Farro With Salmon, Cucumber, Radicchio and Dill

Farro With Salmon, Cucumber, Radicchio and Dill
Julia Gartland for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(1,902)
Comments
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Salmon steams right over toasty farro, saving you from having to wash an extra pan. The silky fish and chewy grains get a refreshing lemony salad of cucumbers and radicchio on top, which is prepared while the farro cooks. Each bite goes from crunchy cool to warm and comforting, though the salad is also good room temperature or cold. If you don't like the bitter edge of radicchio, try thinly sliced endive or fennel instead. For a salty, creamy hit of flavor, sprinkle the top of the salad with crumbled feta.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2cups farro (12 ounces), rinsed and drained
  • 1lemon
  • 3mini (or Persian) seedless cucumbers (7 ounces) 
  • 1small head radicchio (5 ounces)
  • cup packed finely chopped dill
  • 4boneless salmon fillets (4 ounces each, and about 1-inch thick)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1302 calories; 72 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 18 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 95 grams protein; 1504 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large straight-sided skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until starting to turn clear, about 3 minutes. Add farro, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring, until the pan is dry and the farro smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, zest the lemon into a large bowl, then squeeze in its juice. Cut the cucumbers in quarters lengthwise, then slice into ½-inch slices crosswise (you should have 2 cups); add to the bowl. Quarter and core the radicchio, then thinly slice into ¼-inch strips (you should have 3 cups); add to the bowl. Add dill, remaining 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the bowl, and toss until evenly coated.

  3. Step 3

    When the farro is done, season the salmon with salt and pepper. Uncover the farro. Most of the water should be absorbed and the grains should be al dente. Set the salmon on top of the farro in a single layer, skin side up if applicable. Cover and steam to desired doneness, 6 to 7 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from the heat. If your salmon has skin, grip a corner with a paper towel and peel off and discard; repeat with the remaining fillets. The skin should come off easily in a single piece.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the farro and salmon among bowls, flaking the salmon into pieces if you like, and top with the cucumber salad. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,902 user ratings
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Comments

I ran the recipe through a recipe calculator. I got about 725 per serving. That's still high, though. Cut the oil to 1-2 tablespoons, reduce the salmon to 3 oz, double the vegetables and reduce the farro by 25% and you've got a more reasonable calorie count that is still nutritious.

I'd recommend (for those who find this wanting) making a light vinaigrette of sorts for the farro after it's cooked. I added a diced shallot, olive oil, s+p and red wine vinegar to the warm farro and tossed it. If you want to add some diced or crumbled feta at this point, it melts slightly, which is lovely. Mix in the vegetable - I used spinach. I cooked the salmon separately (roasted it, but seared or grilled would be nice) and then gently chunked the salmon on top of the grain salad.

Although I LOVE it, my family finds radicchio a little too strong/bitter. Thinly sliced red cabbage adds a lovely bite and slight sweetness that does not get lost with all the flavor. Plus...a small head of red cabbage lasts...like...forever in the fridge...just slice off the dark edges if it has been awhile and unlock it good as new!

This was a miss for me. Somehow bitter and bland at the same time? Can't win em all.

One of my new favorite recipes—this one will definitely have its place in my regular rotation. Easy peasy, feels relatively healthy, and delicious. I made it pretty much exactly according to directions, though I had a "10-minute" farro and only had about 8 oz of it, so I reduced both the amount of water and the cook time and watched it carefully. It turned out great. Salmon came out beautiful and tasty. I didn't find the radicchio bitter; loved the bursts of lemon and dill.

I agree that the cooking time and water: farro ratio are WAY off. I toasted the farro in the oil/onion for a good long time, and it didn't help. The joy of a one-pot meal is that the sum should be greater than the parts. Sadly, that's not the case here. All of the notes to improve it are thoughtful, but they just add complications, not much to flavor. Disappointing for a NYTimes recipe.

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