Salmon, Barley and Orange Salad

I came across this salad recipe while searching for bikini body friendly foods. It started out sounding wonderful.

Salmon?


Delicious.

Blood oranges?


Awesome.

Avocado?


Yes please!

Barley?


WTF?!

Honestly, I had never even seen barley. But I figured, why the hell not? It’s for my health right? Worst case scenario, the barley is nasty and no one eats it.

Um… hello BARLEY! Where have you been all my life?


It was delicious and totally added some wonderful texture to this already phenomenal salad. Plus, they totally remind me of the Sugar Smacks and Golden Crisp cereals of my childhood. Those little puffed barely morsels covered in sugar were totally my favorite.


You will need…

2/3 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 4-ounce pieces skinless wild salmon fillet (you can have your fish monger cut them into great little cubes for you. faster to cook and easier to flake)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 navel or blood oranges
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cup chicken stalk (use this to cook the barely in. much better than water)

Start by cooking the barley according to the package directions but sub the water for chicken stalk. Spread on a plate and refrigerate until cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat.


Season the salmon with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side.


Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until cool. Using a fork, flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.

Cut away the peel and pith of the oranges: Working over a small bowl, cut along both sides of each orange segment, releasing the segments into the bowl.

Transfer 2 tablespoons of the accumulated orange juice to a large bowl and whisk in the vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.


Add the spinach, cilantro, avocado, orange segments, scallions, and cooked barley and toss gently to combine.


Serve topped with the salmon.


While you enjoy that salad, I will leave you with a little poem…

There once was a girl from LA
She loved to wear bikinis and play
She cooked too much food
And her belly grew and grew
Until she ate barely and banished all the blubber away.

I’ll work on it and get back to you.

Love and Beer Floats
Angela