Smoked trout, beetroot and crispy quinoa salad with citrus dressing

As soon as spring is in the air, I begin to shed winter cooking like a snake shedding its skin. Almost immediately, I’m done with hearty braises and stews and begin to crave fresh, sweet salads like this one.

Each element is considered, and the combination of the nutty, crunchy quinoa, earthy, sweet beetroot, bright citrus dressing and grounding smoked fish all play beautifully together to create a dish that’s a true harbinger of warmer days to come.

Ingredients

• 85g (½ cup) quinoa

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 250g cooked beetroot

• 150g sugar snap peas

• 1 bunch leafy rocket, washed

• 3 sprigs of French tarragon, leaves picked (optional)

• 200g smoked trout fillet, flaked*

• 75g Danish-style feta

• flaky sea salt and black pepper

For the citrus dressing

• ½ lemon (zest and juice)

• ½ orange (zest and juice)

• 1 small French shallot (eschalot), peeled and diced finely (about 30g)

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Step 1

   Preheat your oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional) and cook the quinoa according to the package instructions; allow to cool, then toss with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Step 2

   Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the quinoa on the tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until it’s evenly golden and crunchy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3. Step 3

   Cut your beetroot into slices or wedges and place on your plate or platter to serve.

4. Step 4

   Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Pull off the stem ends from the sugar snap peas and blanch them in the boiling water for one minute. Drain and allow to cool.

5. Step 5

   To make the dressing, combine the zest and juice of the half lemon and half orange in a small mixing bowl. Add a sprinkle of salt and the chopped eschalot. Mix together and allow to sit for 10 minutes before adding the olive oil. Whisk to combine and set aside.

6. Step 6

   Layer the salad ingredients on the plate or platter beginning with the beetroot, then the peas, rocket, tarragon (if using) and the smoked trout. Sprinkle over the crumbled feta and drizzle with the dressing before adding a good twist of flaky sea salt and black pepper. Top with the quinoa and serve immediately.

*Note: You can find whole, smoked rainbow trout in most major grocery stores; you just need to pull the meat from the bones and peel back the skin and pin bones. Hot-smoked salmon is a suitable substitute, but please choose an environmentally responsible source.

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