Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Broiled Salmon with Peppercorn Lime Rub and Quinoa Salad

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 5 comments » / fish, quinoa, salmon

We really love to eat salmon. It’s usually quick and easy to prepare. I love all the health benefits of it, and it doesn’t require a crazy recipe to dress it up. You wouldn’t know by looking at my salmon tag how much we love salmon. You see, I bought some salmon rub at Whole Foods, and The Boy absolutely loves it. We fix it a lot because it’s fast. But I’m always looking for different ways to prepare something, so instead of using the same ol’ storebought rub, I began browsing some of my bookmarks for a recipe that would have me preparing salmon in a way we hadn’t before. This recipe lived up to the challenge of having a different taste. I knew instantly The Boy would probably love it, because he loves pepper.

It hardly took any time at all to whip up this simple, yet flavorful rub. In the amount of time I probably would have spent digging in my spice cupboard, I had it mixed together. And the best thing is, I already had every single ingredient for the rub! I guarantee this won’t be the last time I make this! The peppercorn is what hits you first, it’s got it’s own kick. Then the lime really gives it a great, tart contrast. My only problem lies in my own fault. I oversalted it. 🙁 Next time I’ll watch more closely. I used kosher salt, as the recipe calls for, and I think it’s pretty easy to oversalt with the large chunks.

On to the quinoa salad. This was also super simple to prepare. I really love quinoa, and I really don’t prepare it enough. I already had a green pepper on hand, so I just used it instead of the red pepper. I was afraid this would taste too plain, but I didn’t. It complimented the salmon very nicely.

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Broiled Salmon with Peppercorn Lime Rub

from Cooking Light
serves 4

Ingredients:

Salmon:
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Lime wedges (optional)

Quinoa Salad:
1 1/4 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh chive (I omitted)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Salmon:
Preheat broiler.

Place fish, skin sides down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. (I also sprayed the fish with a light spray of cooking spray to help the coating stick.) Combine remaining ingredients except lime wedges; sprinkle over fish. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Quinoa:
Combine chicken broth and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in chopped zucchini and chopped red bell pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Stir in chives, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve alongside salmon.