Monday, November 15, 2010

Grilled Pesto Salmon-Orzo Salad



Have you ever tried a recipe and expected NOT to like it? Yeah well, I have. It's not that I pick a recipe and think "that looks disgusting! I'm gonna make it!" Usually it starts out looking good, fun, or adventurous, but as it all comes together in the kitchen, it becomes pretty apparent that this wasn't the dish for us. That's kind of how I felt walking into this one. It has all the makings of a delicious dish, but once all of the ingredients were bought and my sleeves were rolled up, I just wasn't feeling that confident.

I love it when my instincts are wrong, at least in this scenario. Not only did I love it, my slightly picky husband and really picky kids loved it. A hearty, yet fresh and light salad that is full of flavor and texture. I really loved the roasted sweet bites of cherry tomatoes, with the salty salmon and orzo, creamy beans and bitter arugula. Such a great blend of flavors. If you're looking for a break from all of the comfort foods of fall, I highly recommend this one!


Grilled Pesto Salmon-Orzo Salad
From Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 6 oz skinless salmon fillets
1/4 cup commercial pesto, divided
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 (1/2 inch thick) sweet onion slices
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
cooking spray
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups firmly packed arugula
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Brush fish evenly with 2 tablespoons pesto; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon pesto over onion slices. Toss tomatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon pesto, and place on a 12-inch square of heavy-duty foil. Fold edges of foil up around tomatoes to form a bowl, keeping tomatoes in a single layer. (Do not completely enclose).

2. Place salmon, onion slices, and foil bowl with tomatoes on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 14 minutes, or until salmon is desired degree of doneness, onion is tender, and tomatoes begin to burst, turning salmon and onion after 7 minutes.

3. Cook Orzo according to package directions. Drain. Combine orzo, beans, arugula, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

4. Using a fork, gently break salmon into large chunks, and chop onion slices. Combine Orzo Salad with Arugula and White Beans, salmon, onion, tomatoes, and accumulated tomato juice. Toss gently; sprinkle with pepper. Serves 6

P.S. The Oatmeal, one of my favorite websites I visit for a laugh just came out with THIS new sketch. It's called Why I Don't Cook at Home. Something you probably can't relate to, but I imagine you'll get a kick out of it just the same!

18 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

It's still warm here, so I love this!

Val said...

Oh my....this looks divine. Newest follower. Happy Monday.

Deborah said...

I love it when a recipe turns out better than you expect!!!

Pam said...

It's so great to have a recipe turn out better than expected. This salad looks light and healthy.

Jennifer said...

I call fish "punishment food", LOL. I would be apprehensive on this one as well, but I have to say it looks delish!

Erica said...

Oh- TOTALLY been there. I've been halfway through a recipe and though....oh gosh, what else do we have in the fridge in case this turns out terrible? How underrated is orzo? Love that little pasta. Great dish!

chow and chatter said...

wow this salad rocks so pleased you all liked it

MaryBeth said...

I for one simply love salmon and I have just found that I really like pesto so this dish makes perfect sense to me and sounds great!

Leslie said...

yummy! gotta love it when the kids like it too!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

LOL, it is nice when that happens especially when so often you look forward to a recipe only to find it is not as good as you thought it would be.
~ingrid

Missy said...

I must buy Orzo and try this. Looks so yummy!

Missy
http://throughanindielens.blogspot.com/

♥peachkins♥ said...

this looks like a really light meal...

Unknown said...

Hi,

Love the sald...Looks great...:)

Dr.Sameena@

http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

Reeni said...

That happens a lot in my family too! I love everything about this! The way you describe all the flavors has my mouth watering.

Kim said...

I'm so happy to hear that your kids ate this! That's awesome :) I would love this dish, but my kids are another story in general...getting them to eat certain things is a real struggle.
This sounds wonderful!

theUngourmet said...

This looks so bright and flavorful and I just love that arugula is included in the list of ingredients. My husband doesn't like salmon but I sure do. :)

Alissa said...

Ohhh i love the oatmeal...i was dying, I feel like that guy every freaking day! LOL!!!! Great dish BTW:)

Heide Mc.™ said...

So healthy, yet so satisfying.