ORZO SALMON SALAD WITH TOASTED WATERMELON SEEDS & EDAMAME

ORZO SALMON SALAD WITH TOASTED WATERMELON SEEDS & EDAMAME

This simple little salad is really healthy.  I am lucky enough to have a step father who is a sport salmon fisher on the Oregon Coast.  So we always have salmon coming out of our ears, that is not a bad thing. It's a yummy thing.    Here is one of my favorites, great after a hard ride on the bikes.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of ORZO pasta any brand.
2 celery sticks diced
1 Red bell pepper diced
1 quarter of a white onion finely chopped.
1 cup of Edamame beans podded and cleaned.
1 Good size salmon steak, about the length of your hand from palm to a little bit over the finger tips. Roughly.
1 or 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise.
About 3 Tablespoon of Toasted Watermelon seeds for sprinkling, on top of finished salad.
1 Tablespoon of Capers optional.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

NOTE: While the salmon is cooking on low you can clean and pod the edamame and get a pan out for the pasta.

FIRST: COOKING THE SALMON
Put the Salmon steak skin down in the pan.  Turn the pan to low and cover with a lid that fits.  Keep your eye on the color of the salmon. At first it will be bright reddish pink, and as it cooks it will turn into a lighter pink.  Also watch for white drops of fat to appear on the out side of the salmon as it cooks.
Next: Now if your looking at your salmon that is cooking and it appears to be done on the out side, it may not be done on the inside. Turn off the burner and take off the lid. Take two forks and very carefully pull the salmon apart and look in.  Try to pull it apart by the grain.  If you see dark red inside, it still need to cook more. Put in back on the burner on low to finish cooking.
 If it is done, then when you take the forks and pull the salmon apart gently it will flake apart really easily, and it should all be the same even light pink, no dark pink.
When the salmon is all the way done take a metal spatula and scoop the whole salmon up off the skin that will be stuck to the pan.   Put the salmon on a plate and let cool a bit then remove all the bones and then flake apart.

SECOND:  COOKING THE PASTA AND COOLING IT.

NOTE: You will need a larger pot with more ice than water in it for a ice bath.  You will not dump the pasta into the water, but rather set the pan or bowl on the ice and stir the pasta to cool it down faster.

a pot with water. Turn stove top to high. As soon as you see little bubbles starting to form add the cup of ORZO.  Stir the ORZO to prevent from sticking together.  If need be turn down the burner to Med-High  the noodles will still cook.  Leaving the water on high the entire time will only make the water boil up and over.  The noodles will cook at Med-High, Medium, and even Medium Low.  Carefully test the pasta along the way.  When you see white foam on top of the water, that is when their close to being done.  That is the starch coming out.
1. If  it's chewy, it's not done.   
2. If it's a little less chewy, but still not soft, this is called Al dente. 
3. If  it is soft, but not mushy, it's done.  
Now you need to cool the pasta.  Remove the ORZO either by draining off the hot water into another larger pot or scoop out the pasta with a wide slotted spoon. After all the water is drained put the pasta back into small container and cool as mention above.

THIRD: DICE, SLICE & MIX.

Now dice up the celery, red bell pepper, and onion add to the cooled pasta and mix in. Next flake the salmon and discard bones add to salad and mix.   Add Capers and Mayonnaies and mix in well.

Next when you dish up add a light sprinkle of Toasted Watermelon seeds.

DIG IN AND ENJOY!