Nothing says summer like grilled salmon and orzo salad. I'll admit, this is an in-depth recipe not for the faint of heart. I'm here to tell you, that you don't have to do every step. We found the recipe from Half Baked Harvest and while it requires a lot of chopping with a lot of ingredients, you don't have to use all of them. You could cut some time by omitting the grilled lemons. I also left out the can of chickpeas. They felt a little overpowering mixed into the orzo salad. Juicing a lemon and using the juice instead would suffice.  However, the addition of the garlic and fresh herb butter was great at the end. Add flake salt to finish it off.

Ingredients

• 4 (5-6 ounce) salmon fillets

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dried oregano)

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

• Add generous kosher salt, and black pepper

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 lemons, sliced and seeds removed - use to your taste

• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

• 1/2 cup fresh basil, dill, and or mint, chopped (I use a mix)

• 1 Fireworks Garlic Butter Burst

Orzo Summer Salad

• 3 cups cooked orzo

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup fresh basil, dill, and or chives, chopped (I use a mix)

• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped

• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas drained

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 cup green olives

• 1/2 cup cucumber

• 1 avocado, diced

Instructions:

1. Place the salmon in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, paprika, oregano, shallot, garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Rub the seasonings and oil evenly into flesh. Toss the lemon slices into the oil.

2. To make the salad. Add the orzo, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, herbs, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to a large serving bowl. Add the chickpeas, red peppers, tomatoes, olives, and avocado, toss to combine.

3. Heat your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium high heat. Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Add the lemon slices. Cover and cook until skin is lightly charred, 4-5 minutes, flip the salmon and lemons, grill another 3-4 minutes until opaque. Remove everything from the grill.

4. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix them with the herbs, crumbled feta, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the feta to the orzo salad.

5. Melt the butter burst to liquid. Stir in 1/4 cup fresh herbs.

6. Divide the salad between plates. Add the salmon and sprinkle with lemon feta.
7. Pour the melted garlic herb butter over the salmon. Top with some flake salt and an extra squeeze of lemon, if desired. Enjoy!