Simple Orzo Seafood Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Is it just me, or does planning weekday lunches feel like such a chore every single week? I find it easy, even enjoyable, to pick and choose from a list of favorite recipes when planning dinners. But when it comes to lunch, there are just too many requirements:

• Has to taste good cold or at room temperature.
• Must transport easily without the need for 18 different containers.
• Has to be filling enough to satisfy, but not so filling you require a 2 o’clock nap.
• Must be quick to package up in the morning.
• And most importantly: it must be just as appealing as the nearest drive thru option, or it’ll just get left behind and forgotten in the back of the office refrigerator.

This orzo seafood salad checks all of those boxes and then some. It’s a delightfully refreshing cold salad that my mom threw together one afternoon in an effort to use up leftover salmon and produce. And it has it all: salmon, orzo, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, mint, and parsley all dressed in a homemade orange vinaigrette. It tastes fantastic freshly made, but just as good (maybe better?) after it’s had a chance to sit in the fridge for a day or two. And because it doesn’t require any additional dressings or components, it couldn’t be easier to pack up and tote to the office. All things considered? This dish is a winner and whenever I know it’s waiting for me in the fridge, I look forward to lunchtime all morning long.

A Few Tips on Ingredients

This is a simple dish. It’s not deep fried, wrapped in pastry, or smothered with gravy. (Although now that I think of it, that may have been a missed opportunity.) And so, the fresh ingredients are really the star of the show. Here are a few tips on that front.

• Israeli Feta – My favorite affordable place to buy cheese is Trader Joe’s; they have a great selection and very reasonable prices. And my absolute favorite feta from Trader Joe’s is the Israeli feta that comes stored in brine in a royal blue tub. You can’t miss it. It’s a sheep’s milk cheese and is much creamier, less crumbly, and more subtly flavored than most Greek fetas, which tend to be made from goat’s milk. I find it absolutely delightful.
• Persian Cucumbers – In my opinion, when it comes to cucumbers, Persian cucumbers are the best. They’re known for having a very thin skin, which means you can leave it on for an added pop of color and super easy prep. Plus, they’re virtually seedless, which makes them less watery than your standard cucumber, and they pack a bit more sweetness and flavor too. And most importantly, clocking in at just 5 or 6 inches long, you’ll rarely cut into a cucumber that you don’t use entirely, which means you won’t have any half-used cucumbers sitting in your fridge developing that dreaded layer of slime.
• Baby Heirloom Tomatoes – When making this orzo seafood salad, definitely stick to baby, grape-sized tomatoes. When halved, they’re perfectly bite sized and add a great burst of flavor. Aside from size, the most important factor when choosing tomatoes for this salad is freshness. You want tomatoes with rich color, firm texture, and a tight, glossy skin. Nothing too soft or wrinkly. Lastly, whenever possible, I opt for baby heirlooms. Not only do they taste amazing, but the variety of color adds to the visual appeal of the salad. (If you’re curious about what makes heirloom tomatoes so special, check out this article by Bon Appétit. Hint: it’s all in the seeds.)

How to Make the Orange Vinaigrette

Back in the day, when I first started making this orzo seafood salad, I used to use a delicious dressing from Trader Joe’s. It was called Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar and it. Was. Amazing. Sadly, Trader Joe’s seems to have discontinued the dressing (at least in Texas), so now I simply make my own. It’s super quick and easy to throw together, and tastes remarkably like the bottled stuff. Just whisk together orange zest, orange juice, champagne vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, and mayonnaise. Then, slowly whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Totally Adaptable

One of the best things about this salad is that it’s totally adaptable to your tastes and to what ingredients you have on hand. If you’re not a fan of salmon, try subbing tofu, chicken, or shrimp! Don’t have cucumbers? Leave them out! Head over heels for mozzarella? Swap out the feta. While I love the salad just as the recipe is written, you could make it a thousand different ways.

A Quick and Easy Orzo Seafood Salad Recipe

In the true spirit of leftover meals, this one is amazingly simple to make. Just cook your pasta according to the directions on the bag and put it in a bowl with the leftover salmon.

Chop up the cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, parsley, mint, and crumbled feta cheese. Then add everything to the pasta. I like to do so while the pasta is still warm so the cheese melts just a bit.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and olive oil to make the dressing. Season it with salt and pepper to taste, and pour it all over the salad. Top it off with extra feta cheese and some chopped parsley or mint for garnish and enjoy!

XO,

Fiona