The salmon is the star of the show, but it sits on a bed of orzo pasta with red bell peppers, celery, grilled asparagus and spinach which is delicious. It’s light and perfect for a pregame meal. Feeling luxurious? Add king crab leg meat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of orzo pasta
  • 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
  • ¼ cup celery, diced
  • ¼ cup red bell peppers, diced
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced shallot or onion
  • 2 cups of spinach 
  • ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning
  • ½ of lemon, zest and juice
  • 5oz of asparagus or 4-5 spears
  • 8oz Verlasso salmon
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

For the Cajun Orzo

  1. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Season water with salt and add orzo. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until al dente.
  2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and add celery and red bell peppers. Cook 3-4 minutes until soft. Add garlic, shallots, spinach and a few tablespoons of pasta water. Cook for 2-3 minutes until spinach has wilted. Mix in orzo, thyme, cajun seasoning, lemon zest and juice.

    *Tip from Chef Ryan: I like using orzo pasta as a side dish. It’s kind of a blank canvas for you to work with. You can also find gluten free orzo and whole grain orzo at most markets.

For the Asparagus

  1. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil on asparagus and grill. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Salmon

  1. Place nonstick pan on high heat with 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil. Season both sides of the Verlasso salmon with salt and pepper. Once your pan is almost to smoke point, add salmon flesh side down. Cook 3-4 minutes or until the salmon pulls away from the pan.
  2. Flip salmon and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until salmon has reached an internal temperature of 140 -145 degrees F.

    *Tip from Chef Ryan: Season from up high to get an even seasoning.