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Bon Appétit

Crispy Salmon With Bulgur

By Abra Berens

4.0

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Crispy Salmon with Bulgur recipe
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Frances Boswell

Bulgur is the canned margarita of grains—she’s ready to party, fast. “It’s one of the original convenience foods,” says Abra Berens, author of the wonderful new grain-and-bean-focused cookbook Grist. This isn’t brown rice you have to cook for 45 agonizing minutes. To cook bulgur, the name for parboiled and dried wheat berries, just rehydrate the grain (fine or medium grind) by covering it in boiling water and letting it sit for about 10 minutes. In this recipe, the grains get dressed up with a few herbs and served with fish and fennel for a simple dinner. Plan ahead and make a double batch of the mustard dressing to use as a sauce to serve with proteins or brighten up sturdy greens.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup medium-grind bulgur
¼ cup chopped dill
3 Tbsp. plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup whole grain or Dijon mustard
4 6-oz. skin-on salmon fillets
1 large fennel bulb, shaved ona mandoline or thinly sliced
8 radishes, trimmed, shaved on a mandoline or thinly sliced

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately add bulgur. Cover pan and let sit until bulgur is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off excess water, then mix in dill and 2 Tbsp. oil. Season with salt and pepper.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, whisk shallot, vinegar, sour cream, mustard, and ¼ cup oil in a small bowl until smooth; season dressing with salt. Set aside.

    Step 3

    Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Season salmon with salt and arrange skin side down in skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook, pressing down gently on fish, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Turn fillets over and cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, arranging skin side up.

    Step 4

    Combine fennel and radishes in a large bowl. Drizzle reserved dressing over to suit your taste (you won’t need all of it) and toss to coat. Season with more salt if needed.

    Step 5

    To serve, spoon bulgur among plates, dividing evenly, and top each with a salmon fillet and fennel and radish salad.

    Do ahead: Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Image may contain: Advertisement, Poster, Lentil, Vegetable, Plant, Bean, Food, and Produce
Reprinted from Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes by Abra Berens with permission by Chronicle Books, 2021.

Buy it on Amazon or Bookshop.org
TagsMainDinnerNut FreeHealthyishWeeknight MealsEasyQuickFrySalmonFishSeafoodBulgurRice & GrainsFennelRoot VegetableVegetableRadishBon Appétit
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