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.

I love salad recipes. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Greek Salad or just a good and simple green salad are one of my favourites.

So, today I decided to make this salmon salad 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 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 (Web Story), and Spicy Salmon Sweet Potato Skillet.

Ingredients to make salmon salad

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 a fresh salmon fillets, 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, 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 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.
• You can also add some cheese like feta cheese if you prefer.

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.

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
• 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 flavour to it. Of course, you can add Dijon mustard, honey, vinegar, herbs like fresh dill and so on, if you prefer.

How to Make a quick baked Salmon

• 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 or cut the fillet into slices and set aside.

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. Don’t add the dressing until you are ready to eat the salad. This way the salad will last longer.

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.

You also can 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 cracker. You can also serve it with wraps (or lettuce wrap).

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

Did you make a recipe? Tag @primaverakitchen on Instagram so we can find you!

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3.74 from 151 votes

Salmon Salad Recipe

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!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 0 minutes

0 minutes

Total: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 people

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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

US CustomaryMetric

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!
  

Tips

• 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.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 Calories: 296kcal (15%) Carbohydrates: 15g (5%) Protein: 15g (30%) Fat: 21g (32%) Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 28mg (9%) Sodium: 992mg (43%) Potassium: 475mg (14%) Fiber: 6g (25%) Sugar: 7g (8%)

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

© Author: Olivia Ribas