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This 25-minute Salmon Salad is so vibrant and totally summer-ready. Fresh veggies and succulent seared salmon are tossed together in a light lemon and dill dressing for an easy weeknight meal.
Flaky salmon, creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, and juicy tomatoes? All drizzled with a herby, lemony vinaigrette? If that doesn’t scream summer, I don’t know what does. I used some of the vinaigrette to season the salmon before searing it in a pan. The fish takes on the flavor beautifully and gets this awesome caramelization to it while remaining incredibly tender and juicy. The salmon, veggies, and avocado, are tossed together with baby romaine and more dressing in a celebration of simple, fresh ingredients. Is your mouth watering yet?
Why You’ll Love This Salmon Salad Recipe
- Simple, vibrant flavors. Between the lemon and dill dressing and the fresh, crunchy veggies, this salad is bursting with light, bright summer flavors. Nothing fancy. Just simple, quality ingredients thoughtfully put together.
- Tender, juicy salmon. I have been so into pan-searing salmon lately. In just 8 minutes, you’ll find yourself with some seriously succulent, melt-in-your-mouth fillets. I love that they are seasoned in the same dressing used on the salad itself. It makes life so easy!
- Dinner in under 30 minutes. Need I say more? This salmon salad only takes 25 minutes to make from start to finish. It’s the perfect meal for your busiest days.
What You’ll Need
Buckle up and get yourself to the grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need to make this salmon salad recipe. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Skinless salmon fillets – You can use skin-on fillets. You’ll just want to remove the skin after cooking.
- Vegetables – I used baby romaine lettuce, English cucumber, grape tomatoes, and red onion. Feel free to add more or different veggies if you’d like.
- Avocado
- Olive oil – You’ll use it for the dressing and in the pan to cook the salmon.
- Fresh lemon juice – I much prefer squeezing my own lemons as opposed to using the bottled stuff. The flavor is just so much better.
- Red wine vinegar
- Herbs– Fresh dill and dried oregano. If you’d like to incorporate other herbs, you can. Fresh basil or parsley would be fun.
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper
Can I Use Frozen Salmon?
You can. Just thaw it completely first using one of the following methods:
- Refrigerator. Place the frozen salmon in its packaging on a rimmed plate or in a bowl. Let it sit in the fridge until thawed. This usually takes 8-12 hours depending on the size of the fillets. If you are working with a larger piece of salmon (such as a whole side), it could take up to 24 hours.
- Cold water. Place the salmon in its packaging in a bowl and cover the fish with cold water. Let it sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature until thawed, changing the water every 30 minutes.
I prefer the refrigerator method. I find it yields a better texture.
How To Make Salmon Salad
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this light, bright salmon salad. For more thorough instructions, scroll to the recipe card below.
- Prep the salmon. Remove the salmon from any packaging, pat it dry, and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Make the dressing. Shake together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, herbs, salt, and a little cracked pepper in a mason jar.
- Season the salmon. Add ½ cup dressing to a shallow dish and coat the salmon fillets in it.
- Cook the salmon. Heat a steel skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil followed by two salmon fillets. Cook for 4 minutes on either side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining salmon.
- Assemble the salad. Add the veggies, avocado, and salmon to a large tray or bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.
Tips & Variations
Want to knock this salmon salad recipe out of the park? Take a look at these pro tips before you get to cooking. I tacked on some fun variations as well.
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you crowd the pan, the salmon won’t cook evenly and it will be harder to flip. So cook the fish in batches (2 fillets at a time).
- Be gentle. The salmon fillets have a tendency to stick. So you may need to scrape against the bottom of the pan with a metal spatula. Work slowly and gently to ensure the salmon doesn’t fall apart.
- Get the temperature right. Depending on the thickness of your salmon fillets, they might need a little more or less time in the pan. To make sure you get them just right, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the largest filet. When the it reads 120°F, they’re done!
- Fresh ingredients. I highly encourage you to use freshly squeezed lemon juice (it’e better than the bottled stuff) and fresh dill for the best, brightest flavor.
- Tomato. I used grape tomatoes for this recipe but cherry tomatoes work just as well. You could even just use regular ol’ “full-sized” tomatoes cut into large chunks.
- Fun with cheese. If you’d like to add some crumbled feta or goat cheese to the salad, feel free. Feta in particular would bring a nice tangy twist.
- Salmon. The fillets will flake apart when you toss the salad. If you’d like to keep them whole, toss together the salad and serve the fillets alongside or on top. Another option is changing up the flavor of the salmon by making our honey glazed salmon or lemon pepper salmon.
Serving Suggestions
This colorful, veggie-filled salad makes for the perfect lunch or light dinner. Serve it with a slice of your favorite loaf of sourdough or this Outback Steakhouse Bread and call it a day. Looking for a little something extra? I have been loving it with this Potato Leek Soup or this Easy Minestrone Soup.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator. Seal any leftover salmon salad in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just note that the lettuce will start to get soggy the longer it sits. So it’s best to enjoy it sooner rather than later.
- Freezer. I don’t really recommend freezing this salad. Not all of the components thaw well. That being said, you can cook the salmon, let it cool, seal it in an airtight container, and freeze it. When you’re ready to make the salad, let the fish thaw in the fridge, make the dressing, prep the veggies, and toss everything together.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Salmon Salad
This summer-ready 25-minute Salmon Salad is loaded with fresh veggies and succulent seared salmon. Tossed together in a light lemon and dill dressing, it's the perfect, easy weeknight meal.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 – 4-ounce skinless salmon fillets
- 6 cups of baby romaine lettuce
- 1 English cucumber diced.
- 1 pint halved grape or cherry tomatoes I love the baby heirloom grape tomatoes!
- ½ red onion diced.
- 1 avocado sliced or diced.
- 8 Tablespoons of Olive Oil plus extra for cooking the salmon.
- 6 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons of fresh dill minced.
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Remove the salmon fillets from their packaging, pat dry with paper towels and allow to sit at room temperature for approximately 15 minutes.
- In a mason jar, or measuring cup, add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, oregano, salt and a few turns of cracked pepper.
- Close the lid and shake until combined. (Or use a whisk)
- Add ½ cup of the dressing to a shallow dish.
- Take each salmon fillet and coat both the front and back with the dressing. Set them aside.
- Heat a steel skillet over medium heat. After a few minutes, add a drop of water and if it sizzles and skips around the pan, it’s ready.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil and then add two fillets to the pan. (You don’t want them to be crowded so you may need to cook them in shifts.)
- Set a timer for 4 minutes and don’t move them.
- Once the timer goes off, gently flip each fillet to the other side and cook for an additional 4 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the filet reaches 120 degrees.
- Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and salmon to a large tray or bowl.
- Add the remaining dressing and toss to coat before serving.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 1salmon fillet with salad | Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 1402mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6951IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4mg
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