Cooking something healthy for dinner does not need to be boring or difficult as long as you have the right recipe. Anne Danahy, a nutritionist and founder of Caving Something Healthy, has shared her lemon and herb salmon rice dish that is packed with flavour.
What is fantastic about this dish is that everything cooks in the one pan, which makes cleaning up incredibly easy – and there is no chance of burning the salmon since it is being poached. Anne said: “This easy salmon and rice dinner will delight your tastebuds with bright, fresh lemon and herb flavours.
“Moist, tender salmon is gently poached on a bed of brown rice that’s flavored with lemon and lots of fresh herbs. A creamy, lemon-herb-yogurt sauce drizzled on top adds even more delectable flavor. “
It takes under 10 minutes in total to prepare this dish before you let it cook in the pan, and it is only 418 calories with 31g of protein per serving, so you can make something delightful that is also good for you.
How to make one pan salmon and rice with lemon and herbs
Ingredients (serves four)
- Four salmon fillets
- 180g of brown rice
- 480ml of vegetable or chicken stock
- 225g of asparagus
- 15g of fresh herbs (parsley, dill, thyme, chives, basil, etc)
- 120g of plain Greek yogurt
- One large shallot (minced)
- Two lemons (90ml of fresh lemon juice and three teaspoons of lemon zest)
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
You will also need:
- A large frying pan with a lid
- A blender
What really makes this recipe stand out is the yoghurt herby lemon sauce, which is two teaspoons of minced shallot, two tablespoons of the lemon juice, two teaspoons of lemon zest, 120g of Greek yoghurt and two tablespoons of fresh herbs of your choice.
Instructions
Place the frying pan on the stove and heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat.
Add the minced shallot to the pan, but set aside two teaspoons to make the yoghurt sauce later. Cook the shallot for roughly three minutes until it turns golden.
Add the rice and let it toast for two to three minutes until it begins to turn golden brown. Make sure to keep stirring the rice and shallots together so nothing burns.
Next, pour in the stock and lemon juice into the pan. Cover with a lid, reduce to a low heat and let the rice simmer for 35 minutes in the mixture. Make sure to reserve two tablespoons of the lemon juice for the yoghurt sauce.
Meanwhile, prepare the salmon by seasoning it with salt and pepper and then chop up your asparagus.
Once the rice has cooked, place the salmon fillets and a few lemon slices from the juiced lemons over the rice. Cover with a lid and let them cook for five minutes.
While the salmon and rice are cooking, make the yoghurt sauce. In a blender, add the reserved shallot and lemon juice plus two teaspoons of lemon zest, 120g of Greek yoghurt and two tablespoons of fresh herbs of your choice. Then, blend everything together until you have a smooth sauce.
When the time is up, add asparagus to the pan, cover with the lid again and let everything cook for five more minutes. If the rice seems dry, add a little more stock or water.
Check to see if the vegetables are fork-tender and the salmon is properly poached. If it seems undercooked, let it cook for a few more minutes.
Before you dish it up, add any remaining herbs and a teaspoon of lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper if you wish.
Your mouthwatering salmon and rice dinner will then be ready to serve. Drizzle a generous amount of the yoghurt herb sauce before serving.