Easy Chopped Salmon Salad
This salmon salad recipe makes a main dish salad with chopped vegetables, flaky fish, and tangy citrus dressing. It has plenty of protein and healthy fats, so it’s nutritious and delicious! Make this for dinner tonight for as a lunch meal prep for the week!
If you’re looking for more salmon recipes, don’t forget to check my recipe roundup of 35 Easy Salmon Recipes You Need To Make For Dinner.
Do you know that the American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish every week? Especially the type of fish that have healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, such as tuna and salmon. Luckily for us, it’s super easy to make salmon.
As it’s a quick cooking protein, you’ll find that it’s a great weeknight ingredient to cook with. It takes less than 20 minutes to bake in the oven! Alternatively, canned salmon is just as delicious and healthy.
You can make your chopped salmon salad using fresh or canned pink or red salmon. Either way, it will be full of heart-healthy fats and plenty of nutrients. This salad is light enough to be served for lunch, and it’s a great meal to make using leftover fish. Even better, the salad is quick to make and also filling enough to enjoy as a main dish for dinner.
We love salmon so much and for this reason I’m always creating different recipes with it. If you like salmon too I’m sure you will really enjoy this Low-Carb Salmon Burgers with Avocado Coleslaw, Simple Garlic Butter Salmon Recipe, Salmon in the Oven and Spicy Salmon Sweet Potato Skillet.
Chopped salmon salad ingredients
One thing I particularly like about this chopped salad recipe is, it’s very easy to customize to your tastes. So, if you don’t care for my choice of veggies, use whatever you enjoy and/or have on hand.
- Salmon – If you don’t want to make the salmon salad using a fresh salmon filet, you can use canned salmon instead. The good news is, canned salmon is also a great source of Omega 3’s. If you are using canned salmon, be sure to get boneless salmon so you don’t have to worry about picking out little bones!
- Fresh veggies – I like to use romaine lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, and red onion. Feel free to change things up and use whatever you have on hand. For example, baby tomatoes, carrots, olives, shallots, and more. Just be sure to chop everything into small bite-sized pieces so you can have a bite with a little bit of everything.
- Avocado – In addition to the creaminess it provides to the salad, avocados also contain heart-healthy fat.
- Fresh herbs – Adding some fresh parsley or dill (maybe both!) will give the chopped salmon salad an extra boost. You can also try basil, cilantro, or tarragon.
Salad dressing ingredients
This is the type of salad that is too light and healthy to coat in a heavy salad dressing. I like to keep things light and flavorful by making a simple dressing of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice as bottled lemon juice doesn’t have the same fresh bright flavour to it.
How to Quickly Make Salmon for a Chopped Salmon Salad
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Place salmon on the baking sheet, skin-side down, season with salt and pepper and bake 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down.
- Flake flesh and set aside.
How to Season Salmon for Salads
The seasoning for your salmon really depends on how you plan on dressing your salad. Since we are using a light dressing, we have a lot of room to play around for the seasoning. Here are some ideas:
- Cajun seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Herb de Provence
- Old Bay seasoning
- Garlic butter
- Salt, pepper, and paprika
- Chili pepper
- Cayenne and garlic powder
- You can even garnish with some freshly shaved parmesan and a pinch of truffle salt
How long will salmon salad last in the fridge?
If you make the salad using fresh salmon, it will keep well for 3 to 4 days. Using canned salmon, it will keep an extra day or two.
Regardless of what type of salmon you use, the salmon should be kept in an airtight container. Otherwise, any foods nearby might absorb the aroma of the salmon.
How to Store this Chopped Salmon Salad
If you’d like to meal prep this, I suggest either storing each component of the salad separately and then combine the ingredients the morning of packing your lunch. Alternatively, you can pack the ingredients together in meal prep containers but pack the salad dressing on the side.
The dressing can cause your salad to be soggy so by storing it on the side, the meal prep will last longer. Also, if you are meal prepping this, add the avocado on the day of eating as your avocado can turn brown from oxidation.
Serving Suggestions
The salad makes a complete meal on its own, so you really don’t need to serve anything additional with it. If you want to add some extra fiber and make the salad more filling, you could mix in some cooked cauliflower rice, lentils, or quinoa.
Of course, a nice loaf of gluten free French bread could be a tasty addition as well.
More salad recipes to try:
- Another Easy Salmon Salad Recipe
- Salmon Chopped Salad Recipe
- Easy Mediterranean Salad Recipe
- Shrimp Avocado Tomato Salad Recipe
- Super Easy Avocado Cucumber Tuna Salad
Easy Chopped Salmon Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 8 oz. salmon - cooked and flaked* (if you don’t have salmon leftover, go to notes below the recipe instructions to know how to bake a salmon filet)
- 3 cups cucumber - chopped
- 3 cups red bell peppers - chopped
- ¾ cup red onions - chopped
- 1 medium avocado - chopped
- 4 cups lettuce - chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley - chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1.5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add the salmon, cucumber, red bell peppers, red onions, avocado and lettuce. Mix everything together until combined.
- In a mason jar, pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper and whisk everything. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil*.
- Taste the dressing to check the seasoning and pour over the salad. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
* Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Place salmon on the baking sheet, skin-side down, season with salt and pepper and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Flake flesh and set aside.
If you make this recipe, follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I'd love to see what you're making!
