Orange Salmon Salad with Ginger Hot Honey Vinaigrette

• servings: 3 servings
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound salmon filets

fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

10 ounces Romaine hearts, chopped

1 large avocado, thinly sliced

1 large navel orange, zested (for the vinaigrette), peeled and thinly sliced

half of an English cucumber, thinly sliced

half of a small red onion, thinly sliced

toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 to 4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

orange zest (from the orange used in the salad above)

Directions

Make the vinaigrette

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Reduce heat to low. Add the honey, vinegar, orange zest, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and whisk to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to lightly foam, then turn off the heat. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes if desired.

Toast the almonds

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook, tossing occasionally, until toasted and lightly golden. Transfer the almonds to a separate bowl to save for later.

Cook the salmon

Season the salmon filets generously with salt and pepper. Return the sauté pan to the heat. Add the oil, then add the salmon filets flesh-side-down. Cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook the other side for about 2-4 more minutes, until the salmon reaches your desired level of doneness and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.) Transfer salmon to a clean plate, flake into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.

Assemble the salad

Combine the Romaine, avocado, orange, cucumber, red onion, cooked salmon, and half of the toasted almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle evenly with the hot vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Serve. Serve warm, garnished with the remaining toasted almonds and extra sesame seeds, and enjoy!