Seared Salmon & Preserved Lemon with Red Quinoa & Pea Shoots
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Flaky, crispy-skinned salmon sits atop a bed of greens and grains with crunchy Persian cucumber and tangy quick-preserved lemons.
This seafood dinner was outstandingly delicious! We really loved the mix of quinoa and pea shoots. Soaking the shallots in vinegar helps mellow out the sharp flavor beautifully.
My husband didn’t care for the quick preserved lemons – he thought they were too bitter, but I enjoyed them. I think next time I’ll look at using already preserved lemons (or preserving some ahead of time) to make this dish.
And that crispy salmon skin? SO. GOOD.
Seared Salmon & Preserved Lemon with Red Quinoa & Pea Shoots
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Persian
Description
Flaky, crispy-skinned salmon sits atop a bed of greens and grains with crunchy Persian cucumber and tangy quick-preserved lemons.
Ingredients
- 2 Skin-On Salmon Fillets
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Ounce Pea Shoots
- 1 Persian Cucumber
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- ½ Cup Red Quinoa
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
- Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Without peeling, halve and deseed the lemon; small dice the lemon. In a small bowl, combine the diced lemon with the sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Small dice the cucumber. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot (you may have extra); place in a small bowl with the vinegar.
Cook the quinoa:
- Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain thoroughly. Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot of boiling water and cook 14 to 16 minutes, or until tender. Thoroughly drain the cooked quinoa and transfer to a large bowl.
Cook the salmon:
- While the quinoa cooks, pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fillets, skin sides down, and cook 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, or until the skin is crispy and browned. Flip the fillets and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.
Make the salad:
- While the salmon cooks, to make the vinaigrette, season the shallot-vinegar mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined. To the bowl of cooked quinoa, add the cucumber and pea shoots. Season with salt and pepper. Add enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad (you may have extra vinaigrette). Gently toss to coat; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Plate your dish:
- Stir the diced lemon mixture to thoroughly mix. Divide the salad and cooked salmon fillets between 2 plates. Garnish each plate with the diced lemon and a few spoonfuls of the juices from the bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe from Blue Apron
Keywords: seared salmon, Persian cucumber, quinoa
One Comment
Joanne (eats well with others)
I have to admit, I’m not big on preserved lemon either – even the premade kind. I really want to love it though! This is definitely a fun meal with ingredients I wouldn’t have thought to necessarily pair together.