When you need a little fresh and bright mixed into your fall comfort foods look no further than this Pepita Crusted Salmon Salad recipe! It keeps all the fall feels intact while letting you get in some veggies at the same time. And the roasted pumpkin is SOOOO GOOOOD, it’s like candy on top!
Let’s Make Dinner!
I love an entree salad and this one just might take the cake. I use a little shortcut of a bagged salad mix, but I beef it up with the addition of some roasted pumpkin and some rice along with the roasted salmon.
I start preparing this meal by slicing and roasting the pumpkin. Cut it in half, remove the seeds, and cut it into wedges. Season it up and roast it off.
Then I start the rice, I use ONLY basmati in my kitchen. It is my favorite because it is so easy to cook and turns out just right every time. Bring it to a boil, let it simmer for 5 minutes, then cover and turn off the heat and let it stand 10 minutes and it is perfectly cooked rice every time!
Next prepare the salmon. I start with a glaze so that the crust will stick and add an extra layer of flavor.
Then I quickly pulse up some bread crumbs and pepitas in a food processor to make a delicious crust for the top.
Bake it off in a hot oven so the crust crisps and the salmon cook quickly before anything has a chance to burn. A nice golden brown is what we are looking for here. Then layer up the salad on a platter and top with the cooked salmon.
This Salmon Salad makes the perfect dinner when you need something a little lighter in the fall and you want to get some greens in. This salad mix from Taylor Farms has the little add-ins that help make this salad a little extra special. The bacon and honey almonds add some crunch and flavor that I love.
Pepita Crusted Salmon & Roasted Pumpkin Salad
Ingredients
for the salad:
- 1 pie Pumpkin or diced butternut squash
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Thyme sprig
- Rosmary sprig
- 3-4 Garlic cloves
- 1 C Basmati Rice
- 1 T Butter
- 2 C Chicken Stock
- 1 t Kosher Salt
- 1/4 C White Balsamic Vinegar
for the salmon:
- 4 6 oz Salmon Fillets
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 T Honey
- 1 T Dijon Mustard
- 2 t Olive Oil
- 1/2 C Pepitas toasted
- 1/4 C Panko Bread Crumbs
to assemble:
- 2 pkg Maple Bourbon Chopped Salad Kits from Taylor Farms
- 2 t Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 t Olive Oil
Instructions
for the salad:
- Slice the pumpkin into wedges and remove the stem ends. Toss the wedges in a bowl and coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in a 425˚F oven for 25-30 minutes until the pumpkin is fork tender. Let cool to room temperature.
- To cook the basmati rice, combine the rice, butter, chicken stock, and salt into a small pot. Bring the water to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Give the rice a stir, turn off the heat, and cover with a lid. Let the rice sit covered for 10 minutes. Top the rice with 1/4 C white balsamic vinegar and fluff the rice with a fork and let cool to room temp.
for the salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F
- Season each of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl combine the honey, dijon, and 1 t of olive oil and stir together with a spoon. Spoon the mixture over the salmon and set aside.
- To make the crust, combine the pepitas, panko, and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to combine until the pepitas have broken down into small pieces but are still noticeable. Pat the crust mixture onto the top of the glazed salmon. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the crust has browned and the salmon is cooked to 145˚F.
to assemble:
- Mix the chopped salad greens with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Layer the greens in the bottom of a bowl or on a large platter for serving. Top the greens with the rice, roasted pumpkin, salmon fillets, and the bacon and candied nuts from the salad kit. Drizzle half of the packaged dressing over top and serve the rest on the side. Enjoy!
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MY FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS!
Here are a few links to some of my favorite kitchen tools! You get a car, YOu get a car, YOU ALL GET A CAR…in my best Oprah voice
These Rösle Silicone Tongs are a little pricey but they will last you the rest of your life and are the softest in your hand. This is important for someone like m that cooks so much. It reduces strain, I have 4 sets in my kitchen!
These are my FAVE Nordic Ware Sheet Pans, every kitchen should have at least 2 sets of these! I think I have at least 4 of each of these.
This is my favorite pressure cooker, the Fagor is the same concept as the “Instant Pot” but easier to use in my opinion, if you don’t have one you NEED one, it will be your best friend in the kitchen!
A sharp knife is the most important tool in the kitchen, these Japanese steel “Shun” knives are my favorite! And this is a great starter set to build on. Once you try them you will be in love so use this as a foundation you can build on for years to come.
This Scanpan 11″ skillet is just the right size for almost anything you will need to cook and my best friend and a real workhorse in my kitchen, it’s also a great deal at $99. Scanpan is the best in the world for healthy cooking. It is coated with a proprietary ceramic-titanium coating that is durable while allowing you to use fewer fats and oils when cooking. It is a coating only they use. I could talk all day about my love for these pans, message me if you want more info. Here are some other sizes that are available if you are looking to outfit your kitchen with some new goodies. 8″ & 10″ Skillet set or 8″ Skillet, I still need this one for my kitchen Also, I don’t really know how to cook small so the 12.5″ is my other fave!
This giant vat of olive oil is my favorite, I decant it into a smaller bottle for my counter. Or put this spigot on top of a wine bottle!
My favorite baking dish that is so easy to clean even burnt on cheese slides right off!
This Tovolo jar scraper has to be my single favorite kitchen tool, it is definitely the most used tool in my kitchen. If you are NOT a gadget person, this is the only necessity I say is a MUST beyond the wooden spoon.
A great wood spoon is essential, this Olive Wood one is my favorite, I have more than I can count. But can you really ever have too many?
A food scale can be a very important tool in your kitchen, this one is the one I use every day!
If you love Joanna Gaines as much as I do then the ‘Magnolia Table Cookbook’ is a must in your kitchen, get a copy HERE!
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