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You’ve tried tuna salad and chicken salad, but have you ever eaten salmon salad? You can make this healthy high-protein lunch with leftover salmon or poach it in the microwave in two minutes!
Cold Salmon Salad
If you need a healthy salad loaded with omega-3s, you’ll love this easy salmon salad. It only takes 5 minutes to make! I love it on toasted sourdough bread or everything bagels, but there are so many ways to eat it. I poach a piece of salmon in the microwave, but you can also make it with my air fryer salmon or baked salmon. Then flake the fish, and add celery, red onions, just a little mayo, fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
When I was testing this recipe, I was surprised that my husband, Tommy, tried some and proceeded to eat half the bowl. He hates salmon (or so he says!), but he devoured this salad. I can’t wait for you to try it! It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, low in carbs, and high in protein.
Ingredients
- Salmon: You’ll need a half-pound fillet.
- Vegetables: Chop celery and red onion.
- Lemon: Juice half of a lemon.
- Mayonnaise: This salad with mayo only uses a tablespoon since salmon is naturally oily. I used regular mayo since it’s such a small amount, but light mayo works too.
- Salt and Pepper for seasoning
How to Make Salmon Salad
- Cook Salmon: To make this even faster, you can cook the fish in the microwave. Just cover it and microwave it for about two minutes. You can also use leftover cooked salmon. Once done, flake it with a fork and let it cool.
- Make the Salad: Put the fish, onion, and celery in a large bowl, stir in the lemon juice and mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper.
How to Serve
- Make a salmon salad sandwich on bagels, toasted sourdough bread, or oat rolls.
- Wrap up the salad in whole-grain or corn tortillas or grain-free wraps.
- Low-Carb Wraps: Serve it in large lettuce leaves, endive, or collard greens.
- Serve the fish over spring mix or lettuce and add extra veggies, like avocado, cucumber, or cherry tomatoes.
- Salmon Salad Bowl: Top your favorite grain, like quinoa or brown rice, with the fish mixture, add some chopped vegetables, and drizzle with red wine vinegar.
- Eat this dish as a snack on rice crackers.
- Salmon Salad Pasta: Mix the fish with whole wheat pasta and a little more mayonnaise.
Variations
- Salmon: You can use frozen salmon – just thaw it in the fridge the day before you want to make it. You could also use canned salmon, but this recipe is so much tastier with fresh fish.
- Protein: If you don’t love salmon, substitute it with canned tuna or diced or shredded chicken.
- Mayo: Sub Greek yogurt for mayonnaise.
- Onions: Swap red onions or green onions for shallots.
- Tangy Flavor: Stir in some Dijon or capers.
- Herbs: Mix in fresh parsley, dill, or chives.
- Vegetables: Add chopped bell pepper, broccoli florets, or cucumber.
- Crunch: Add chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
- Seasoning: Sprinkle in more seasoning, like garlic powder, onion powder, or everything bagel seasoning.
More Salmon Recipes You’ll Love
Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 3 mins
Cooling time: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Yield: 3 servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
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Cook the salmon in the microwave, covered about 2 minutes until cooked through, or use leftover cooked salmon.
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Flake with a fork and let it cool.
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Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, refrigerate up to 4 days.
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Serve over toast, in lettuce cups, on a salad, etc.
Last Step:
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Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 139 kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.5 g, Protein: 17.5 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 39.5 mg, Sodium: 185 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 1 g
