Salmon Orzo Salad with Lemon and Pea Pods

Last Year's Post: Manchego Cheese Quesadilla with Pepper Jam
Two Years Ago:   Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Radicchio Panini

Hello, springtime!  OK, it might not exactly feel like spring where you live, but it's definitely April and that means flowers are right around the corner followed closely by shorts and swimsuits.  Time to put away the lasagna pan and lighten up.  Nothing says spring more to me than lemon, peas and radishes in a light salad with heart-healthy salmon.  If orzo isn't your thing you could substitute rice, quinoa, farro or even a bunch of greens instead.

The reason the recipe calls for pan-searing the salmon is because I like the crispy top crust both for color and texture in the salad.  If you prefer to grill or roast the salmon it would be just as good.

The question has come up (at least in my mind) whether this salad could be made in advance and served cold.  The answer is yes  - I had some salad left over that was just as good the next day, although the orzo absorbed the dressing so it needed some freshening with a squeeze of lemon and a few additional dill sprigs.

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Salmon Orzo Salad with Lemon and Pea Pods

Serves 4

½ lb. fresh salmon filet

1 tablespoon soy sauce

8 ounces orzo pasta

1 cup snow peas, ends trimmed and cut in half

½ cup frozen peas

1/8 cup shallot, minced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons apple cider or white vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

¼ cup radishes, thinly sliced

½ cup radish sprouts

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Fresh dill sprigs, for garnish

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Rub the salmon with the soy sauce and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for one hour.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the salmon, skin side down, to the dry skillet and cook untouched for two minutes.  Carefully turn the salmon over and lower the heat to medium.  Cook an additional 2 minutes, peel the skin off the salmon and flip over.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cover; cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145d.  Cool completely. Break into pieces.

Heat a large pot of salted water. Cook orzo as directed on package to desired doneness, adding pea pods and frozen peas during last 30 seconds of cooking. Drain pasta and peas; rinse in cold water.

In a small bowl, whisk shallot, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.

In large bowl, toss orzo, pea pods, peas, spinach, radishes and radish sprouts with vinaigrette until coated. Add salmon and toss gently to combine.  Serve, sprinkled with almonds and garnished with dill sprigs and lemon wedges.

Hibachi-Style Tuna

Last Year's Post: Spring Green Pasta
Two Years Ago:   Labneh

This is a recipe from the famous grill master Steve Raichlen, who was inspired in turn by the equally famous Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi.  That's enough for me!  Top-quality tuna steaks are marinated in a soy/ginger garlic mixture, then seared and served over an onion/cucumber/sprout mixture with lemony sauce over the top.  Very healthy, and bursting with big flavors.

The small amount of sugar in the marinade caramelizes on the grill, creating beautiful bronzed grill marks and great flavor.  Just be sure not to overcook the tuna - it's best served with a very pink or even red center.  While the tuna marinates for an hour, you can make the sauce and prep the onions, cucumber and sprouts.  It's also a good time to make some white rice to serve on the side and to preheat the grill. You can see below that the tuna picks up a lot of color even from just one hour of marinating.

I found multi-colored radish sprouts at my local store - if you can't find them at your store, try a natural foods store or substitute whatever other sprouts you find.

After the hour is up, all you have to do is a quick sear on the grill, plate and serve.  Note that if it's cold outside or you don't have a grill, you could also sear the tuna in a very hot nonstick pan or on a indoor grill pan and the results will be just as good.

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Hibachi-Style Tuna

Serves 4

4 top-quality tuna steaks, each about 1” thick and 6 ounces

For the marinade:

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sugar

4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

For the sauce:

1 cup mirin

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

For the slaw:

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchstick slivers

1 package (2 ounces) radish sprouts*

Trim any skin or dark or bloody spots off the tuna steaks.  Rinse under cold running water, then blot dry with paper towels.   Place in a large zip-top plastic bag.

To make the marinade, combine the soy sauce, ginger, green onions, ginger and garlic in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Pour this mixture over the tuna, seal the bag and let it marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning the bag several times.

To make the sauce, place the mirin in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and let boil until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and hot red pepper flakes.  Set aside.

To make the slaw, combine the onion, cucumber, and sprouts in a bowl and toss.  Set aside.

Set up a grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate.  Drain the marinade from the tuna and discard the marinade.  Place the tuna on the hot grate and grill until charred on the outside but still quite rare on the inside, 1-2 minutes per side.

To serve, place the slaw on plates and top with the grilled tuna.  Spoon the sauce over all and serve at once.

* If you can’t find radish sprouts, you can substitute alfalfa or sunflower sprouts.