For many people, healthier eating involves incorporating more salads into meals. At the same time, salads mean misery for many people. It doesn't have to be that way. Find joy in a main course salad that won't take forever to assemble and will have you feeling just a bit decadent. The key? Work a lot of different flavors, textures, and colors into your meal. Before you know it, making glorious salads - even in the dead of winter - will be second nature to you.
This particular salad stars a sweet and spicy sautéed salmon fillet. Then, surrounding it are all manner of fresh, sautéed, and air fried produce that make the addition of dressings or the like absolutely optional. In fact, I usually just use my fork to break up the salmon and stir the salad lightly and just dig in. All the flavors in this one play well together and that's more than enough to have me enjoying every last bite.
As a brunch or lunch meal, this salad does it all. It's also a perfectly wonderful light dinner. You can add fruit or a small dinner roll or muffin, but a glass of iced tea or lemonade will also do just fine. If you find you'd like a bit more protein, just add a sprinkling of chopped nuts or roasted seeds on top and you're good to go. Healthy eating is looking downright delicious!
Sweet and Spicy Salmon Salad
- 2 cups mixed vegetables for roasting - I used Brussels sprouts, golden beets, and sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 boneless salmon fillets - preferably skin-on
- ½ small red onion, sliced thin
- 10 oz. mixed salad greens
- 1 medium carrot, shredded coarsely
Prepare the vegetables by cutting them into similarly-sized pieces, tossing with the oil, and sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Air fry them at 400° F for 15-20 minutes or until softened throughout and lightly crisp on the edges. Turn halfway through cooking.
While the vegetables air fry, prepare the salmon and onions. Mix the chili crisp and maple syrup or honey together and brush the mixture on the non-skin side of the salmon fillets. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat and cook the fillets brushed side down for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the fish and add the sliced onions to the pan and sauté, stirring constantly until they are crisp. Cook the salmon until cooked to your tastes. I remove mine from the skillet after 12-15 minutes of cooking in total.
To assemble the salads, divide the salad greens evenly among two serving plates. Nestle the salmon in the center of the greens and arrange the air fried vegetables around it. Place the crispy onions on top of the salmon and sprinkle shredded carrot around the salmon. Serve warm.
- Yields: 2 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes