Salmon, kale and quinoa bowls with tahini sauce

For even more healthy protein and omega-3s in this dish, you can add a tablespoon of hemp seeds to the quinoa, which will blend right in. The salad keeps really well as a make-ahead side for the week, as does the tahini yoghurt sauce you’ll want to generously douse it in.

Credit: Phoebe Lapine

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 bunch Tuscan or dinosaur kale, thick stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• olive oil
• sea salt
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if canned
• ¼ cup dried currants, cranberries or cherries
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
• 4 x 115 g salmon fillets (skin on)

Sauce

• ¼ cup tahini paste
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup Greek yoghurt
• ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then let stand covered for 10 minutes off the heat. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, combine the kale, carrots, lemon juice, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon sea salt. With clean hands, toss the kale until very well coated in the lemon and oil. Add the cooked quinoa to the kale along with the chickpeas, dried fruit and hemp seeds (if using). Mix until well-incorporated and taste for seasoning.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet. Pat the salmon dry and season with salt. Cook the salmon skin-side down over high heat until nicely browned, 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and cook for another 2 minutes, until opaque up the sides.

Divide the quinoa between 4 bowls and top with the seared salmon.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. Add more water as necessary to make the sauce drizzle-friendly. Spoon over the fish and serve immediately.

Note 

• The quinoa and tahini sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. 

Recipe from Feed Me Phoebe by Phoebe Lapine, with photographs by Phoebe Lapine.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.