Salmon over Grains

The advantage of these dishes is you do not need to skin the fillet. You poach the portions of salmon on top of the grain as it steams, and once cooked pealing off the skin is easy.

Because of wild sockeye’s full taste, for me whole grains such as farro (whole kernel wheat) and whole kernel pearl barley taste better with salmon than even Jasmine brown rice.

Grain

  • 1 medium oinion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • Cup of farro or pearl barley
  • 2 cups water or broth
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Salad

  • 2 small heads of radicchio
  • 1 basket of cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 bunch of kale
  • 1 medium cucumber
  • 1 pack of dill
  • 3 limes
  • 1tbl olive oil
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Dice a medium onion and add three tablespoons of olive oil to a fry pan and fry at medium heat until onion is translucent. The fry pan you start with is the one you will end with so make sure it is 12 to 14-inches and has a lid. Add three cloves of diced garlic to the onions and cook a few minutes longer. Now add a cup of farro or pearl barley, turn heat up to medium-high and stir a few minutes lightly browning the grain and onions and sucking up the oil.  Add two cups of water or broth and stir in.

Rinse your fillet under water and cut into 2-inch strips leaving skin on and arrange the salmon pieces on top of the farro/barley and put the lid on to simmer. It will take about 30-minutes for the grains to hydrate, you can check by looking at how much moisture remains in the pan. Once the grains are cooked, the salmon portions will be done. Peal the skin off and place salmon on a plate.

While the grain is simmering start the salad. Slice the radicchio thinly; using a guillotine slicer makes this quick work. Cut a handful or two of tomatoes into halves or quarters. Slice the kale thinly. Half the cucumber and remove the seeds, then quarter and thinly slice. Dice the dill. Stir ingredients together in a bowl adding olive oil, the juice of three limes and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve grains and salad together with a piece of salmon. The bitterness of the radicchio and cucumber is a great contrast to the grain and salmon. If radicchio is too bitter substitute for arugula.