Salmon is a staple in our house, whether farm raised or wild. While strolling through Trader Joe’s one day, we picked up their Seeds & Grains crispbread (also available in gluten-free form) consisting of simple ingredients like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, bran and oatmeal.
These tasty crackers create an ample amount of crumbs – making them the perfect ingredient for a salmon crust. Plus, both the salmon we had purchased and these crackers came from Norway, so we figured it was a natural fit!
In this recipe, we serve the grain-crusted salmon with a freshly made zucchini salad sliced into ribbons and lightly seasoned with herbs, lemon, raw almond and extra virgin olive oil. This is a dynamic dish as the richness of the salmon and crunchy texture of the crust balance the acidity of the lemon-herbed zucchini salad. Oh – and we must not forget, a zesty homemade hummus brings it all together.
Seed and grain-crusted salmon with zucchini ribbons and hummus
Ingredients
- 2 lbs salmon filet
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup Trader Joe’s Seed & Grain crispbread crumbs pulsed in food processor
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium-sized zucchini cut into ribbons
- 2 medium-sized carrots cut into ribbons
- 1 tsp. tarragon, sliced
- 1 tsp. Italian parsley, sliced (see our video on how to slice parsley)
- ¼ cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 lemons (1 for juice and zest; 1 for garnish)
- ½ cup hummus
- 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly cracked black peppercorn
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the Trader Joe’s Seed & Grain crispbread into a coarse grind and reserve on a large plate.
- Carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin ⅛” ribbons on a mandolin and do the same with the carrots. Place together in a bowl and reserve in fridge.
- Beat the egg and pour it onto a large oval dish. Season both sides of the salmon with 1 tsp. kosher salt and ½ tsp. black peppercorn.
- Place flesh side of salmon onto the beaten egg and coat only the flesh side of salmon with egg. Transfer salmon to cracker plate and place egg-coated side onto cracker crumbs. Press down to coat. Flip salmon over and place it skin side down into a lightly oiled non-stick sauté pan. Add remaining crumbs to crust to fill any open spaces on salmon.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil over crust to moisten it. Heat sauté pan with salmon to high for 3 minutes and then place in oven for 12-15 minutes.
- While salmon is cooking, add tarragon, parsley, lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon, kosher salt and pepper and remaining olive oil to zucchini and carrots. Toss or mix until fully coated with ingredients. There should be some liquid that pools in the bottom of the bowl, which you will use for the final plating of the dish.
- Remove salmon from oven and let rest in pan for 3-4 minutes.
- On a large platter, use a large spoon to place ½ cup of your favorite hummus down (use the spoon to make swoosh or smear pattern).
- Check the zucchini ribbons for seasoning and adjust if needed. Place ribbons gently down on one side of the platter, overlapping the hummus.
- Place the salmon on the other side of the platter, overlapping some of the hummus.
- Pour remaining zucchini juice from the mixing bowl over the zucchini and around salmon.
- Sprinkle chopped almonds over zucchini salad.
- Garnish with sliced lemons.
