I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I don’t think that we need to start pretending to like lettuce wraps just because we feel bad about all the honeyed ham and mashed potatoes we packed in over the holidays. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good pile of wholesome veggies.
Enter: the salmon bowl at The Russell. It’s built a little like a BLT, with plump cherry tomatoes, bacon, sliced avocado and goat cheese over a heaping mound of arugula and quinoa and topped with a beautiful salmon filet fresh off the grill.
“It’s the dish for someone who thinks, ‘If I have a salad, I’ll be hungry in an hour,’” says Heather White, who co-owns The Russell with partner and executive chef Amante Domingo. “No risk of that here.”Each bite is a pleasure: finely chopped crisp bacon and toasted hickory-smoked almonds are tossed through the salad with an herb-packed vinaigrette, rounding out every bite with bursts of salty lardon and sweet nuts.
“Amante and I never wanted to pigeon-hole ourselves as a health restaurant because we didn’t want to limit ourselves,” White says. “We have a really delicious burger and an indulgent dessert selection. But we designed our menu around clean, farm-fresh ingredients. With the salmon bowl, you’re getting heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the quinoa and salmon, plus healthy oils and nuts.”
GO: The Russell on Main, 3141 Main St., KCMO. Open 9 am-9 pm Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays.
Salmon Bowl
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 30 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 45 MINS
SERVINGS: 2
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups unsalted chicken stock
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
Olive oil to taste
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 large handfuls of arugula
4 slices crispy chopped bacon
2 salmon fillets (about 3-4 ounces each, 1 ½ inches thick)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1 tbsp. your favorite vinaigrette
¼ cup soft goat cheese crumbles
¼ cup slivered almonds
Directions
1. Combine chicken stock and quinoa in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, then set aside to cool.
3. Season salmon with salt and pepper. In same pan with bacon fat, add fillets to pan skin-side down and cook 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 6 more minutes or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion reaches 130°.
4. While salmon is cooking, finely chop bacon.
5. Split arugula between two shallow bowls.
6. In a large bowl, toss together cooled quinoa, cherry tomatoes, avocado and bacon pieces with dressing and place an even amount over the arugula.
7. Top each bowl with salmon and finish with goat cheese and almonds.
