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Crispy skin salmon fillet on quinoa with a red pepper, cherry tomato and parsley salsa and pumpkin seeds, lemon half beside

Collagen Rich Foods on One Plate: Crispy Skin Salmon, Red Pepper Salsa and Quinoa

Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4 servings

Salmon cooked skin side down until the skin cracks like a chip, a raw salsa of red pepper, tomato, parsley and lemon, quinoa and toasted pumpkin seeds. Which foods really hold collagen, which ones help you make your own, and what the collagen trials found once funding was taken into account.

Ingredients

  • 130 gdry quinoa, about 3/4 cup, rinsed
  • 2 mediumred bell pepper, about 240 g, cut into small dice
  • 300 gcherry tomatoes, about 2 cups, quartered
  • 15 gfresh parsley, a small bunch, leaves and thin stems, chopped
  • 3 ggarlic, 1 small clove, finely grated
  • 3 tbsplemon juice, fresh, from about 1 lemon
  • 1 tsplemon zest
  • 2 tbspolive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons for the salsa, 1/2 tablespoon for the pan
  • 1/2 tspsalt, divided
  • 30 gpumpkin seeds, raw, unsalted, about 1/4 cup
  • 560 gskin-on salmon fillets, 4 fillets of about 140 g (5 oz) each, scaled
  • 1/8 tspblack pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa. Put the rinsed quinoa in a small pot with 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
    A steel pot of freshly cooked quinoa fluffed with a fork, steam rising, the lid set beside it on a wooden table
  2. Make the raw salsa. While the quinoa cooks, toss the diced pepper, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry 12 inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they puff and start to pop, then tip them onto a plate.
    A bowl of raw salsa of diced red pepper, cherry tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest and olive oil, toasted pumpkin seeds beside it
  3. Sear the salmon skin side down. Pat the fillets very dry with paper towels, skin included. Season the flesh side with the rest of the salt and the black pepper. Heat the last 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the fillets in skin side down, press each one flat with a spatula for 10 seconds, then leave them alone for 5 to 6 minutes, until the skin lets go of the pan by itself and the flesh has turned opaque about two thirds of the way up.
    Two salmon fillets laid skin side down in a black cast iron skillet with a thin film of olive oil, seen from above
  4. Finish and serve. Turn the fillets and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the thickest part reads 145°F (63°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Spoon the quinoa onto plates, set the salmon on top skin side up so it stays crisp, and serve the salsa and the pumpkin seeds alongside.

Notes

  • Dry skin is crisp skin. Any water left on it steams instead of frying, and the fillet will stick.
  • Ask for scaled fillets, or run the back of a knife against the grain of the skin under cold water until no scales come off.
  • The salsa stays raw on purpose: cooking reduces vitamin C. It is best eaten the day you make it.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated) : Calories: 553 | Total Carbohydrate: 31 g | Protein: 37 g | Total Fat: 31 g | Sodium: 384 mg

Category: Beauty & WellnessAuthor: Bogdan DCuisine: American