Summer Salad with Braaid Salmon, Blood Orange, Olives, Cucumber & Quinoa

Summer Salad with Braaid Salmon, Blood Orange, Olives, Cucumber & Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 4 x fresh salmon fillets (+- 180g each)
  • 1 x blood orange (remove the rind and cut into small segments or slices)
  • 1 x cup of quinoa
  • 2 x cups of cold water
  • 1 x small handful Buffet Green Pitted Olives (cut in half)
  • Half a small cucumber (sliced or cubed according to taste)
  • Some mixed salad leaves (lettuce, rocket and parsley are all good)
  • Ground sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Half a lemon

Method

  1. Prepare your braai until the coals are at a medium to hot heat (3 x one-one-thousands with your hand about 10cm from the top of the braai grid).
  2. While your fire is getting ready, rinse the quinoa using a fine sieve under running cold water for about 30sec. Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium-sized pot (it will grow about 3 x its size when cooked) and add the two cups of cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until all the water has been absorbed keeping an eye on the heat so that you do not burn the quinoa (should take around 10min). At this stage remove the pot from the heat, cover the pot and allow to rest for 5min without removing the lid. Remove the lid and lightly “fluff up” the quinoa using a fork adding a little salt to taste.
  3. Rub a little olive oil all over the salmon fillets gently using your fingers (should just be enough to lightly coat the surface of the fish) season the top of the flesh with some salt and pepper.
  4. Place the fillets skin side down on your braai grid and cook for 5min without turning (you want the skin to go nice and crispy). Turn your fish over and cook the flesh side for about 3-4min (until you see a nice colour and some darker grid marks). Be very careful not to over-cook your fish as it will go dry quickly…you still want your flesh to be nice and juicy and flake apart with a fork. If you like the centre of your fish a little pink, then cut down on the cooking time to your taste.
  5. When cooked, remove the fish from the braai and allow to rest for about 10min.
  6. In a bowl, combine the quinoa (fluffing it up again), olives and cucumber with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Gently mix and season again if necessary.
  7. Place a couple of spoons of the quinoa on a serving plate, place your salmon on top and add your leaves and blood orange segments around and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
  8. Serve and enjoy with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc!