This Smoked Salmon Salad has it all. Crisp baby greens, crunchy cucumber, salty smoked salmon, and an incredibly delicious cilantro lime salad dressing to wrap the entire meal together.
If you love smoked salmon, then you have to try this Smoked Salmon Appetizer (VIDEO) and this Smoked Salmon Bagel.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love smoked salmon, and this Smoked Salmon Salad has it all. It’s so flavorful and simple to make, it’s perfect for a summer lunch.
- TASTE: The salmon is smoky and salty with a tangy, citrusy dressing. The sweet tomatoes and pungent onion add great complementary flavor.
- TEXTURE: The vegetables add a juicy and crisp texture to this salad with its delicate slices of smoked salmon.
- TIME: This recipe takes just 10 minutes.
- EASE: This is so easy to make. The homemade dressing is the hardest part and that’s really simple, too.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Mixed baby greens- Or you can use any kind of spring mix.
- Red onion– This has a very strong, pungent flavor that goes well with the smoked salmon.
- English cucumber– This kind of cucumber has less seeds and has a sweeter flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes- These have a great sweet flavor.
- Smoked salmon- This has a delicious smoky, salty flavor that will pair well with this salad and dressing.
- Garlic clove- Minced for the dressing
- Limes- Juiced for the dressing.
- White vinegar– This will add a nice acidic flavor to the dressing.
- Honey– For some sweetness.
- Cilantro- Chopped to add fresh flavor.
- Grapeseed oil- This will be the oil base of the dressing. It has a nice neutral flavor.
- Salt and Black pepper– To season the dressing.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute another dressing- I like this cilantro lime dressing for this Smoked Salmon Salad, but you can really use any dressing you like. Oil and vinegar-based ones usually work best.
- Add other vegetables- Add the veggies of your choice, such as carrots, celery, avocado, mushrooms, or kale.
- Use seeds- Add some healthy seeds to this recipe with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or chia seeds.
- Add hard-boiled egg- For added flavor and protein, slice up a hard-boiled egg for this salad.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Salad
- Make the dressing. In a small beaker, combine the minced garlic, lime juice, vinegar, and honey. Give it a quick stir, then add in the roughly chopped cilantro and blend well. As you blend the dressing over low speed, slowly add in the grapeseed oil. Once the oil is well blended, add in the salt and pepper
Pro Tip: I like to use an immersion blender when I make homemade dressing.
- Prep the veggies. Slice the red onion using a sharp knife. Then cut the cucumber into quartered slices.
- Assemble the salad. Place the mixed baby greens, smoked salmon (torn in pieces), sliced cherry tomatoes, and red onion onto a plate. Now pour the cilantro lime dressing over the salmon salad.
Recipe Tips
- Slowly add the oil to the dressing- As you blend the dressing over low speed, slowly add in the grapeseed oil. Doing this while briskly mixing will help properly emulsify the dressing.
- Cut the vegetables about the same size- Slice the cucumbers and onion to a similar size to the cherry tomatoes so no one vegetable overpowers the others.
- Add as much vegetables as you like- Depending on if you love onion or not, add as much or as little of the veggies as you like to make the salad to your preference.
- Add extra dressing- I always pour a little on the salad and then add more as needed.
FAQs
This Smoked Salmon Salad goes well with lots of other dishes, including pastas, roasted vegetables, soup, and rice. Try it with this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, Roasted Air Fryer Vegetables, or this Wild Brown Rice.
Smoked salmon can last in the fridge for about 1-2 weeks and a month in the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
This Smoked Salmon Salad is very versatile and goes well with many other dishes. You can serve it with soup, pasta, rice, or vegetables.
- Pasta: Enjoy this salad with some Spaghetti with Zucchini and Garlic, Shrimp Linguine, Asparagus Pasta, or Shrimp Alfredo Pasta.
- Soup: Pair this dish with a bowl of Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, She Crab Soup, Baked Potato Soup, or Easy French Onion Soup.
- Vegetables: Serve it alongside some Roasted Air Fryer Vegetables, Sauteed Garlic Asparagus, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, or Air Fryer Green Beans.
- Rice: Serve this Smoked Salmon Salad with Wild Brown Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, Wild Rice, or Pork Fried Rice.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare the dressing for this salad ahead of time and store it in a lidded container in the fridge for up to a week before you add it to your assembled salad.
Storing: Store this Smoked Salmon Salad in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The lettuce will begin to wilt and the cucumber will get soft the longer it sits.
Freeze: You can freeze smoked salmon for up to a month if it has not been previously frozen, but the salad needs to be made fresh.
More Tasty Salmon Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Smoked Salmon Salad
Ingredients
For the salmon salad
- 3 cups mixed baby greens or any kind of spring mix
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 cucumber sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4-5 oz smoked salmon lox
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 3/4 cup grape seed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- For the salad dressing: In a small beaker, combine minced garlic, lime juice, vinegar, and honey. Give it a quick stir, then add in the roughly chopped cilantro and blend well. (I used an immersion blender). As you blend the dressing over low speed, slowly add in the grapeseed oil. Adding the oil in while briskly mixing will help properly emulsify the dressing. Once the oil is well blended, add in the salt and pepper
- Chop up the red onion and cucumber.
- Arrange the baby greens, smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, and red onion onto a plate. (You can put your desired amount of each ingredient).
- Drizzle the cilantro lime dressing over the salad to your liking.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on May 28, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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