Alaskan Salmon with Black Quinoa and Spinach

A couple of weeks ago I was blog surfing while jotting down a quick grocery list when this recipe, by the fabulous cookbook author, Alison Lewis, popped into my reader. A beautiful, simple salmon salad. Nice! So, I skipped out to the store and picked up some canned Alaskan pink salmon, just like she suggested.

Yep, canned salmon. Sick to the max, right?

I’m with you. I was like, “whaaaa” too, but after reading about the benefits of the fully-cooked health goldmine, I decided to dig out my can opener, put on a pretty red dress and tango with it.

Since it was dinnertime, I went a slightly different route with the fish, pairing it with black quinoa, freshly minced cayenne, and velvety spinach. y.o.u. g.u.y.s. o.m.g.

I’ll never look at canned salmon the same way again. There might even be puckered lips and a wink involved. Just sayin’.

Alaskan Salmon with Black Quinoa and Spinach:


What it took for 2:

* 1 cup black quinoa
* 1 can Alaskan Pink Salmon, drained
* 1/2 red onion, diced
* 1 cayenne chili, minced
* 4 cups baby spinach
* juice from half a lemon
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* pinch of coarse salt
* pinch of freshly ground pepper

Cook the quinoa in boiling water until they burst and become little spirals, about 15 minutes. Drain if needed and return to pot.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and cayenne chili, and saute until softened and starting to brown, 6 minutes.

Add onion mixture to the pot with the quinoa, along with the salmon and spinach. Toss to combine. Give a good pinch of salt and pepper to the mix. Spritz with lemon and get all healthy!

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33 Responses to Alaskan Salmon with Black Quinoa and Spinach

  1. Jen Erwin August 6, 2011 at 2:48 pm #
    Yum! Black quinoa is so pretty.
  2. Cassie (Bake Your Day) August 6, 2011 at 3:06 pm #
    Brilliant! I love these meals for when I am cooking for just me. Black quinoa sounds delicious!
  3. Alison @ ingredients, Inc. August 6, 2011 at 4:57 pm #
    What a great idea! This looks wonderful. I appreciate you mentioning me, and I am so excited too meet you in Nashville this fall! Thank you again girl!
  4. Amanda August 6, 2011 at 5:25 pm #
    wow! i'm a first time commenter, but this is a beautiful blog!
  5. Catherine H. August 6, 2011 at 9:29 pm #
    This dish looks soo good!
  6. Deborah August 7, 2011 at 3:33 am #
    I have only used canned salmon once, and didn't love it, but this is making me want to try it again!!
  7. Becky Selders August 8, 2011 at 4:53 am #
    I am going to make this. I have regular white quinoa in the cupboard but can grab some black....didn't know it existed, actually. Thanks!!
  8. The Healthy Apple August 10, 2011 at 2:31 am #
    What a beautiful post; I love this gluten-free dish and surely am going to try making it! Thank you for sharing.
  9. Rachel H August 23, 2011 at 2:06 am #
    I made this tonight and it was my boyfriend's first quinoa experience - it was a good one! Added some balsamic vinegar for a little extra zest.
    • Bev Weidner August 23, 2011 at 2:31 am #
      Oh that's awesome! So glad he liked it. And balsamic, good grief - YES.
  10. marla September 4, 2011 at 10:52 pm #
    How did I ever miss this fabulous salmon?! In love with this healthy & amazing recipe.
  11. mjskit September 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm #
    This looks delicious! Simple and tasty and perfect for the leftover smoked salmon in the fridge. Thanks for sharing!
  12. Anonymous October 19, 2011 at 10:12 pm #
    Why is this cataloged under vegetarian? It has salmon in it.
    • Bev Weidner October 19, 2011 at 10:18 pm #
      Oops! That one flew right past me. Thanks for pointing it out! It's updated.
  13. Vicky February 27, 2012 at 5:05 pm #
    This sounds delicious. I've never seen black quinoa before though - will have to me on the look out at the supermarket
  14. Joan October 7, 2012 at 4:55 pm #
    I have a lot of quinoa, but not the black. Can I use the white or is the black a different taste? It looks delicious!
    • Bev Weidner October 8, 2012 at 1:10 pm #
      You may absolutely use whatever quinoa you have! There's no real difference in taste. At least to me!
  15. gwen August 1, 2013 at 7:57 pm #
    SUPER YUMMY! Made with frozen salmon, red quinoa and kale because that's what I had on hand, it was still awesome!
  16. Amanda February 25, 2014 at 10:18 am #
    This looks awesome! If it's 2 servings, I calculated that it's approximately 658 calories per serving- just as an FYI :)
  17. Amanda February 25, 2014 at 10:20 am #
    (using Organic white quinoa)
  18. MK November 14, 2015 at 3:04 pm #
    What size of can of salmon?
    • Anonymous January 14, 2017 at 10:32 am #
      I have the same question
  19. Michelle June 3, 2020 at 10:29 am #
    I tried it and loved it too. I added 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and one celery stalk chopped up very small to top if off. It was delicious. For 4 servings it was approximately 350 calories each.

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