Wild Rice Salmon Bowls with a Herb Salad

These Wild Rice Salmon Bowls with a Herb Salad ooze freshness and a ton of flavor – you’ll definitely be reaching for seconds.

One bite of these Wild Rice Salmon Bowls with a Herb Salad and I thought I was back in Israel. The fresh, clean flavors of the herb salad together with the creamy yogurt sauce are an amazing blend of zesty and creamy that compliment each other perfectly.

There are so many textures in this dish. The crispy salmon skin, buttery flesh, grainy wild rice, smooth yogurt, leafy herbs, chewy raisins, and crunchy nuts and seeds. These salmon bowls could not get any better, your palate will thank you.

Not a fan of salmon? Any other protein will be wonderful here, really. Steak, chicken, lamb, or even another fish, like branzino.

Want more veggies in your bowls? Sautéed mushrooms, roasted cauliflower, or grilled zucchini would be absolutely wonderful. You can also try my Swiss Chard with Feta, Olives, and Pine Nuts.

Prep Ahead! The rice, nut mixture, and yogurt sauce can all be made ahead of time. The herbs can be prepped and stored together until ready to use as well. All you’ll have to do is cook the salmon and toss the salad.

Ingredient Notes:

• Wild Rice – I love the wild rice in this dish, but any type of rice will do just fine here. Cook to package instructions in a pot on the stove or in a rice cooker.
• Vegetable Stock – Chicken stock or water can also be used to cook the rice, but the stock will give the rice more flavor.
• Pistachios – If allergic to pistachios, you can sub another type or nut, or use pumpkin seeds!
• Sesame Seeds – If allergic to sesame, you can use extra sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds!
• Golden Raisins – Regular raisins, or even dried cranberries can also be used here, if you do not have golden raisins.

Wild Rice Salmon Bowls with a Herb Salad

These Wild Rice Salmon Bowls with a Herb Salad ooze freshness and a ton of flavor – you’ll definitely be reaching for seconds.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Entree

Cuisine Israeli, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Equipment

• Fine Mesh Sieve
• 1 Medium Pot
• 1 Medium Pan
• 1 Small Bowl
• 2 Medium Bowls
• Paper Towels

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup wild rice blend
• 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup pistachios roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 Lemon halved
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 8 oz. salmon fillets, skin on
• Avocado oil
• 2/3 cup packed parsley leaves
• ¼ cup packed dill fronds
• ¼ cup packed mint leaves larger leaves torn into smaller chunks
• ¼ cup golden raisins

Instructions

 

• Place the wild rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse, continuously mixing up the rice with your hand, for 1-2 minutes. Let drain thoroughly, then place rice into a medium pot with vegetable stock, butter, and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (double the salt if doubling the recipe). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low, cover the pot tightly, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, keeping the lid tightly on, and let steam for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil (2 teaspoons if doubling the recipe) and the pistachios and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the sunflower seeds and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the sesame seeds, half the garlic powder, half the cumin, and a pinch of Kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 1-2 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside until ready to use. Keep the pan available for cooking the salmon.
• In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, juice from half the lemon, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil (2 teaspoons if doubling the recipe). Taste and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, also adding more lemon juice, if desired.
• Pat salmon dry with paper towels and let come to room temperature. Season all over with Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and remaining garlic power and cumin. Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to the same pan used for the nut and seed mixture. Set over medium-low heat and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 7 minutes, lightly pressing down on the salmon with a spatula to remove any air bubbles under the skin. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for an additional minute, until skin is crispy. Flip salmon to the other side and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the salmon is cooked to preference.
• While the salmon is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix together the parsley, dill, mint, golden raisins, half the nut and seed mixture, with 3 teaspoons olive oil, and lemon juice to taste (I used juice from a little less than half a lemon). Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Divide the yogurt, rice, salmon, and herb salad between bowls. Garnish with the remaining nut and seed mixture on top, if desired.

Notes

Prep Ahead:

The rice can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or on the stove until completely warmed through. Alternatively, you can also serve the rice at room temperature. 

The lemony yogurt mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Herbs can be prepped and stored together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day ahead of time. 

Nut and seed mixture can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the pantry.

Cook for a crowd:

To make the salmon easier to do for a bigger crowd, adjust rack to top position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pan sear just the skin side, then place the salmon, skin side up, on a parchment lined sheet pan. At this point the salmon can stay at room temperature for up to 1.5 hours. When ready to serve, finish baking the salmon in the oven – the skin will stay nice and crispy this way. 

Make things even easier:

The most hands-off way to make the salmon is broiling it at 500 degrees F for 5-6 minutes. You will lose the same crispy skin, but this is an easier cheat for those not wanting to pan sear on the stove.

Keyword fresh, healthy, Rice Bowl

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