Flaky baked salmon, crisp celery, red onion, radishes, and fresh herbs are all mixed in a creamy lemony dressing in this salmon salad. Yes, this is how you give fish a new lease on life.
I'm a big fan of transforming basic proteins into creamy summer salads. They're full yet still light and refreshing. I've already prepared prawn salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad. So it only seemed logical that the next salad on my list would use one of my favorite ingredients - baked salmon!
One of my go-to dinner prep components is chunky, flaky baked salmon. And then combine it with incredibly fresh, creamy, and crunchy ingredients. particularly when served atop butter leaf lettuce.
WHAT’S IN THIS SALMON SALAD?
The flavor of the creamy dressing is a little more complex. The celery offers that crispness that we all enjoy.
Salmon: I used a huge fillet of salmon, but you could alternatively use numerous individual fillets. Simply lower the baking time if using smaller, individual fillets.
Salmon Seasoning: Smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper will provide a smokey, wonderful flavor to the salmon.
Dressing for Salad: The greatest creamy dressing for salmon is a blend of mayonnaise, lemon, Dijon mustard, and garlic.
Onion: Diced red onion and celery are traditional accompaniments, but shredded radishes provide color and complexity to this meal.
Herbs: Lots of chives and dill wrap everything in herby deliciousness.
HOW TO MAKE FLAKY SALMON SALAD
The remainder of the process is really straightforward after the salmon is in the oven. Simply flake the salmon, cut the vegetables and herbs, stir, and serve!
Make the salmon. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Place the fish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over the salmon and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
Bake and flake the fish. Depending on the size and thickness, bake for 16 to 18 minutes. Allow it to cool to room temperature before flaking the salmon into bits and placing it in a dish. Refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes.
Make the salad dressing. While the salmon bakes or chills, prepare the onion, radish, celery, dill, and chives.
Prepare the dressing. Separately, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Mix everything together. Pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables and herbs in the flaked salmon dish. Gently mix everything together until the salmon flakes are uniformly covered (but don't over-stir - you want some of those big salmon flakes!).
It's ready for you to enjoy! Serve the chilled salmon salad directly from the dish, on top of butter lettuce leaves, or as a sandwich or wrap.
STORAGE & MEAL PREP TIPS
This salmon salad is a wonderful and adaptable meal prep ingredient. You can stuff it with food (like my tuna-stuffed avocados) or eat it on its own. Yes, it does store well.
- To store: Place in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
- To freeze: Put this on ice for later! Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To avoid freezer burn, just make sure to pack it down and remove as much air as you can. Next, defrost it in the refrigerator the day before you intend to eat it.
FLAKY SALMON SALAD
Ingredients
FOR THE SALMON
- 1 ¼ pounds salmon filet
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE DRESSING
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced (about ½ tablespoon of zest and 1 ½ tablespoons juice)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE SALAD
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- 3 large radishes, grated
- 2 stalks celery, small diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Prep the salmon. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the salmon on top. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Bake and flake the salmon. Bake the salmon for 16 to 18 minutes (depending on size and thickness), or until it flakes easily with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature, then flake the salmon into chunks and place in a bowl. Chill the flaked salmon for 5 to 10 minutes in the fridge.
- Dice the vegetables. Top the flaked salmon with the onion, radish, celery, dill, and chives.
- Make the dressing. In a separate small bowl make the dressing. Stir together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Stir it all together. Pour the dressing on top of the salad, and gently stir to combine.
- Serve the salmon salad chilled straight out of the bowl, on butter lettuce leaves, or as a sandwich or wrap.
TIPS
- You can bake the salmon in a baking dish or on a regular half sheet pan, but I love quarter sheet pans. They’re the perfect size for baking whole fish filets!
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