Orange-Ginger Salmon and Kale Salad

In the weeks since I finished my detox, I’ve kind of doubled down on my less-than-stellar eating habits. Part of it was planned: Nila came to visit me (which obviously means all kinds of gluttony) and I went to Connecticut for one weekend and home for another. And some of it was unexpected: work has been extra busy so I haven’t been able to cook as much during the week, which is problematic since I’m not around on weekends to plan ahead.

Moral of the story: I’ve been eating out frequently and occasionally stress eating and I feel a bit sluggish. I’m sure a month ago, I would barely have noticed the difference, but after the detox I’m much more attuned to how my body is feeling on a day-to-day basis. And I miss the sense of mental clarity and physical lightness that came with eating completely clean. While cake and cava will always be part of my diet #sorryimnotsorry, I’m itching to ditch (most of) the crap I’ve been eating and focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains.*

This orange-ginger salmon and kale salad was borne out of yet another salad craving. I woke up one morning last week with a very specific idea of a salad that I needed to have that day — kale with a carrot-ginger dressing and citrus grilled salmon. To simplify things, I scaled it back to an orange-ginger dressing for both the salmon and the kale, which was a nice blend of sweet and tart and spicy.

Full of healthy food cliches — kale is the “it” vegetable of the moment, salmon has long been a go-to menu option for health nuts, and ginger has been used medicinally for centuries — this salad definitely feels detoxifying. The bitterness of the kale is softened a bit by massaging the leaves with olive oil (I know, I know — I’m hopelessly late to the massaged kale salad trend. I’m always late to the kale parties.) and the crunchiness is a nice textural contrast to the flaky, tender salmon.

Cooking the salmon was a bit nerve-wracking, as I’m still very much a fish novice and was terrified of overcooking a beautiful filet. But thankfully the interwebs are full of pictures of perfectly cooked salmon, and I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I googled every single last one until I was absolutely sure my salmon looked right. And if fish tastes this good when you cook it yourself, I may be expanding my seafood recipe collection exponentially.

*One roadblock: I’m visiting Nila in Detroit at the end of this week, and well, we know how that usually goes. But I’ve gotten some great tips on staying healthy while traveling, which I can’t wait to share!

Orange-Ginger Salmon and Kale Salad
Adapted from The Healthy Foodie and Naked Avocado
Serves 4

For the salmon:

– 2 tablespoons orange zest

– juice of 1/4 of an orange

– 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

– 2 tablespoons scallions, chopped

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 1 pound fresh wild salmon filets, rinsed and patted dry

1) Whisk together the orange zest and juice, ginger, scallions, salt and pepper. Pour over the salmon filets, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I marinated overnight).

2) Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the skin is crisp and has started to pull away from the pan. Using a thin, flat spatula, flip the salmon and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the salmon has cooked all the way through. Turn off the heat and let the salmon come to room temperature.

For the orange-ginger dressing:

– 1 tablespoon orange zest

– juice of 3/4 of an orange

– 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

– 2 tablespoons scallions, chopped

– 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

– 1 tablespoon canola oil (or another lightly flavored oil)

– salt and pepper, to taste

1) Add the orange zest and juice, ginger, scallions and vinegar to a blender. Pulse a few times until combined, then, as the blender is running, pour in the oil. Mix until well combined, then add salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (I made mine two days in advance, which allowed the flavors to meld nicely.)

For the salad:

– 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

– 4 ounces kale leaves, rinsed and patted dry

– 1/2 cup shelled edamame, cooked and cooled*

– 4 ounces snow peas, blanched*

– 1/2 of a cucumber, quartered and sliced

– 2 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

– 2 ounces shredded carrots (I used baby carrots that I sliced into matchsticks)

– 1/2 of an avocado, diced

*I used frozen shelled edamame, and cooked the beans for 3 minutes in boiling water, then added the snow peas and cooked for an additional minute. Then I drained and rinsed under cold water (alternately, you can drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water) before adding to the salad.

1) In a large bowl, massage the olive oil into the kale leaves, until the leaves have darkened slightly and shrunk a bit. Let sit for 10-20 minutes (perhaps while you’re cutting your vegetables hinthint).

2) Toss the cooled edamame and snow peas, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots and avocado with the kale. Add the orange-ginger dressing and toss to coat evenly. Top the salad with the cooled salmon and serve immediately.