Recipes and Images from Real Delicious by Chrissy Freer, Murdoch Books.

 

Baked Salmon with Cracked Wheat and Goji Berry Salad

“This salmon recipe is guaranteed to impress and dead simple to make. Salmon is loaded with healthy fatty acids, while the salad is a good source of dietary fibre.” (p.165)

 

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

 

Olive oil spray

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) piece salmon, skin on

1/2 teaspoon sumac

Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves and mint leaves, to garnish

 

CRACKED WHEAT AND GOJI BERRY SALAD

175 g (6 oz/1 cup) cracked wheat

200 g (7 oz) green beans, sliced

16 asparagus spears, sliced

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1/4 cup chopped mint

25 g (1 oz/1/4 cup) goji berries

40 g (11/2 oz/1/4 cup) natural almonds, chopped

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sumac

 

TAHINI DRESSING

190 g (63/4 oz/2/3 cup) natural yoghurt

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).

 

Put the cracked wheat in a heatproof bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover it. Soak for 15–20 minutes or until al dente. Drain and press with the back of a spoon to squeeze out the excess moisture. Return the wheat to a large bowl.

 

Whisk together all the ingredients for the tahini dressing and refrigerate until required.

Cut 2 pieces of foil, each twice the length of the fish. Arrange them on a work surface with the long edges overlapping. Spray with oil. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the centre of the foil. Sprinkle with the sumac. Fold in the edges of the foil to form a parcel. Place on a large baking tray and roast for 15–20 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

 

Meanwhile, for the cracked wheat and goji berry salad, steam the beans and asparagus for 2 minutes or until just tender. Refresh under cold running water and drain well. Add to the cracked wheat along with the parsley, mint, goji berries, almonds and lemon zest.

 

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and sumac. Pour over the cracked wheat mixture and gently toss.

 

Transfer the salmon to a serving platter, drizzle with the tahini dressing and sprinkle with parsley and mint leaves. Serve with the cracked wheat and goji berry salad.

 

TIP

You can use burghul (bulgur) instead of cracked wheat. It is finer than cracked wheat, so it will need only 5 minutes to soak.