Spiced Salmon Bulgur Wheat Salad with a Sumac Dressing

Bulgur wheat is one of my favourite grains. It seems to soak up flavour so well, it’s full of protein and I also really like the texture it brings to salads. Paired with plenty of veggies, a lively dressing and some spiced grilled salmon, this is the perfect = midweek meal. It’s also a great way to empty your fridge of whatever vegetables you have lying around.

Serves 4
1. First rinse 200g bulgur wheat and cook in a saucepan with 400mls of chicken or veg stock for around 10 mins over a medium/low heat. Once cooked, fluff up the grains with a fork and set aside.
2. For the rest of the salad, finely chop a red onion, four large tomatoes, a handful of green olives, half a cucumber, half a bunch of spring onions, a red and green pepper and plenty of herbs (I used flat leaf parsley, dill and mint).
3. Add all the chopped ingredients to the bulgur wheat with 75g of crumbled feta cheese and stir well. Make a dressing from 3 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of a lemon, some seasoning and 1 tbsp of sumac. Mix well and stir through the salad. Taste and correct the seasoning.
4. For the salmon spice mix, mix half a tbsp of ground cumin and smoked paprika with 1 tsp each of turmeric, thyme, oregano, garlic granules, onion salt and ground coriander with a pinch of cayenne. Pat the salmon fillets dry and sprinkle the spice mix over the fillets, pressing the spices into the flesh. Sprinkle with some sea salt flakes and pepper before placing under the grill for 8-10 minutes until crisp, golden and the fish is just flaking apart.
5. Assemble the fish pieces on top of the salad and dollop with some natural yoghurt mixed with lemon juice if you like.