Hot Smoked Salmon Bowls with Blood Orange Sesame Dressing

Well, look at this. I’m writing a blog post. 

I’m probably the most surprised of anyone. My commitment to keeping posts going during the testing portion of my next book turned out to be an unachievable dream. It was impossible. 

I still have a lot more writing to do so I’m not sure how much you will hear from me over the coming weeks, but I am here now. And I have a recipe. 

If I’m being honest, the truth is that creativity in the kitchen outside my work has been a struggle for a while now. I was listening to the Tim Ferris podcast this weekend as my husband and I drove over to the coast for the day, and something that was said completely hit the nail on the head. It’s one of those things that was always obvious to me, but it came in a way other than I expected. 

He was interviewing Susan Cain, author of Quiet Revolution, and they brought up the process of becoming a writer (or really just changing careers in general). They spoke to how you have to be very careful when turning a hobby you enjoy into a fulltime job. You have to take extra steps to protect your work time so that it is enjoyable and you don’t come to hate what you once enjoyed since it is now your source of income. 

I was well aware of this with photography. I expected my love of capturing moments and food to become daunting due to a need to make an income. But the truth is, it never has. I enjoy every minute of it whether it is a truly creative project for myself or work for a client. 

But something did change over the past 10 years of focusing on creating recipes for other people. I don’t really enjoy cooking for myself anymore. I still enjoy it as work, but once the work day is done, especially over the weekend, the last thing I want to do is cook. 

I first noticed it over the past few holidays. I still enjoy baking treats, but when it comes to a Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner, I want nothing to do with the preparation.

Now it has expanded to the everyday. I lack dinner creativity. Nothing really sounds good and nothing really inspires me. 

But I know I have to crawl out of this funk. At least a little bit, simply to get back to healthier eating. Especially after surviving on bread alone (almost) for 6 weeks. (My new book will be called Beer Bread if I haven’t mentioned it.)

I’m happy to say a couple sparks have flown since finishing up recipe testing for the book. The first was this past weekend when I made this hot smoked salmon bowl. We picked up the salmon on our last trip to the coast and it’s such a special treat it needed to be incorporated into an equally as delicious meal. 

I’d forgotten how much I like eating bowls. Bowls of greens and mixed grains and protein. I got away from it due to being overly concerned with diet trends – low carbs, no grains – yada, yada. I often forget to go back to my roots and enjoy real food, to stop listening to the hype, to stop letting media and influencers convince me that I have a problem with foods that really doesn’t exist.

So that is exactly what I did with this meal. And it is a good one. I drizzled it all with a blood orange dressing because they are on in full force right now and I can’t get enough of them. And citrus always pairs well with salmon.

The hot refers to the salmon, not the temperature of the dish. You want a firm, hot smoked salmon versus cold smoked salmon like lox. I actually keep the hot smoked salmon cold so there are a variety of temperatures working in the dish, but feel free to warm it up if you’d like. 

The second spark came a few days later as I was supply shopping for a client. I was in my favorite supermarket that has a large Asian produce section and the greens started catching my eye. Something that hasn’t happened in months. I noticed a lot of things I’ve not cooked with before so I bought them up with more bowls on my mind. 

So if you are into bowls, you’re in luck. More are coming soon! For now, though, make this one. It’s seriously energizing, seasonal, and comforting all in one. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
4 cups mixed dark leafy greens (like kale and spinach)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup cooked brown rice
6 to 8 ounces hot smoked salmon, flaked into large pieces
Black sesame seeds for garnish

Dressing
3 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and cook until it barely begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and cook 2 more minutes, until fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the greens. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted and bright green. Stir in the soy sauce and then the sesame oil and salt. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small dish. 

In each of two bowls, arrange a 1/2 cup of rice, half of the salmon, and half of the greens. Drizzle each with half of the blood orange dressing (or serve it on the side). Garnish with black sesame seeds and serve.