Tangy BBQ Glazed Salmon Quinoa Salad with seasoned broccoli, peppers, onion and corn. BBQ grilled salmon or pan seared, this healthy quinoa recipe makes an easy lunch or dinner and tastes great hot or cold!
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Officially moved on from the pasta to the quinoa, and spicy to the sweet.
And as usual, I just had plenty of quinoa and salmon stocked up from the last time I was hooked on them.
So this time it was just easy. Went through my list and found the most appealing salmon recipe, and threw it together with quinoa and veggies. Easy lunch done!
Ingredients for BBQ Glazed Salmon Quinoa Salad
Other than the bbq sauce, salmon and quinoa, all you need for this healthy salmon dinner is a few vegetables and seasonings.
- Cooked Quinoa – Red, white, mixed, anything works! Here’s tips on how to cook quinoa!
- Salmon – I used a coho, but have your pick. Make sure it’s a deboned fillet.
- Barbecue Sauce – I would very highly recommend a sugar free or unsweetened one like this one from Primal Kitchen.
- Broccoli
- Red Bell Pepper
- Corn
- Red Onion
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
How to make BBQ Grilled Salmon
You might think it’s daunting and too fancy, but it’s really easy to cook bbq salmon steaks!
- Lightly season the salmon with paprika, garlic powder and salt.
- Heat and grease a nonstick pan or grill pan over medium.
- Place the fillet on, and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. Outdoor grilling is another option.
- Flip, and spread barbecue sauce on the pan seared salmon.
- Let the underside cook for another 4-5 minutes. The center should be cooked, pink and no longer translucent.
Easy bbq glazed salmon in under 10 minutes!
Put together the Quinoa Salmon Bowl
The best part about this dish is that it’s a really easy quinoa salad recipe, and even easier if you’ve got cooked quinoa! Then all you need to “cook” is the barbecue salmon fillets.
- Cook the quinoa
- Cook the pan seared salmon with the bbq glaze
- Steam the broccoli in the microwave – while the quinoa and salmon cooks
- Chop the onions and bell peppers
- Let the frozen corn thaw, or add it to the pan with the salmon so it gets lightly charred
And then assemble:
Toss the quinoa, broccoli, onions, peppers, corn and Italian seasoning in a large bowl, and place the bbq glazed salmon fillet on top!
Customize this Quinoa Salmon Salad
You can really treat this (or any) salmon quinoa salad bowl as a whiteboard and play around with the ingredients.
- Go one step further from the glaze and make a barbecue sauce marinade for the salmon with the same seasonings. Just cook it with the sauce on both sides then.
- Instead of bbq sauce salmon, you can use any other sauce for leftover salmon: Sweet Chili, honey mustard or even a dijon!
- Make this recipe with chicken breast instead of the bbq salmon fillet, so you still have a high protein healthy quinoa salad.
- Add some olive oil and lemon juice to the Italian seasoning before mixing it in, and you have a salmon quinoa salad with a dressing!
How to Store Quinoa Salad with Salmon Steak
The best way to store this dish is to keep the quinoa salad portion and barbecue salmon fillets in separate airtight containers. Make sure they’ve both cooled completely though.
You can store the containers in the fridge for even 3 days, and have a quinoa salad ready for an easy lunch or even easy dinner!
This simple quinoa salad recipe topped with barbecue sauce salmon is a great meal prep recipe too!
Some more Quinoa Salad Recipes with Protein you might like:
- Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad with Kale
- Pork Fajita Quinoa Burrito Bowl
- 30 Minute Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad Bowl with Mushrooms
BBQ Glazed Salmon Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 3½ oz Salmon Fillet, 100g
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Tbsp BBQ Sauce, Unsweetened or Low Sugar
Quinoa Salad:
- ¾ cup Cooked Quinoa, 140g, or ¼ cup uncooked: 45g
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets, Chopped, 90g
- ¼ cup Corn Kernels, Off Cobb, Canned or Thawed from Frozen, 34g
- ¼ cup Red Bell Peppers, Chopped, 36g
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Onion, 20g
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- If using uncooked quinoa, cook according to instructions in notes.
- Season both sides of salmon with garlic powder, paprika and salt.
- Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium, lightly grease with cooking spray and add the salmon.
- Cook on one side for 4-5 mins, and flip.
- Spread the bbq sauce on the cooked side using a spoon or basting brush.
- Cook other side for another 4-5 mins. Optionally place corn on side to char.
- Place broccoli in a large bowl, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 1½ minute until tender.
- Add cooked quinoa, bell peppers, onions, corn and Italian seasoning and toss to combine.
- Transfer to a plate first or place salmon fillet on top and serve!
Notes
- Rinse quinoa thoroughly in cold water (to avoid any bitter taste).
- Bring ½ cup water and quinoa to a boil in saucepan.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and all the water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to bowl.
- Fridge: 3 days. Store salmon and quinoa salad in separate airtight containers.
- Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ Sauce, Organic and Unsweetened
- Servings: 1 fillet + 2 cups quinoa salad | Serving size: 1 portion
- Calories: 384kcal
- Fat: 9.6g | Saturated fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 46.6g | Fiber: 7.2g | Sugar: 8.2g
- Protein: 28.4g
