Sweet & Spicy Salmon with Citrus Spring Greens

4 servings.

Balanced with a crisp and brightly dressed salad, sweet & spicy salmon showcases the lighter dishes of spring!

Ingredients

• 4 (6-oz.) salmon fillets

Salad Dressing

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 ½ tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp orange zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet & Spicy Rub

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp coarse ground pepper

Salad

• 8 cups mixed spring greens (sweet, tender varieties like Boston, Bibb, baby spinach etc.), cleaned, torn into bite size pieces, chilled
• ½ large seedless (English) cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
• ½ cup cooked, shelled, chilled edamame
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• Segments from 2 large oranges
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped (just before serving)
• ¼ cup pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped

Tip

To prepare orange ingredients: first, zest ½ tsp from orange. Then, carefully cut off the peel and pith. With clean hands, segment the oranges for the salad, capturing the juice in a bowl at the same time. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the juice for the salad dressing.

Directions

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a fitted lid. Shake well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate and allow flavors to meld.
• Preheat oven to 400°.
• In a small bowl, stir together all of the rub ingredients until smooth.
• Line a baking sheet with foil (rapid release foil works really well).  Space the salmon fillets over the foil. 
• Evenly distribute the rub over the tops of the fillets. Using fingers, pat rub onto salmon.  
• Bake 10 – 15 min. depending on thickness and desired doneness.
• Meanwhile, divide the greens evenly among four plates. Top each with cucumber, sugar snap peas, edamame, red onion, orange segments, and avocado. Lightly drizzle each plate with dressing. 
• Top each salad with baked salmon fillet and a sprinkling of pistachios.