A healthy salmon and grain bowl is the perfect meal any day of the week. It loaded with a good variety of veggies, whole grains, healthy black beans, tasty southwestern style salmon patties. If that wasn’t good enough, then I drizzled the whole thing with a jalapeno ranch. Yum, yum, and yum!
Preparing the salmon
I am fortunate enough to have parents still living in the great state of Alaska. Almost every year I am the grateful recipient to a good sized box of salmon. I will sometimes even get canned salmon. This year was one of those years (I guess something good did come out of 2020 :)).
Whether you are using fresh-caught salmon or store-bought, the process is still the same. Open and drain the salmon. If you are using a fresh filet, bake with a touch of salt and pepper at 400 degrees for about 7-10 minutes. Once it is baked and cooled, flake as shown below.
Once it is drained, add the salmon to your bowl.
Now, flake your salmon. Meaning, break it up into little pieces with a fork.
Crack in your eggs.
Add in your panko. You can also use regular bread crumbs, but I love the texture panko gives.
Now, let’s spice these patties up a bit. For the Southwestern flavor these patties have, I use chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. They make the best combo of spices!
Cooking the Patties
Now, heat your griddle or pan and lightly coat with oil. Press salmon into 2-3 inch patties. Make sure you press these pretty firm so they will hold together. One of the most common complaints I hear about salmon patties and burgers is they fall apart. You solve this by using the correct egg to salmon ratio and by pressing firmly into patties. Make sure that pan or griddle is hot, to begin with too. That helps.
Once they are cooked on one side, about 3 minutes, flip carefully.
Constructing the Healthy and Grain Bowl
I have the recipe for cooking the farro below. It is simple to do but does take a bit of time, so plan for that. I like to batch cook my whole grains, so that pan of farro shown, was enough for 3 meals we used it in. Make sure it is cooled and spread on the salad.
Then add in your black beans, cilantro, corn, tomatoes, and cheese. This recipe was when red onions were off the market, and that was a tragedy!!
Add those amazing salmon patties and a couple lime wedges.
Here is it is all it’s simplicity and glory. It had everything I was looking for.
The dressing
A jalapeno ranch was really feeling right for this bowl. I love that spicy twist on the classic ranch dressing. The recipe is below and it is so quick to throw together!
Looking for other salad ideas? What about these options? I bet you will find something there you like!
Healthy Salmon and Grain Bowl
Ingredients
Spicy Salmon Patties
- 2 cups canned salmon, drained and flaked
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup panko you can use regular bread crumbs, but I prefer panko
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salmon and Grain Buddha Bowl
- 8 cups mixed greens
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, or large tomatoes cubed
- 3 cups black bean, drained
- 4 cups corn you can use canned, fresh or frozen. If you use frozen, heat until it is thawed. With the fresh, cook in boiling water about 3 minutes then allow to cool.
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup red onion, chopped fine
- 1 cup black olives, chopped
- 2-4 cups cooked farro, cooled
- 1-2 cups creamy jalapeno ranch recipe included on post
Instructions
Spicy Salmon Patties
- For salmon, add all ingredients into medium bowl and mix to combine. Mix well. Heat pan or griddle over medium high heat. Coat lightly in oil. Form salmon mixture into 8 patties. Place patties on pan or griddle. Allow to cook about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Flip and cook again on the other side. Remove from griddle and allow to cool. If you are using these for meal prep, place in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Assembling the
- Layer the salad starting with the greens. Add the black beans, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, red onion and farro. Top with 2 salmon patties per salad. Drizzle all with the jalapeno ranch dressing. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Cooked farro
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable stock You can also use water if you prefer. I like the flavor stock gives it though. If you would rather use a chicken, fish or beef stock, those are great too.
- 1 cup pearled farro
- 1 teaspoon salt this is a variable. You can add more or less, depending on preference.
Instructions
- Bring stock to a boil over medium heat. Add salt and farro. Cover and simmer on low for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes, fluff with fork.Serve as desired!Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a week to a week and half. I like to reheat with a little liquid. So, if you are microwaving, place chilled farro in a microwaveable bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and microwave on high for for about a minute. If you don't like using microwaves or prefer the cooktop, you can use the same method there. Place farro in pan, add water, cover and simmer until heated. Now, sit back and enjoy. Look at how healthy you are!!