Love That Heat! Blackened Salmon Salad

My husband and I haunt the only  “restaurant” worth eating at in Clearview, Washington. Chef Chris Cunio is incredible. We’ve taken a few cooking classes from him at his eco-friendly, hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

During our recent move, lacking the energy to cook (much less the supplies), we had the blackened salmon on Chef’s abundant menu. I kid you not, you can get almost any dish you desire, and the food is always fantastic.

I digress. I was inspired by Chef to see if I could duplicate his blackened salmon – although it would be crazy to try.  Omitting the highly caloric noodle dish he served with it, although that was fabulous too, I found two recipes that met my needs.

The first was from B-man Master Chef. B-man didn’t provide a recipe for his salad, so I modified the description of his salad dressing to suit my needs. Then I adjusted e-how.com’s recipe for blackened salmon seasoning to suit a smaller serving size.

What a flavorful,  low calorie, good for you recipe that I would make again in a minute. In fact, it only took minutes. If you like a dish with heat, give this a try.

Happy cooking!

Love That Heat! Blackened Salmon Salad

Serves 2

8 ounces Wild Alaskan Salmon Filets, skin removed
½ small lemon, juiced

Salmon Seasoning:

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
1 dash wasabi powder
1 dash onion powder
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch pepper

1 bag mixed salad greens

Dressing Ingredients:

1 medium orange , juiced
½ tablespoon garlic oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Combine seasoning spices in a small bowl
4. Dry salmon filets and sprinkle with lemon juice. Sprinkle with seasoning spices, using all the spice mixture on one side of the fish and press firmly into the flesh. You should have a nice coating of seasoning spices.
   Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. When the pan is hot, add the salmon seasoning side down. Sear for two minutes, watching closely to make sure it doesn’t burn, just gets richly dark, dark brown. Almost black. Flip and sear another 2 minutes and then remove to the oven. Bake another 5 – 6 minutes until salmon is just cooked through. A knife inserted at the thickest part of the meat should just barely flake the meat apart.
5. Toss salad greens with dressing and serve with salmon.

What’s good for me in this dish?

Salmon is loaded with tryptophan, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, protein, vitamins B3 and B12, phosphorus, and magnesium. Salmon is another powerhouse of nutrition that promotes brain health, heart health and blood pressure. I prefer Wild Alaskan salmon. It’s a bit pricier, but farmed fish contains more inflammatory-producing omega-6 fatty acids, as well as antibiotics to eliminate disease and parasites.  In contrast, wild salmon has more protein, fewer omega-6 fatty acids, and is considerably higher in omega-3 fatty acids. What a powerhouse of nutrition for heart health!

Leafy greens (not iceberg lettuces) are high in vitamins K, A, and C. They also contain folate, manganese, magnesium and potassium. All contribute to heart health, and healthy blood pressure. They also work together to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Full of phytonutrients, leafy greens help protect against cell damage.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 273
Total Fat: 12.49g
Cholesterol: 70mg
Sodium: 365mg
Total Carbs: 13.81g
Dietary Fiber: 3.97g
Sugars: 7.01g
Protein: 25.82g

Weight Watchers Points 6

Nutrition details obtained from whfoods.org, nutritiondata.com, about.com, and abouthomecooking.com.

Last updated by Kristi Rimkus at October 25, 2012.

Tagged as: blackened salmon recipes, blackened salmon salad recipes, cooking light, healthy cooking, healthy recipes, Light Recipes, light salad recipes, Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right, Recipes, salad recipes, salmon recipes, Weight Watchers Points