Grilled Salmon + Savory Melon Salad with Farro

Place the farro, water, and half the salt into a tall pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, and once it’s boiling, stir well and turn to medium low. Put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, returning to stir once or twice.

Place the salmon on a clean work surface. Make sure there are no bones. If you need to cut the pieces to have the correct number of filets you would like, slice with a sharp, thin knife. Sprinkle the salmon with about ¼ teaspoon of salt per filet.

Use a large sauté pan and melt the butter. If you’re new to searing fish, use a non-stick sauté pan. If you’re feeling confident, use a stainless steel pan or a cast iron skillet. Either way, make sure to heat the pan over medium high heat and melt the butter. Let the butter bubble, then it will stop. At that point, add the fish, top side down (skin side up - which, even if it’s skinless filets, you can see the silvery, flat bottom side). Don’t move the filets once they touch. Cook for about 6 minutes so the salmon forms a golden brown crust and releases from the pan without sticking.

Flip and cook the other side for 4-6 minutes longer depending on the doneness you prefer and how thick your filets are. Salmon is delicious at about medium - juicy pink inside, just barely opaque.

Slice the rind off the cantaloupe, scooping out the seeds. You can make your cubes any size that you like, but aiming for a similar size to the olives is nice symmetry.

Cut the olives in half.

Dice or crumble the feta.

After cooking 20 minutes, open the lid to the farro and stir well. Zest the lemon into it, then squeeze the lemon juice in as well. Add the olive oil. Taste a grain and see if it’s done. It should be puffed up and tender, but still chewy. If you’re worried it’s not done, add another 3 Tablespoons of water and crank the heat up, cook for another 5 minutes with the lid on. If it is done, then turn off the heat and let it steam with the heat off until serving.

Chop the parsley. Stir the melon and feta into the farro salad. Plate farro in large bowls and flatten the top. Place a filet of salmon on top. Garnish with parsley.