When you need a change from classic crab salad, creamy chicken salad or simple ham or tuna salad, make this one instead using tender and flaky baked salmon. With fresh veggies you won’t find in your typical creamy salads, every bite offers lots of textures and fresh ingredients to keep you satisfied. It’s perfect for lunch or a light dinner, and takes just half an hour!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for cold salmon salad, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Salmon:
The salmon is the star of this dish! It doesn’t need any fancy seasoning because the dressing and other ingredients already add so much flavor, but you could follow my baked salmon recipe instead to make it with garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Otherwise, for the basic version you’ll only need:
Salmon Fillets – This salmon salad recipe bakes this fish, but you could do salmon on the grill, make pan seared salmon in a skillet, or even use air fry salmon. If you don’t have any fresh salmon fillets, 3 1/2 cups of canned salmon would also work, but fresh tastes much better. If you have salmon you don’t want to cook up, make some salmon lox next. Olive Oil – You could also use avocado oil or coconut oil. Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Dressing:
This salmon salad dressing is creamy, herby, and needs just 5 ingredients:
Mayonnaise – I make homemade avocado oil mayonnaise, but store-bought also works. You could also use plain Greek yogurt as the base. Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice will give the best flavor, but you can use bottled lemon juice for convenience. Lime juice would also work instead. Dijon Mustard – Gives this salad a richer taste. Use whatever mustard you like. Fresh Dill – If you can’t find fresh dill or prefer a different flavor, you can use other fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, or basil instead. Smoked Paprika – I love the smoky flavor, but you could also use regular paprika.
Salad:
It’s best to dice the veggies finely so that they blend well into the recipe for salmon salad, but you can do slices if you like.
Bell Pepper – Use red, yellow, orange, or green. Onion – I used a red onion, but you can use a white onion, scallions, or shallots instead for a different flavor. Cucumbers – You could also use zucchini for a similar crunch. Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make Salmon Salad
This section shows how to make a salmon salad with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card. You can add any summer vegetables to this salad, including shredded radishes, shredded carrots, tomato, kalamata olives, or celery. Crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese also make nice additions.
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Meal prep: This salmon salad recipe is perfect for meal prep! It tastes just as good for several days, so you can make it ahead and enjoy (almost) all week long. If you prefer, you can also cut the veggies, cook the salmon, and mix the dressing, and store the components in the fridge separately. Freeze: Avoid freezing salmon salad, as this will ruin the texture of the fresh veggies and dressing.
Ways To Serve Salmon Salad
Like other creamy salad recipes, you can enjoy this one in so many ways! Personally, I’ve been eating it plain and it’s so satisfying on its own. Here are some other ideas: Use a folding motion to mix, so that some of the salmon pieces stay intact.
Sandwiches – Make a salmon salad sandwich on your favorite bread! For lighter options, try it on almond flour bread or super fast 90 second bread. You can also make a veggie-centric “sandwich” by stuffing the salad into cucumber subs or a bell pepper sandwich. Lettuce – Use it as a filling for lettuce wraps, or simply top a bed of romaine lettuce. Crackers – You can even enjoy this as an appetizer with your favorite crackers. Any cracker is great for scooping, but I like to use flax seed crackers, crisp almond flour crackers, or even cheese crisps. Grains – Spoon this salad on rice, quinoa, or riced cauliflower for a filling meal (much like a salmon bowl).
More Easy Salmon Recipes
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