Clean Eating: Salmon with Nicoise Salad Recipe

You’ve heard all the great things about salmon—the high protein content and healthy fats—but I’ve found that most guys (for a time, myself included) don’t keep fish in regular rotation because it doesn’t fill you up.

Even a fatty fish like salmon can leave you wanting; as the center of attention on a dinner plate, it just doesn’t do the trick the way that chicken and steak do.

The problem, as usual, is a flavor deficit; the more flavorful your meals are, the more satisfying they’ll be, which is especially key when you’re trying to get lean.

In this salmon with niçoise salad recipe, we don’t just hit the salmon with salt and pepper and throw it on a grill; we serve it on a niçoise salad with hard-boiled eggs, grape tomatoes, olives, green beans, and red and yellow peppers.

With shallots, parsley, oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes adding depth of flavor, you’ve got a delicious clean meal that will satisfy with a relatively low overall caloric impact.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 five-ounce salmon fillets
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 ½ cups niçoise olives, minced
  • 1 small red pepper, diced
  • 1 small yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • Juice from 3 lemons
  • 3 frisée lettuce heads, halved
  • 2 bunches watercress, halved
  • 1 cup red bliss potatoes, boiled and quartered
  • 1 cup French green beans, blanched and cut
  • 1 cup cooked artichokes, quartered
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup boiled egg, chopped
  • 1 lemon

Directions

  • FOR SALMON: Preheat an oven to 350.
  • Add 2 tbsp oil to a hot nonstick pan. Lightly season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and add to the hot oil. Sear for 3 minutes on each side.
  • Put the salmon in a baking pan and place it in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside while assembling salad.
  • FOR DRESSING: Combine 1 cup of olives, red and yellow peppers, shallots, parsley, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Stir until well mixed. The finished dressing is called Salmoriglio sauce.
  • FOR SALAD: Place the frisée, watercress, potatoes, 1/2 cup olives, French green beans, artichokes, and tomatoes in a mixing bowl.
  • Lightly coat the salad with the dressing.
  • PLATING: Place the salad on one half of the plate, salmon on the other, and garnish with chopped egg.
  • Spoon a small amount of dressing onto the salmon and place a lemon wedge on the side.
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