Asian Wild Rice and Salmon Salad

Why Wild Rice and Salmon Salad?

As a child I hated rice – overcooked and gluggy, under seasoned and too plain boring. Unless it was in a stir fry or covered with sauce I would just not touch it.

Everything changed when I was introduced to brown and wild rice. Unlike white rice, which can easily become starchy and soft, brown and wild rice always cooks perfectly. Besides being easy to cook, it also has a delicious nutty flavour, making it the perfect base for salads.

This salad is simple to make, delicately studded with pink salmon and brown hues of the wild rice, it is fresh and tasty (personally I think it tastes even better the next day). If you are in a hurry canned tuna will work just as well (I always use tuna in oil, never brine), however salmon adds a delicate sweet flavour with a delicate texture.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ cup wild rice, washed and rinsed
2 x 250g salmon fillets
150g green beans, blanched and trimmed
6 spring onions, finely sliced
½ cup coriander leaves, picked

For the dressing
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce


Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Mix the sesame oil, brown sugar and soy sauce. Rub on the salmon and marinate for 20 minutes.

Place on a line baking tray and back for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is just opaque.

In the meantime, place the rice in a medium saucepan and cover with 3 ½ cups of cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the grains pop open (topping up with a little more water if needed).

Drain and refresh.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and season.

To serve, remove the skin from the salmon and flake. Toss through the rice, spring onions, green beans, coriander and the dressing.

Serves 4-6.

Bon Appetite