SALMON AND PINEAPPLE SKEWERS

Ingredients

For the Farro:
• 1 tablespoon Penang nut & spice mix
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup farro
• 2 cups fresh kale, washed, dried & ribs removed
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sea salt
For the Salmon Skewers:
• Penang nut & spice mix
• 1/2 fresh pineapple
• 8-10 oz. salmon (I used skinless, sockeye salmon, bones removed)
• 8-10 skewer sticks
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon mirin (rice wine)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sriracha (chili sauce)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add farro, cover pan and reduce to low heat for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, let farro sit covered for 5-10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
2. Take washed kale and roll into tight pieces as you chop the kale into small pieces - but don't mince. Add olive oil, a pinch of salt and massage the kale well with your hands, working the oil into the greens. When the farro is completely cooled, add it to the kale, add Penang nut & spice mix, balsamic vinegar, stir well and set aside. At this point, taste and add more oil & vinegar as needed.
3. Take ½ of a pineapple, trim the skins and cut it into squares about 1 ½" x 1 ½". Take the salmon and cut it into squares of about the same size. This doesn't need to be perfect but it looks nice and cooks more evenly if you can cut both pineapple and salmon into similar sizes. Skewer both onto either wooden or metal skewers, alternating ingredients. If you are using wooden skewers, be certain to soak these in water for at least 20 minutes before using. This keeps them from burning and I often can wash and reuse them again another time.
4. Make the glaze for the salmon by combining sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce and sriracha. Taste and add more oil if needed. Brush this glaze onto the salmon/pineapple skewers, sprinkle them with Penang nut & spice mix. Save a bit of glaze to brush over the skewers again at the tail end of cooking.
5. Prepare the grill by pre-heating and then oiling it well so the delicate fish does not stick - this is very important, you don't wan't to damage lovely and pricey salmon steaks! Another alternative to grilling is to lay the skewers on a sheet tray and cook them in a pre-heated oven at 425° for about 15 minutes. Be certain to lightly oil the sheet tray so they do not stick.
6. While salmon is cooking, prepare 4 serving plates by laying a bed of the kale & farro salad. Remove the salmon & pineapple skewers from the grill or oven and lay them over the farro salad. Finish with an additional sprinkle of Penang nut & spice mix and serve immediately.

Notes