This salmon salad recipe makes a main dish salad packed with chopped vegetables, flaky fish, and tangy citrus dressing. It has lots of protein and good fats, so it’s wholesome and delicious! Make this for dinner tonight or 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.
I love salad recipes. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Greek Salad, or just a good and simple green salad are some of my favorites.
So, today I decided to make this salmon salad recipe because I love everything with salmon, and since it’s getting hot here, this salad will be great for summer.
This is definitely a quick and easy meal for dinner. Salmon is super easy to make. It takes less than 20 minutes to bake in the oven! Alternatively, canned salmon is just as delicious.
You can make your chopped salmon salad using fresh or canned pink or red salmon. 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 (Web Story), and Spicy Salmon Sweet Potato Skillet.
One thing I particularly like about this salmon 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 this salmon salad using fresh salmon fillets, you can use canned salmon instead. 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, kalamata olives, shallots, green leaves of your preference, 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 good fats.
- 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.
- You can also add some cheese, like feta cheese, if you prefer.
Salad dressing ingredients
This is the type of salad that is nice and light, so we want the dressing to be similar. I like to keep things light and flavorful by making a simple dressing with:
- Fresh lemon juice: You can replace it with red wine vinegar too.
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper.
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 with the seasoning. Here are some ideas:
- Cajun seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Herb de Provence
- Old Bay seasoning
- Garlic butter
- Kosher salt, pepper, and paprika
- Chili pepper
- Cayenne and garlic powder
- You can even garnish with some freshly shaved Parmesan.
Be sure to use fresh lemon juice, as bottled lemon juice doesn’t have the same fresh, bright flavor to it. Of course, you can add Dijon mustard, honey, vinegar, herbs like fresh dill, and so on, if you prefer.
Let’s bake the salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a 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 the flesh or cut the fillet into slices and set aside.
Time to assemble the salad:
- In a large salad bowl, combine the salmon, cucumber, red bell peppers, red onions, avocado, and lettuce. Toss everything together until well mixed.
- In a mason jar, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk the mixture together, slowly pouring in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.
- Pour the salad dressing over the salad and enjoy!
Leftover cooked salmon works great in many recipes. Just flake it and add it to dishes like: salmon pasta, salmon tacos, salmon fried rice, and/or salmon patties.
Yes, salmon salad is typically enjoyed cold. It’s a refreshing option for a quick lunch or a light dinner. If you prefer, you can also serve it at room temperature, but chilling it enhances the flavors and makes it more refreshing.
Covering salmon while baking is optional and depends on the result you want. If you cover it, you can remove the foil during the last few minutes of baking if you want a bit of color on the surface.
Yes, you can use canned salmon in the recipe. Just drain it well and flake it before adding it to your dish. Canned salmon is a convenient option if you’re looking for a quick and easy alternative to fresh salmon.
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. Don’t add the dressing until you are ready to eat the salad. This way, the salad will last longer.
If you’d like to meal prep this, I suggest either storing each component of the salad separately and then combining 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 make the salad more filling, you could mix in some cooked cauliflower rice, lentils, or quinoa.
You can also make a salmon salad sandwich with this recipe. It’s delicious.
Of course, a nice loaf of gluten-free French bread could be a tasty addition as well, or some crackers. You can also serve it with wraps (or lettuce wraps).
More salad recipes to try:
- Easy Mediterranean Salad Recipe
- Shrimp Avocado Tomato Salad Recipe
- Super Easy Avocado Cucumber Tuna Salad
Salmon Salad Recipe
Video
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!
Notes
- To make the salmon, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place salmon on the baking sheet, skin-side down, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Flake flesh and set aside.
- If you do not want to cook fresh salmon, you can use canned salmon.
- Try to use freshly squeezed lemon juice as bottled juice does not have the same bright taste.
- To store: Store leftover salmon in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This dressing stays good in the fridge in a sealed container for about 5 days.
- To freeze: Freeze cooked salmon in a freezer-safe bag once the fillets have reached room temperature. Freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was ABSOLUTELY fantastic!! I will definitely be making this on a regular basis! THANK YOU!!!
Awesome! Happy you liked it. So good!
The salmon salad looks delicious trying to eat healthier more fish and shrimp fresh veggies and salads
It’s very healthy and delicious!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I added cilantro , lots of fresh dill, to mine. Will make it again and again. So light!
Happy you like dit!
Can I mix this together ahead of time?
Yes you can, just add the dressing minutes before eating it.
DELICIOUS, been looking for recipe just like this . The French has version of this . Love it
That’s awesome. Happy you liked it!
I make this salad every time I have leftover salmon. Great recipe – easy and delicious
Same. It’s a great recipe for salmon leftover!
I was looking for a quick recipe for a salmon salad. Your recipe showed up and I liked it. I had lot of leftovers of my baked salmon, so I decided to try it. I am glad I did because it was delicious and I made it in less than 10 minutes. Absolutely great and healthy recipe. THANK YOU!!
So glad you liked this salad. It’s one of my favorites. I’m always making it.
Question: Have you ever added garlic to the dressing?
Yes, and it’s delicious! If you’re a garlic lover, you should definitely add it to your dressing. 😉