Grilled Salmon Blue Cheese Salad
Who says cooking for one needs to be uninspiring? Quick and easy to make, this restaurant worthy Grilled Salmon Blue Cheese Salad is so good, you’ll wish you were eating alone more often!
Cooking for one can be challenging at times… we don’t always feel like going through all kinds of trouble if it’s only gonna be for just us, right? Well, that doesn’t mean that you must resort to eating peanut butter toasts or even worse, KD! You can make amazingly delicious and restaurant worthy food in just minutes, without dirtying the entire kitchen!
Like this amazing Grilled Salmon Blue Cheese Salad for instance! This salad, it explodes with a plethora of flavors and textures! And did I mention just how incredibly nutritious is happens to be?
Now some of you will probably find it to be a little bit high in calories, and that’s to be expected because well, it contains a lot of highly nutritious but calorie-dense ingredients… You could very easily make changes if wanted to reduce the number of calories in your personal serving, like for instance use a smaller piece of fish, pass on the avocado or skip the almonds, maybe?
You could also use less of the dressing — or none at all, ‘cuz seriously you don’t even need it — as the heat from the asparagus and grilled salmon sort of melts the cheese and wilts the arugula and mushrooms, which sort of brings the salad together and gives it that creaminess that’s usually brought forth by the dressing.
Likewise, this would make for a fantastic Keto meal… simply lose the honey in the vinaigrette and that carb count will come way down for ya!
Oh, and if you’re not a fan of blue cheese? By all means, replace it with goat cheese or just plain leave it out… you’ll simply have to rename the dish, that’s all!
But I’m not gonna resent you for that…
To start, in a small pan set over low heat, toast the sliced almonds until golden and fragrant, tossing them frequently to keep them from burning, which should take about 5 minutes.
If you’re good at multitasking, you can move on and get working on the other steps while this is happening… if you’re not all that great at it, I suggest that you keep all your focus on your almonds until they’re done… these things they burn faster than you can blink your eyes. One second they’re all creamy and white, the next they’re all black and charred!
Your next step will be to heat some olive oil in a non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat.
While that’s happening sprinkle the salmon generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon fillet on one side and asparagus on the other side, and cook until a nice golden crust forms on the fish, about 3-4 minutes per side; toss the asparagus around from time to time to keep them from burning.
While the fish and asparagus are cooking — don’t forget to keep an eye on your almonds if you’re multitasking — make the dressing by combining all the ingredients for it in a small glass container or measuring cup and whisk until well blended and slightly emulsified.
Arrange the arugula at the bottom of a shallow bowl or plate; top with mushrooms and avocado slices.
Top your salad with the fish and asparagus as soon as they are cooked to your liking, then sprinkle with sliced almonds and crumbled blue cheese.
Garnish with a pinch of micro-greens, if you so desire — and happen to have some on hand — just ‘cuz you know, micro-greens, they make everything so pretty!
Drizzle as much or as little of that vinaigrette as you want over your salad at the moment of serving.
And finally, the moment has come to just dig in!!!
That was easy, was it not? And much better than peanut butter toasts, isn’t it?
Grilled Salmon Blue Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 oz salmon fillet, skin removed
- Sprinkle salt and pepper
- 4-5 spears asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
- 2-3 cups arugula
- 2-3 button mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 1 oz blue cheese, crumbled
- 2-3 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
- pinch micro-greens
Vinaigrette
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp unpasteurized honey
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small pan set over low heat, toast the sliced almonds until golden and fragrant, tossing them frequently to keep them from burning, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon fillet on one side and asparagus on the other side, and cook until a nice golden crust forms on the fish, about 3-4 minutes per side; toss the asparagus around from time to time to keep them from burning.
- While that's happening, combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small glass container or measuring cup and whisk until well blended and slightly emulsified. Set aside.
- Arrange the arugula at the bottom of a shallow bowl or plate; top with mushrooms and avocado slices. When the fish and asparagus are cooked to your liking, place them on top of the salad, then sprinkle with sliced almonds and crumbled blue cheese. Garnish with a pinch of microgreens, if desired.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette all over your salad at the moment of serving.
Nutrition
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2 Comments on “Grilled Salmon Blue Cheese Salad”
You are so right about not wanting to make an effort when cooking for one. This recipe is certainly worth considering since it is healthy and only takes 20 minutes to make.
All these recipes look amazing and are making my hungry tummy even MORE starving 🙂 delish! Enjoy your weekend on the coast, girl!