Warm Salad of Salmon, Baby Spinach, Orzo and Crispy Capers
By Eshun Mott
* PLUS Cooking time: 10 minutes, Standing time: 5 minutes
Recipe by Eshun Mott, photo by Maya Visnyea
This hearty and healthy salad of salmon, salty capers, baby spinach and fun rice-shaped orzo pasta will get your kids eating their vegetables and omega-3s all at once.
Ingredients
-
1 cup
orzo
-
2 tbsp
olive oil
, divided
-
3 tbsp
canola oil
, divided
-
1/4 cup
capers
, well drained and patted dry
-
400 g
salmon fillets
-
1/4 tsp
salt
, divided
-
1/4 tsp
black pepper
, divided
-
1 tbsp
lemon juice
-
1/4 tsp
grated
lemon zest
-
1 tsp
maple syrup
-
6 cups
baby
spinach
-
2 tbsp
chopped
basil
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 8 min or until al dente. Drain. Transfer to a baking sheet or tray, stir in 1 tbsp olive oil and spread out to cool.
- Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add capers and fry for 2min or until light brown and dried. Remove from pan to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
- Return pan to burner over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tbsp canola oil, and heat until you can see the oil shimmering. Add salmon to pan, skin-side down, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 to 6 min, pressing down on fish occasionally with a spatula, or until salmon looks cooked up the sides. Turn salmon over and fry for 1 to 2 min longer or until fish is cooked to desired degree of doneness. Transfer to a plate and let cool for 5 min.
- Transfer cooled orzo to a serving bowl. Add remaining olive oil, lemon juice, zest and syrup. Toss to combine. Add spinach and basil and toss. Season with remaining 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper. Discard skin, and break salmon into large chunks. Place fish on top of salad and sprinkle with crispy capers.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 493,
- Protein
- 23 g,
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g,
- Fat
- 27 g,
- Fibre
- 3 g,
- Sodium
- 661 mg.
Tip:
Never thought of introducing kids to capers? Frying them makes them super crispy and adds a great crunch.