
- ½ small to medium red onion finely sliced
- ½ avocado chopped
- 1 oz feta 30 g
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted, Note 2
Salmon:
- 2 salmon fillets each 4.5 oz/ 125 g, Note 3
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- tiny pinch of cayenne pepper optional
- a pinch of ground black pepper
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey to taste, Note 3
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
Quinoa:
- Wash quinoa: Rinse it thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve under cool running water, gently rubbing and swirling it with your hand. Drain well.¾ cup quinoa / 150 g
- Cook quinoa: Combine quinoa with 1 ½ cups cold water in a pot (Note 4). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Follow the package instructions to cook the quinoa if they differ from mine. Let cool.
Salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush the baking dish with a bit of oil.
- Season salmon: Mix all the spices in a small bowl. Turn the fillets into the mixture to coat it with the spices all over. Place the pieces into the baking dish.2 teaspoons granulated sugar + ½ teaspoon sweet paprika + ¼ teaspoon garlic powder + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + tiny pinch of cayenne pepper + a pinch of ground black pepper + 2 salmon fillets
- Bake the salmon for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (62°C). Don’t overcook it, or it will become dry.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let it cool until you prepare the rest of the salad.
Dressing:
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well to help the dressing emulsify slightly.3 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar + 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard + 2 teaspoons honey + ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Salad:
- Assemble salad: Place the cooked quinoa into two serving bowls. Flake a salmon fillet into each bowl. Divide the chopped avocado, arugula, sliced onions, and crumbled feta evenly between the bowls.a small handful of arugula + ½ small to medium red onion + ½ avocado + 1 oz feta
- Add half of the dressing to each bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Garnish with extra feta, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped fresh herbs, if desired.1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Notes
- Salmon: You can also make the salad using a smoked salmon fillet or thin slices of smoked salmon.
- Quinoa: ¾ cup (150 g) of uncooked quinoa yields about 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa (250-275 g). You can also use leftover quinoa to make this salad.
- Seeds: You can substitute the sesame seeds with toasted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, roasted and chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Honey: Start with 1 teaspoon, taste the dressing, and add more honey if required to balance the vinegar’s acidity (it very much depends on your brand of vinegar).
Cook according to package instructions or use a 2:1 water-to-quinoa ratio.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion from 2 | Calories: 778kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 1274mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 5mg