Benjamin Kraft/The Daily Northwestern

Ever get tired of going to the dining hall grill station to order yet another cheeseburger and grilled chicken sandwich? With a quick trip to Whole Foods and a few pots and pans, it’s easy to make your own dinner in your dorm or apartment. This week, I took over the kitchen in Allison Hall to make this easy yet surprisingly delicious salmon dish with snap peas and rice.

This recipe was excellent for two reasons.

First of all, it’s delicious and healthy. Between the fish, which is a far more nutritious alternative to most meat, and the complete lack of butter or oil, this meal is not something you have to go to the gym to work off afterward.

Second, the cooking instructions are incredibly simple: You need one pot and you simply continue adding things to it until the dish is complete. Little prep work or cleanup afterward makes this recipe ideal for a lazy college student.

If there is anything to be wary of, it’s making sure the water for the rice doesn’t all boil off while the salmon is cooking — burnt rice is terribly difficult to clean off the bottom of a skillet.

One-Pot Salmon With Snap Peas and Rice 

Serves 4 | Hands-on time: 25 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes | Source: Real Simple

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
• kosher salt and pepper
• 4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (add more to taste to counter the tartness of the vinegar)

Directions:

1. Mix the rice and 3 cups water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, slice the salmon on a diagonal into four ¾-inch-thick pieces. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. After the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, place the salmon on top. Cover and cook 7 minutes more.
4. Scatter the peas over the salmon and rice. Cover and cook until the rice and peas are tender and the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Mix the soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger and sugar in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, rice and peas.