For the longest time I would buy the bags of Spring Mix salad at the grocery store. It was a good mix of dark greens, but it seemed like most of the time it would sit in the produce drawer of my fridge and go bad. I love salad, so I couldn’t really figure out why I kept letting this happen. But I kept buying it anyway, and kept throwing away the remains. I hate food waste, truly I do. Then a few grocery trips ago I needed some baby spinach for a recipe, and I saw the Central Market plastic tubs that had a baby spinach and baby kale mix. Hmm…these are both good greens and it couldn’t hurt to mix it up a bit, right? So I bought it. And I’ve been buying it ever since. And I use it all. Every time. It’s like this foreign concept to me after all the time I spent throwing the other bags, half-full, away. Ooh, and I bought a tub of arugula last week and used that all too. Look at me go!
Basically I tell you all of this because if a recipe calls for spinach or kale, chances are you are going to see me mention that I used both. Because it would be insane for me to try to pick out just one of them from my lovely little tub, now wouldn’t it?? This salmon recipe is one that I used the mixture in, and it was dee-vine!
While I often prefer my greens “fresh” and uncooked, there is something lately that I’m loving about mixing them in with rice or some other carb-y side dish. The marinade for the salmon had just the right hint of flavor to really enhance the fish, but no overwhelm the taste-buds. Another dish that can be thrown together in the time it takes you to make your rice – whether that be the good ol’ 30 minutes to done, or 10 minutes for minute rice! Ok, the latter would take closer to 20 since you have to let the salmon sit in the marinade while you cook the rice, but you get my drift, right? Good. Now get in the kitchen and make this dish!
Well…not if you’re reading this at 6 am…that would be a weird breakfast. But soon!
- 4 tbsp lime juice, separated
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 salmon fillets
- 2 cups of cooked brown rice
- 1/2 lb baby kale (or baby kale/spinach mix)
- 3 scallions diced
- About 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- Kosher Salt
Preparation
- In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, half the cilantro, and a pinch of salt to make the marinade.
- Place the salmon in a shallow glass dish (or a large reusable plastic bag) and pour the marinade over the top. Set aside while you prepare the rice, according to the package instructions.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the kale, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a pinch or two of salt. Cook for about a minute until wilting.
- Add the scallions, brown rice, cilantro, remaining tablespoon of lime juice and another pinch of salt. Stir to combine everything and allow the flavors to come together.
- Meanwhile, heat a second skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Remove the salmon from the marinade, reserving the marinade for later. Place salmon in skillet and cook, skin-side down first if it has skin, 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness, until cooked through. After the first flip, remove any skin with a pair of tongs and pour any leftover marinade over the fillets.
- Spoon a generous helping of the rice and kale mixture onto each plate and top with a salmon fillet.
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