Salmon-Asparagus Orzo Salad
Originally found at My Recipes.com
6 cups water
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 (1 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat broiler. Put water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from water, reserving water in pan. Place in ice water; drain and set aside.
Bring reserved water to a boil; add orzo and cook until al dente. Combine dill, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salmon fillet and place on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil 5 minutes* or until fish flakes easily with fork.
Using two forks, break fish into chunks. Combine fish, orzo, and asparagus in a large bowl and toss. Season again with lemon juice and olive oil, if desired.
My Notes:
*If you're using a frozen salmon fillet, use the low broiler setting and cook 10-15 minutes, until the center is a light pink. No, I don't really trust raw fish.
A few months ago, I went to a restaurant called Orzo. The menu wasn't fabulous for a kosher-style diet, as most of the dishes contained pork. But, I lucked out and found a broiled salmon fillet over a bed of asparagus orzo. I hadn't really ever had asparagus before, so I was hesitant to get it, but I went for it, thinking I could pick out the asparagus if it came down to it. I actually found that I really liked it. This recipe basically mimics it, except that you break the salmon into the salad.
I changed the original recipe a little by using the 'vinaigrette' to flavor the salmon instead of tossing the whole salad in it. As a result, there wasn't a ton of flavor on the orzo itself, but that was easily fixed by some more lemon juice and olive oil.
And notice! It's not a dairy recipe!
