Roasted Beetroot and Salmon Quinoa Salad
- Savory
- Light
- Stovetop
- Oven
Sweet roasted beetroot and flaky salmon over quinoa and rocket, finished with a bright lemon and dill dressing. A light, high-protein dinner that looks as good as it tastes.
- Total
- 74 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 54 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Roasting · Emulsifying
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C.
~10 min
-
Scrub the beetroot, trim the ends and cut into 2 cm wedges. Toss on a baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil and 0.25 tsp salt, spread in a single layer and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 35 minutes.
~35 min
Spreading the wedges in a single layer lets hot air circulate so they caramelise at the edges rather than steam and turn soft.
Roast the beetroot cut-side down and give it space on the tray so the edges caramelise instead of steaming.
Roasting Give vegetables and fish room on the tray and roast at high heat so surfaces brown and caramelise; crowding steams them pale and soft.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the beetroot roasts, rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve. Put it in a small pot with 300 ml water and 0.25 tsp salt, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Take off the heat and let it stand covered for 5 minutes.
~18 min
Rinsing washes off bitter saponins on the surface, and the covered rest lets residual steam finish the grains evenly.
-
While step 2 cooks
Zest the lemon into a small bowl, then squeeze in 2 tbsp lemon juice. Whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper to make a dressing. Chop the dill finely and stir half of it into the dressing.
~5 min
Whisking the oil into the lemon juice a little at a time disperses it into tiny droplets, so the dressing emulsifies and stays glossy instead of splitting.
Emulsifying Add the oil gradually while whisking so it breaks into tiny droplets and the dressing thickens and clings; pouring it all at once makes it split.
-
Pat the salmon fillets dry and season both sides with the remaining 0.25 tsp salt. When the beetroot has 12 minutes left, push it to one side of the tray and lay the salmon on the other side. Roast until the salmon flakes easily and reaches 63°C at the centre, 10 to 12 minutes.
~24 min
Drying the skin and surface lets it brown rather than steam, and pulling the salmon at 63°C keeps it moist as it carries on cooking off the heat.
Roasting Give vegetables and fish room on the tray and roast at high heat so surfaces brown and caramelise; crowding steams them pale and soft.
-
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and spread it over a large serving bowl. Scatter over the rocket, then add the roasted beetroot and the salmon, breaking the salmon into large flakes.
~3 min
Dress the quinoa while it is still warm so it soaks up the lemon juice and stays fluffy rather than clumping.
-
Spoon the lemon and dill dressing over the salad and scatter with the remaining chopped dill. Serve warm.
~2 min
