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Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds and Feta and crispy Seared Salmon

Springtime recipes are here! I’ve been dreaming of a filling salmon salad for awhile, and this one is perfect for those wanting to eat a bit lighter, but not more boring. It still has a bit of sweetness and the toasted almonds add a pop of surprising flavor and texture, and they might be my favorite part of this dish. The salmon is simple - just lightly seasoned and pan seared to make it nice and crispy. This dish is great for patio suppers, quick weeknight family meals (doubled), or just for you to enjoy and have quality leftovers for workweek lunches.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Level: Medium

Ingredients - serves 2

  • 2 filets of salmon

  • 3-4 oz. baby spinach

  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

  • 1 heaping cup of strawberries cut into quarters

  • 1/3 cup of slivered almonds

  • 2 oz crumbled feta

  • 1/2 red onion

  • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

  • 2 tbsp. white sugar

  • 1 tsp. dijon mustard

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

 

  1. Rinse the quinoa off in a fine mesh strainer and add to a small pot. Fill with 1.5 cups of water and a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cover. Let simmer until fully cooked (about 15 minutes or so). Once done, uncover and let cool for a bit.

  2. Meanwhile, prep other ingredients: cut strawberries into quarters, take the 1/2 of a red onion and cut it into THIN slices. Set both aside separately.

  3. Make the vinegar mixture: in a small bowl, combine the balsamic, white sugar, and dijon mustard, along with a 1/2 tsp. of salt. Mix well. The sugar likely won’t dissolve, but that’s ok since we’ll be adding to heat later on.

  4. Once quinoa has had a moment to cool just a bit, add to a large salad bowl, along with the spinach. A little over a half of a classic clamshell of spinach will do. You can add a bit more if you’d like.

  5. In a medium to large sized skillet, heat up over a TICK above medium. With nothing in it! Add the 1/3 cup of slivered almonds once it’s had a minute to begin heating. Toast the almonds on their own. This may take 3-5 minutes depending on your stove top, but keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Wiggle them around, stir a bit, and let them reach a golden brown color. Once toasted, reduce heat to medium low.

  6. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and stir in with the almonds. After 30 seconds, add the thinly sliced red onion and let cook for about 1 minute. Add the vinegar mixture and stir until the sugar gets a little bubbly - might take a minute, but keep stirring. Take off the heat and immediately pour into the salad bowl with the quinoa and spinach. Stir the salad bowl ingredients to fully mix and slightly wilt the spinach from the heat. Let sit while you make your salmon next.

  7. Back to the skillet: turn back up to a tick above medium and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Let heat up for 1 minute. While heating, be sure your salmon is DRY on all sides, and then season with some salt and pepper JUST before adding to the skillet. Add to the skillet skin side up. Let sear for 4 minutes. With a spatula, turn it over to skin side up, and let sear for another 4 minutes. This will bring the salmon to a medium or medium well-ish temperature. Perfect for me! Remove from the skillet and set aside.

  8. Add the final touches to the salad: stir in the strawberries and the feta crumbles. Top with the salmon, or just serve the salmon on the side. Enjoy!