Grilled Salmon with Orange Vinaigretteand quinoa / watermelon and feta arugula salad
This fresh, citrusy meal was first featured in 2017. In the former version we served the salmon and salad with bulgur, but this time we're using quinoa.
Ingredients
- Shallots - 1 clove, diced
- Orange juice - 1/4 cup (fresh squeezed or store-bought)
- Vinegar, red wine - 2 Tbsp
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Honey - 2 tsp
- Oil, olive - 1/4 cup
- Quinoa, uncooked - 3/4 cup
- Stock, any type - 1 1/2 cups
- Salmon - 1 lb
- Orange Vinaigrette (ingredients listed separately) - ~1/3 cup
- Watermelon, seedless - 10 oz, cubed
- Mint, fresh - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
- Orange Vinaigrette (ingredients listed separately) - ~1/3 cup
- Arugula - 5 oz
- Cheese, feta (opt) - 3 oz, crumbled
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Quinoa - (Double if making Thursday night’s meal.) Combine quinoa with stock in a saucepan. Add some salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make orange vinaigrette - Dice shallots. Combine with orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, and honey. Whisk in olive oil. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Marinate salmon - (If prepping right before cooking get grill / oven heating when salmon is nearly finished marinating.) Rinse salmon and pat dry. Place in a baking dish and pour vinaigrette (just the portion for the salmon) over top, turning salmon to coat. Cover baking dish and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Watermelon / Mint - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Make
- If cooking on a grill: Heat grill to 500F / 260C degrees. Brush grates with some oil. Discard marinade and season salmon with some salt and pepper. Place salmon, skinless-side down, on hot grates. Flip salmon after 4 to 5 minutes (if you oiled the grates and they were very hot, the salmon should release without sticking). Continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes with the lid closed until salmon flakes easily with a fork.
- If cooking in the oven: Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees. Season the top of the salmon with some salt and pepper. Roast salmon directly in the pan with marinade until it flakes easily with a fork, 12 to 18 minutes depending on thickness (1” / 2 1/2 cm should take about 14 minutes).
- Toss remaining orange vinaigrette (portion for the salad) with arugula, watermelon, mint, and crumbled feta.
- If you made the quinoa ahead and would like it warm, reheat in the microwave (reserve half if doubled).
- Serve salmon over quinoa with salad on the side. Enjoy!
Reviews
This meal has 31 reviews
Loved the sides, thought the salmon a bit dull. Would definitely turn the marinade into a sauce next time to drizzle over the salmon.
The salmon was delicious; loved the vinaigrette, and it was great on the salad as well! I particularly liked that it was grill-friendly in the middle of a heat wave.
Fantastic, loved the vinaigrette. Used fresh squeezed OJ. Delicious
I cooked the salmon on the stovetop and boiled the marinade down in a separate pan to make a sauce. Very tasty.
Grilling was the way to go on this one!
This far exceeded our expectations! Absolutely delicious in every way yet so healthy! The only change we made is adding tomatoes to the salad and eating the melon for afters. Yum!