Pecan Crusted Salmon with Parmesan Cauliflower Risotto

This is a really easy dinner that is sure to impress! One of my favorite restaurants in Lynchburg, Isabella’s, has a similar dish so I thought I would remake it with cauliflower rice risotto. I used Trader Joe’s Frozen Riced Cauliflower to make this dish but you could definitely use fresh cauliflower rice. I would just add time to the cooking process so that the cauliflower cooks through and is not crunchy. I used a food processor to make the pecan crust mixture, but if you don’t have one you could use a blender or just chop the pecans as finely as possible. Let me know if you have any questions or if you make this recipe! 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Salmon Filets

1 bag of Trader Joe’s Frozen Riced Cauliflower

¼ cup of Breadcrumbs 

¼ cup of Pecans

½ White Onion diced

1 clove of Minced Garlic

¼ cup of White Wine

¼ cup of Chicken or Vegetable Stock 

¼ cup of Heavy Cream 

Large Handful of Spinach 

⅓ cup of Parmesan, grated + extra to top 

1 tbsp of Butter

1 tbsp of Honey

1 tsp of Dijon Mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Do not spray the aluminum foil with non-stick spray. The skin of the salmon will stick to the foil and then you can use a spatula to take the salmon filet off the skin once it is done cooking. I don’t typically do this but since the salmon will be sitting on the risotto you probably won’t want the skin on. 

2. In a food processor combine breadcrumbs, pecans and a dash of salt if they are unsalted pecans. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in the microwave and mix with honey and dijon mustard. Spoon or brush the butter mixture onto the salmon filets and top with the pecan mixture. 

3. Bake the salmon in the oven for 14 minutes. 

4 . While the salmon is baking heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium to high heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add diced white onion and minced garlic to the saucepan and saute until the onions are translucent and tender. Be careful not to burn the garlic, reduce heat if it is cooking too quickly. 

5. Add in the riced cauliflower and continue to saute until the frozen cauliflower is thawed and heated through. If using fresh cauliflower rice you will want to saute until the rice is tender and heated through.  

6. Add the wine to the pan and cook until the cauliflower has completely absorbed the wine. Next add the heavy cream and chicken stock and stir until mixture starts to become creamy. If it needs a little more liquid you can add an additional splash of heavy cream and stock. Once mixture is the desired consistency stir in salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese. 

7. In a microwave safe bowl place the large handful of spinach and 1 tablespoon of water. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. The spinach should be perfectly wilted. You of course can do this in a pan but the microwave takes a fraction of the time. 

8. Once all of the components are cooked it is time to plate! Start with the cauliflower risotto, top with spinach and then the salmon filet. Sprinkle parmesan on top or add shaved parmesan. Enjoy!