Salmon is one of the healthiest proteins to add to your diet. And, if you’re someone who loves making fresh salads, swapping out your usual chicken topping for salmon could do wonders for your health and wellness! So, today, we’re dedicating our post to making the perfect super healthy salmon salad.
This recipe is super easy - you could meal prep with it, use up leftover salmon with it, or just quickly cook it up for lunch one day! Once you try it, it’ll be on your favorite lunchtime meal list for years. So, here’s how to make our super healthy salmon salad:
Super Healthy Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 4 oz Oshēn salmon fillets
- 1 TB avocado oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 C leafy greens
- ¼ C red onions
- ¼ C feta cheese
- 2 TB pumpkin seeds
- 1 Avocado
Salad Dressing
- ¼ C fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and Pepper
- ½ tsp honey
- ¼ C extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
Instructions
Step One:
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Then, season your Oshēn salmon filets with some salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin-side down and cook for 4 minutes. Flip it and cook for 4 more minutes.
Step Two:
Grab a large salad bowl, and drop in your leafy greens, red onions, feta, and pumpkin seeds. Toss them together in the bowl.
Step Three:
In another bowl, whisk together your lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, honey, and olive oil to create a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Make sure everything is completely combined. Add thyme and mix one more time.
Step Four:
Flake up the salmon with a fork and cut up your avocado. Then, top your salad with the salmon and avocado. Drizzle over your desired amount of lemon vinaigrette dressing. And last, season with more salt and pepper if you’d like more flavor!
Customize Your Super Healthy Salmon Salad
Add More Color
If you like to see more color in your salad bowls for a meal, add bell peppers, carrots, and even tomatoes. Delicious and aesthetic! These will not only make your dish pop with kaleidoscopic color, but they’ll also make your dish healthier.
Super Heart Healthy
This dish is already pretty heart healthy with the healthy fats from the salmon, avocado, and leafy greens. But, you could make it even better for your heart by choosing spinach, kale, cabbage, and collard greens for your salad base. Additionally, sesame seeds, carrots, broccoli, and hard-boiled eggs would add additional punches of heart healthy nutrients!
Dairy Free
If you’re dairy-free, don’t sweat it. This recipe can easily be free of cows milk by getting rid of the feta cheese. If you really miss the texture of soft cheeses, you could try your hand at making tofu cheese. Super delicious and no negative effects of lactose.
Dressings
If you’re not a fan of lemon, you could use a lot of other dressings! You could make a balsamic vinaigrette, cilantro lime dressing, apple cider vinaigrette, or even a tahini dressing. Or, if you’re willing to cheat a little on the dressing, use whatever you’ve got in your fridge. Just remember to use it sparingly if you want to keep it healthy!
Keto-Friendly
Luckily, this recipe is already pretty keto-friendly! There are only two things you need to change. First, omit the honey in the dressing. This ingredient is totally optional anyway, and it won’t compromise the flavor of the mixture. It’ll be a little more tart, but the other ingredients in the salad should help you balance it out! Second, make sure you use sugar-free dijon mustard only!
Whole30 Compliant
Here’s another popular diet! If you want this salad to be Whole30, you should ditch the feta cheese and opt for tofu cheese instead. (Or, simply go without.) Additionally, make sure you get that sugar-free dijon mustard we mentioned in the last tip.
Gourmet
Want to make your salad gourmet? It’s all about presentation. Take zucchini, and cut it into strips. Cut a slit on each end of the zucchini, use them to connect the two sides, and you have a little collar of zucchini for your salad to sit in. Then, stick in your greens and favorite toppings! For color and shape, add thin slices of apples and pears. Serve the salmon on the side with fresh herbs and dressing drizzled over top for the ultimate, polished plate!
Meal Prep
If you want to meal-prep this salad, you’ll need to make two modifications. One, put the salad dressing on the side. Don’t add it beforehand. Two, wait to cut up your avocado until you’re ready to eat it. No one wants brown avocados or soggy salad.
Cooking Options
Don’t want pan-fried salmon? No problem! Try grilling, baking, or even smoking your salmon. We have instructions on how to prepare salmon using these different methods on our blog. Each cooking method provides a different exciting flavor that’ll spice up your salad in different ways. If you get tired of the same-old, same-old, just cook your salmon in a new way!
Salmon salads are delicious, nutritious, and infinitely customizable.
You’ll never get bored with your daily salmon salad when there are so many ways to switch things up! The tasty flavor combined with the versatility of salad make it a great diet food too. You won’t feel like you’re compromising at all when you replace your fast food lunch with a delectable salmon salad. Every bite will be full of flavor, and full of nutrients that’ll make your mind and body healthier and stronger!
But, a good salmon salad starts with quality salmon. Oshēn salmon’s ocean-farmed fillets are the perfect choice for all of your salmon needs. They’re sustainable, consistently tasty, free of heavy metals and hormones, and shipped directly to you. It doesn’t get any better than that! Use code FRESH at check for 15% off. If you want to get the ultimate health benefits from your salmon recipes, grab our choice salmon fillets. And, check back weekly for more content about this delicious seafood option.