Honey dijon dressed salmon atop a light and flavorful apple farro salad with fennel, almonds and thyme. A nutritious, delicious meal that comes together in only 30 minutes!
Can you guys believe it's already Wednesday?!
What's crazy to me is that Monday was my last day of work at my clinical job until I start my new job at Cooking Light in 12 days and yet my to-do list has literally tripled. Don't get my wrong, temporary unemployment is pretty blissful, but between planning our trip to Chicago this weekend, packing up our apartment and recipe testing, I feel a little all over the place.
The fact that I accidentally poured CHICKEN STOCK in my oats this morning instead of almond milk is evidence that my brain is a weee bit scattered. 
In times like these, I am BEYOND thankful for easy, healthy 30-minute meals such as this. I absolutely adore everything about this meal. It's simple in nature, yet complex in flavor.
The farro salad is studded with sweet honey crisp apples, aromatic thyme and licorice-scented fennel, all tossed in a zippy citrusy dressing and topped with crunchy almonds. It comes together in a cinch and combines flavors of both late summer and early Fall. It also goes great with just about any protein - fish, chicken (thighs especially!), pork chops, tempeh, etc. 
Salmon is so flavorful and buttery on its own that I don't like to dress it up too much. A simple marinade of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and red wine vinegar does the job beautifully.
Also, friends, if you have the option, always ALWAYs opt for wild salmon over farm raised. You can ensure wild salmon was not pumped with any chemicals, artificial coloring, preservatives, growth hormones and GMOs. If my local grocer or fish monger isn't carrying wild salmon (time of year heavily affects this), I'll choose another fish that is in season or opt for frozen wild salmon instead.
My pals at the American Heart Association urge everyone to consume fish at least twice a week—especially fatty species such as salmon, herring, black cod, mackerel and sardines. Salmon is brimming with vitals nutrients that our bods need and crave for brain, joint, eye and heart health. These flaky pink beauties are naturally rich in:
- anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
- the antioxidant amino acid taurine
- immune-supportive selenium
- muscle and satiety contributing protein
- heart-healthy niacin, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and potassium
- bone-building vitamin D and phosphorus
Major nutrition powerhouses.
SO FLAKY! So unembellished. SO TASTY. Ugh, I love food.
This is the perfect meal to prepare on busy weeknights or laid back weekends. It's rich in protein, heart-healthy fats (have I mentioned that yet?), complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber.
So if you have 30-minutes, a rumbling belly and some Netflix to catch up on, this meal is the ticket!
30 Minute Honey Dijon Salmon with Apple Farro
Ingredients
- 1 lb wild salmon three 5-6 ounce fillets
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- **Apple Farro Salad**
- ½ cup dry farro
- 1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 small apple finely chopped
- ¼ cup shaved fennel ~½ bulb
- Juice of 1 whole orange
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoon slivered almonds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to broil and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Cook farro according to package instructions in chicken or vegetable broth. Once cooked, drain any excess water and set aside to slightly cool. In the meantime, prepare remainder of salad by combining all ingredients in a large bowl and tossing to mix. Mix in farro and set aside.
- Blot salmon with a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt. Place skin-down on prepared baking sheet.
- Whisk fish marinade (red wine vinegar, mustard, lemon and honey) together in a small bowl and coat salmon with half of mixture. Broil salmon for 6 minutes, remove from oven and add remainder of marinade and broil again for ~3 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through. Spoon any remaining pan sauce onto salmon filets for final coat.
- To assemble, spoon one third of farro salad onto a plate and top with one salmon filet. Top with a sprig of fresh thyme (optional) and dig in!
Nutrition
Also! I'm accepting recommendations for Chicago with open arms!! Any cute cafes, smoothie bars or farm-to-table style restaurants you recommend? I'm also going to need to try deep dish (first timer!) and one or two of the city's best donut shops, so if you could hook a sister up with those recs too, I'd be beyond grateful!! 🙂 xoxo
Cynthia Roberson
Broil on what temperature?
dishingouthealth
Broil on HIGH setting. Enjoy!
Kara @ Byte Sized Nutrition
This looks delicious! I always tend to forget about farro.. definitely need to give this recipe a try!
dishingouthealth
Thank you, Kara!! I know, there are so many good grains out there. Farro shined like a rockstar in this salad, though!
Mandy Enright
Looks delish and love the flavors! I'm obsessed with farro! And go to Chicago-Q for brunch when you're in Chi-town. Incredible bloody mary bar and the food was outstanding!
dishingouthealth
OK! Thanks so much for your rec, Mandy! There are SO many delicious options all around us -- so hard to choose! Lol
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
This looks delicious! Great way to break into fall. I've been making a farro salad with blueberries all summer and need to change it up - this is the way to do it!
dishingouthealth
Thank you, Jessica!! Love the idea of adding bloobs to it, too!
Amy
This looks so delish!
dishingouthealth
Thank you, Amy!! It was the perfect segue into Fall salads!
Alissa Rumsey
Farro is my current favorite whole grain - I usually just cook it plain, can't wait to try this take on it!
dishingouthealth
Yess I love the texture of it! Let me know what you think! Xo