This citrus marinated grilled salmon is served on a bed of wilted kale. Top with crunchy, spiced chickpeas, fresh radishes, beets, cucumbers, pistachios and a creamy basil mint avocado dressing. It’s a perfect spring dinner.
I am in love with this salad. The color and crunchy texture. The brilliant acid to fat ratio. Creating a salad that is truly balanced and bursting with flavor is an overlooked art. So much thought is necessary in creating a perfect salad. Is it any wonder that the salad section on restaurant menus are often underwhelming, usual suspects?
And maybe it’s just because people love cobb salads (I mean seriously, blue cheese, bacon, avocado…). While part of me wants to explore the idea here that salads are seen as “woman’s food” and therefore neglected, unimportant parts of a dinner menu, I have committed to efficiency in 2018. Which means less tangents. And more focus on giving you access to easy, healthy recipes. 
Let’s say salads are “woman’s food”, which they’re not but are often stereotyped that way. The salad section is frequently the most thoughtless, over looked portion of a menu. Listen up world! “Woman’s food” deserves better. That means stop putting only female chefs in the garde manger (salad) section of the kitchen. It means putting the same time creating this section as the more “beefy” sections (because you charge the same price, bruh). It means listening to what women want. Which, clue in, is probably not salads and a man.
Woman want to be taken seriously and given respect. The same kind men receive in our culture. And that’s why this grilled salmon salad has a more deserving place on the “woman’s portion of a menu” than say, a cobb salad. Because it took a lot of thought, time, and creativity to come up with. The same as any other recipe I create here.
Men deserve this salad too. All of humanity deserve crispy, ras el hanout chickpeas and creamy avocado dressing. Because you are deserving. And this salad is boss.
This delicious salad will only take 30 minutes, if you do things in the right order. Here are steps to 30 minute, grilled salmon salad success.
- Toss the chickpeas with spices and oil and stick them in the oven for 25 mintues. (3 min)
- Squeeze citrus juices along with olive oil, and salt over the salmon and let it sit for 10 minutes. (3 min)
- Chop up your veg (beets, watermelon radish if you can find it, cucumber, and kale). (5 min)
- Blitz your avocado dressing in a blender. (5 min)
- Throw the salmon on the grill (or stove because winter). (2 min ~ cook for 10-15 min)
- Sauté your kale. (4 min)
- Put everything together!
- Enjoy! Bask in your deservedness. And share the grilled salmon salad love with the people you love.
Click here for the avocado dressing recipe.
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Grilled Salmon Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Avocado Dressing
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Diet: Omnivore, Pescatarian
Description
Flavorful grilled salmon and crunchy chickpeas atop a vibrant salad. A bright avocado dressing ties it all together.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz (425 g) can chickpeas
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 tsp ras el hanout
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 lbs (227 g) salmon
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups (946 ml) kale
- 1/2 watermelon radish
- 1/2 large beet
- Seedless cucumber
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Preheat grill to high.
- Toss chickpeas with ingredients on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, shaking halfway through.
- Place salmon in a container, sprinkle with salt, add citrus juices and oil. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Grill salmon skin-side down for 5 minutes, or until crispy.
- Flip salmon and grill for 2-5 minutes, then turn 90 degrees and cook another 2-5 minutes, or until firm and slightly darker pink inside.
- Chop vegetables and set aside, keeping beets and radishes thinly sliced.
- While salmon cooks, sauté kale with oil and salt over medium heat until wilted and light green.
- Prepare avocado dressing.
- Arrange kale, chickpeas, salmon, and avocado dressing on a plate.
Notes
- For extra crispy chickpeas, don’t overcrowd the baking sheet; bake in two batches if necessary.
- If you don’t have ras el hanout, use a blend of cumin, coriander, and turmeric for a similar warm flavor profile.
- To maximize the flavor and prevent overcooking, ensure the salmon fillets are of consistent thickness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 500
- Fat: 35
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 25
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 10
- Protein: 35
- Cholesterol: 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make the creamy basil mint avocado dressing?
To make the dressing, blend ripe avocados with fresh basil, mint, olive oil, lime juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
What spices should I use for the crispy chickpeas?
Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, smoked paprika, and cumin before roasting them until crunchy.
Can I substitute the kale with another green for the salad base?
Yes, you can use spinach or arugula as alternatives to kale, but adjust the wilting time as needed since they wilt faster.
