INDIAN SPICED SALMON OVER WILD RICE MEDLEY

Ingredients

For the dressing:
• 2 teaspoons Mumbai nut & spice mix
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• pinch of salt & pepper
For the salmon:
• Mumbai nut & spice mix
• 1 1/2 -2 lb salmon
• 3 cups wild rice, cooked
• 4-5 heirloom carrots (if possible: purple, yellow & orange)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• olive oil
• dressing (recipe above)

Instructions

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
2. Heat a sauté pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, when the oil is heated, add the chopped red onion and chopped carrots. I try to chop both about the same size. I love to use the variety of carrots from heirlooms, however, if you cannot find these you can certainly use regular carrots. When they have softened and browned a bit (don't over cook because it's nice to have a bit of crunch in the vegetables), remove from heat and allow them to cool a bit.
3. Add the carrot/onion mixture into a large bowl with the cooked rice. Concerning the rice, I used a mixture of half black rice and half wild rice simply because I had both however, you can use just wild rice. I always cook my rice in vegetable or chicken stock instead of just water and add a pinch of salt - this adds a great flavor to your rice. To the rice, toss in the chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Toss together and set this aside as your base for the baked salmon.
4. Heat the oven to 450°. Slice the salmon into individual servings and pat it dry with a paper towel (this helps crisp the skin side. Drizzle the salmon with a bit of olive oil and rub the top and bottom with your hands so it is lightly coated. Using a cast iron pan, heat it through on a stove top, add a bit of olive oil, then place the salmon, skin side down, into the hot pan and let it brown the skin for a few minutes. Generously sprinkle the top with Mumbai nut & spice mix and place the hot pan into the oven for about 10 minutes to cook the salmon through.
5. Remove the salmon from the oven and place it over a bed of the wild rice medley. Drizzle the tops of each salmon with the dressing and drizzle any remaining dressing onto a bit of the rice medley. Garnish with a bit of fresh herbs (in the photo I used fennel fronds, but if you have any leftover parsley leaves this would work well too) and serve immediately.