Salmon is roasted with a spice rub, then laid on a salad of romaine and kale and tossed with a delicious warm ginger vinaigrette dressing and topped with crunchy almonds. This wonderful year round lunch or dinner is from Jessica Merchants blog “How Sweet Eats”. If that name sounds a lot like the title of a James Taylor song, it’s because she admits to an “unnatural obsession” with him. (She needs to meet my husband.) Her third cookbook is called Everyday Dinners.
1 pound salmon
1 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. smoke paprika
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 cups chopped kale
1 tsp. olive oil
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/3 cup roasted, salted almonds, chopped
Hot Ginger Dressing :
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
1 small shallot, diced
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. red wine or apple cider vineger
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Stir together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, coriander, garlic powder and pepper. Rub the spice mix all over the top of the salmon.
Roast the salmon for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork and is opaque.
While the salmon is roasting, place the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with the 1 tsp. of olive oil and massage the kale. This helps break it down and it will be less bitter. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you make the hot ginger dressing.
To assemble the salad, toss the romaine lettuce in with the kale. Drizzle the greens with the dressing and toss. Add the salmon and almonds on top. Serves 2
Hot ginger dressing: Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the sesame oil. Stir in the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the vinegar, honey and soy sauce. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
This dressing can be refrigerated and used warm or cold! To reheat, just heat in a skillet for 1 to 2 minutes until warm. I made this without the kale to save a trip to the store, so will try the kale massage technique another day!
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