Every year, I have to have this spring quinoa salad with roast salmon at least once. There’s crunchy snap peas, persian cucumbers, and mint in the salad, and I pair it with the easiest but seriously most delicious roast salmon ever.
I coat the salmon in a thin layer of mayo, which helps give it a really nice crust and helps keep the salmon really tender. We top off the salmon with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon, and it’s just divine.
As part of our meal delivery menu, I also included some roast spring vegetables like parsnips, radish, and carrots. The roasted veg are totally optional since we already have veg in the quinoa salad, but I loved having the tender pieces roasted vegetables to pair with everything else.
The last component that really makes this meal special is the sourdough bread. This meal feels healthy. Don’t get me wrong – it tastes delicious, but there are also lots of “tastes good for you” things in this meal. Adding some sourdough bread and butter balances out that healthy feeling (in a good way), and it’s just a nice treat to have with this elegant dinner. Take it or leave it, the choice is yours.
Parsnips! Let’s talk about them.
What are they?
Parsnips are a root vegetable. They are in the same family as carrots, but have a more sweet and rooty flavor profile to them. When they are roasted, they taste like a combination between a carrot and a sweet potato. It has a slight nutty flavor to it, and it goes really well with a roasted fish like salmon.
How to prep and cook them?
Parsnip can be prepared and cooked like any root vegetable. To prep them, I rinse them well and give it a slight scrub. You don’t need to peel the skin on parsnips, and it’s actually better if you don’t since the sweetest part of the vegetable is right under the skin.
When parsnips are small and young, the entire parsnip is quite tender. If they’re larger (imagine bigger than 1.5” wide in diameter), you can also take out the center of the parsnip. This can become tough and fibrous. I would not recommend eating parsnips raw.
To cook the parsnips, I love to roast them. It’s is probably the most common and easiest way to cook them, but you could also boil them like potatoes or steam them. I also like to roll cut the parsnips so that they have a nice long and slim shape to them. The trick to roll cutting is to angle your knife to make a first bias cut. Then, roll the parsnip and make your remaining cuts always directly in the center of your last cut.
Use high heat (400 – 425F), drizzle the parsnips with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for 15-20 minutes. When finished, they should be easily pierced with a fork or knife and nice and tender inside.
Some other FAQ about parsnips:
- When are parsnips available?
- Parsnips are usually available from fall – spring. The parsnips available during the spring tend to be extra special, as they were underground all winter and their starches turned into sugars.
- How to store parsnips?
- Store uncut parsnips in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Where can I get them?
- In the produce section of the grocery store next to herbs is usually where I’ve seen them at Whole Foods, or at a farmers market or CSA box!
How to make the Spring Salmon Dinner feat. Parsnips – Step by Step:
This is just a high level overview with photos. Refer to the full recipe below for exact instructions and measurements.
Step 1: Make the Quinoa.
Step 2: While the quinoa is cooking, prep all the vegetables for the quinoa salad and the roasted vegetables.
Step 3: Toss the roasted vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400F for 15-20 min.
Step 4: Add the salmon to a parchment lined pan, season, coat with mayo, and the aromatics (scallion and lemon zest). Roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Once the salmon is cooked, top with a squeeze of lemon juice and the remaining mint and dill.
Step 5: Toss the quinoa salad.
Step 6: Plate the salad on one side, the roasted veg on the other, and salmon on top.
Cooking tips to note
- You can keep this filet whole and just use a fork or spoon to flake off a portion when you serve it.
- The cooking time on your salmon may vary based on the thickness and quantity. If you’re using a thin piece of salmon (~1” thick), check it after 10 minutes. If you’re using a filet of salmon that is 1.5 – 2” thick and 24 ounces in weight like the recipe calls for, it will likely need 15-20 minutes. I always check for doneness of salmon by using a meat thermometer and checking the internal temperature at the thickest part for 135F.
- You can make this vegetarian by using portobello mushrooms instead of salmon. I did this for the supper club and IT WAS DELISH! Yes – still just coat the mushrooms in mayo, and it’ll develop delicious crust.
- If cooking quinoa the “rice method” like how I describe below freaks you out, you can boil it like pasta. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil, salt, and then add your quinoa. Cook for 12-14 minutes, taste, then drain and rinse until cool. I actually used this method for cooking a large batch of it for the supper club since I didn’t want to risk having mushy quinoa (and this tends to happen with large batches of grains).
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store the cooked salmon and roasted in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store the quinoa salad separately. The quinoa salad will last for 4-5 days if you don’t toss it with the lemon juice, salt, and olive oil.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 400F until warm, about 5 minutes. The quinoa salad can be eaten cold or at room temperature.
Substitutions or modifications
- quinoa – can use white or tricolor quinoa, farro, or even orzo.
- snap peas, cut into small pieces – can substitute snow peas or frozen and defrosted peas
- persian cucumbers, diced – can use any thin skinned cucumber, jicama, celery, or fennel
- mint – sub cilantro, basil, chives, or parsley. highly recommend using a fresh herb
- jalapeno – can skip or sub green bell pepper
- lemon juice – can use a vinegar (champagne or white wine), or sub the lemon juice and olive oil with a lemon vinaigrette you might already have
- parsnips – sub sweet potatoes or asparagus
- carrot – can skip or sub daikon
- radish bulbs – can skip or sub fennel
- 24 ounces salmon – can sub 12 ounces of portobello mushrooms
- scallions – skip or sub green garlic
- 2 tablespoons mayo – can skip or sub 1 teaspoon of olive oil
VIDEO TUTORIAL:
Spring Salmon Dinner feat. Parsnips
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Every year, I have to have this spring quinoa salad with roast salmon at least once. There’s crunchy snap peas, persian cucumbers, and mint in the salad, and I pair it with the easiest but seriously most delicious roast salmon ever.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 8 ounces snap peas, cut into small pieces
- 3 Persian cucumbers, diced
- 1/2 bunch mint (about 1/4 cup chopped)
- 1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the roast vegetables:
- 2 parsnips, roll cut into 1/2” by 2” long bias pieces
- 1 carrot, peeled and roll cut similar to the parsnips
- 4 radish bulbs, quartered
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the salmon:
- 24 ounces salmon
- 1 stalk of scallions, sliced thinly on a bias
- 1/2 bunch mint, chopped
- 2 tablespooons fresh dill, optional
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
For the quinoa salad:
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Typically, add 1 cup of dry quinoa and 2 cups of water to a small pot. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, cover, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Slice the snap peas, dice the cucumbers, chop the mint, and dice the jalapeno.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl. Fluff with a spatula, then add the chopped vegetables, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Taste the salad and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve and enjoy!
For the roasted spring vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the spring vegetables – peel the carrots and roll cut into ½” wide by 2” long pieces. Add this to the baking sheet.
- Roll cut the parsnips and quarter the radishes. Add these to a baking sheet as well and toss everything with kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are nice and tender, then remove and set aside.
For the salmon:
- Prep the aromatics – slice the scallions, dill, and mint.
- Place the salmon filets on the parchment-lined baking sheet and generously season both sides of the fish with kosher salt and pepper.
- Spread mayo evenly on top of the salmon filets. Sprinkle the sliced scallions and grate fresh lemon zest over the top of the fish.
- Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes. If using only 1 pound of salmon, cook for 10 minutes. Check the fish with a meat thermometer and cook until the thickest part reaches 135°F.
- Once the fish is cooked, grate more lemon zest and sprinkle the remaining mint and dill on top. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can keep this filet whole and just use a fork or spoon to flake off a portion when you serve it.
- The cooking time on your salmon may vary based on the thickness and quantity. If you’re using a thin piece of salmon (~1” thick), check it after 10 minutes. If you’re using a filet of salmon that is 1.5 – 2” thick and 24 ounces in weight like the recipe calls for, it will likely need 15-20 minutes. I always check for doneness of salmon by using a meat thermometer and checking the internal temperature at the thickest part for 135F.
- You can make this vegetarian by using portobello mushrooms instead of salmon. I did this for the supper club and IT WAS DELISH! Yes – still just coat the mushrooms in mayo, and it’ll develop delicious crust.
- If cooking quinoa the “rice method” like how I describe below freaks you out, you can boil it like pasta. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil, salt, and then add your quinoa. Cook for 12-14 minutes, taste, then drain and rinse until cool. I actually used this method for cooking a large batch of it for the supper club since I didn’t want to risk having mushy quinoa (and this tends to happen with large batches of grains).
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: American
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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