Orange Fregola and Salmon
Plate by Crate & Barrel.
Hella Orange: fregola is a small pasta from the island of Sardinia, where it’s all about the seafood. Since we got a bunch of sweet navel and blood oranges from the market, I made fregola tossed in a orange & lemon vinaigrette and topped with pan seared salmon drizzled with (you guessed it) fresh orange juice. It came together in 20 minutes, but it tasted like you spent a long time cooking it. The bright citrusy notes of this dish was exactly what we wanted on this warm day in San Francisco.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 naval orange, zested, 1/2 juiced, and 1/2 sliced into disks
1 blood orange sliced into wedges
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 cup chopped white onion
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups fregola (or get Israeli couscous)
2 cups chicken broth
2 filets of salmon
Kosher salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Steps:
In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, orange zest, juice of 1/2 orange, capers, and 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Whisk until emulsified into a dressing. Adjust seasoning with S&P. Set aside.
Season your salmon filets liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Let rest until you’re about to cook.
In a large sauce pan, heat up 3 tablespoons of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add in the onions with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for a couple minutes until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the fregola and toast it slightly in the oil. Add in the chicken broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed and the pasta is al dente. Transfer to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss until everything is coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with S&P. Set aside.
In a large non-stick frying pan, heat up a couple tablespoons of EVOO over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the salmon (you should hear a good sizzle). Cook one side for 3 minutes, flip, and cook the other side for 2 minutes. This will give you a good medium-rare salmon, which I prefer, but feel free to cook it longer if you like it more done.
To plate, add a bed of the fregola, top with the salmon, and garnish with the navel orange disks and blood orange wedges.
Enjoy with a glass of dry white wine like a Pinot Grigio, and pretend you’re in Italy.
