The sun is out, the air is warm and the grill is ready. Time to make the best Grilled Salmon Salad recipe ever.
One of the things I love about working at home is that I can make lunch — like actually cook it — whenever I want. And now that it’s warm outside, I am doing it often and using my grill whenever possible.
I’ve tried to grill in the winter, and it’s fine.
But really, I prefer firing up mine when I can also sit outside comfortably. Then, I can throw something on the grill and relax while it cooks, maybe even reading a book. So you might say I am a spring, summer and fall griller.
And one of the things I love to grill is salmon.
I buy fresh salmon locally from a fish shop near my house. Everything there is super fresh — and you can taste the difference. The salmon in particular is so tender and flavorful without a hint of the fishiness that comes with some supermarket varieties.
I highly recommend finding your own fishmonger for procuring seafood, if you are near a coast. And if you aren’t, buy the best quality you can afford.
Alright, shall we get to the Grilled Salmon Salad recipe, already?
This is one of my very favorite lunches. It starts with the salad — a simple mix of greens, avocadoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. After gathering my ingredients, I prep the salad, mixing it with whatever vinaigrette I feel like using.
In terms of what greens to use, choose whatever is handy. I buy baby arugula, spinach and other greens at the farmers market every week and mix up what I use when making this salad.
For the salmon, I brush it lightly with olive oil and then season all over with salt and pepper. It’s so simple and yet renders the salmon so perfect.
Then it’s off to the hot grill where I cook it to perfection.
Not sure how to cook salmon on the grill? Check out the linked text there for my handy dandy tutorial. It’s easier than you might think.
When the salmon is done, it goes atop my salad, and I dig in. Warm salmon, cool salad, a nice combination of flavors — this is a lunch I could eat every day.
And best of all, it’s ready in about 15 minutes, so it’s easy enough to toss together on a work day too.
My Grilled Salmon Salad recipe serves one, as written, but it’s a cinch to double, triple or quadruple it to serve more hungry lunchers. So consider this for yourself or for you and guests. Either way, it won’t disappoint.
Grilled Salmon Salad
Warm grilled salmon sits on a refreshing cool salad with avocado in this easy recipe. It's simple enough to make for lunch any day you're home.
Ingredients
- 2 cups greens such as baby arugula, lettuce, mesclun greens or baby spinach
- 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup diced red onions
- 1/2 cup diced cucumbers
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1-2 tablespoons vinaigrette
- 1 salmon filet (about 4 oz)
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and avocado. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Set aside.
- Heat the grill to about 500 degrees (use the hottest setting).
- Brush the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the salmon on the grill and cook, without disturbing, for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, to the desired doneness. The salmon should release easily from the grates when it's done.
- Place the salmon on the salad and eat immediately.