Mediterranean Salmon Salad

Name: Mediterranean Salmon Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce (1 medium head of romaine); 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 small bell pepper, diced; 2 small Persian cucumbers, diced; ½ medium red onion, finely diced; ½ cup crumbled feta; ¼-½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved; 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon); 1 tsp dijon mustard; 1 tsp honey; 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley; 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano (or more parsley or chives); ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 8-10 oz raw salmon; 2 tsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil); 1 tsp dried oregano; ½ tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

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This Mediterranean Salmon Salad is light but filling, packed with flavor, and perfect for the summer! It's crunchy, lemony, savory, and so refreshing on a hot day. It has 30 grams of protein, and you can serve it for lunch or as a light dinner!

Colorful Greek salad in a white low bowls with a piece of roasted salmon sliced horizontally on top of each salad.

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Why You'll Love This Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Variations and Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Tips & Tricks!
Storing and Reheating
FAQs
Similar Salmon Recipes
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Salmon Salad

Light and refreshing - This salad makes a great lunch in the summer, but it's filling enough to be served for dinner as well. It has around 30 grams of protein, but the refreshing salad keeps it light, which is perfect for hot summer months.

Tender and flavorful salmon - The salmon is roasted in the oven until tender and juicy, and it's seasoned with just sea salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. The simple seasoning gives it all the flavor it needs and allows the salad to shine.

Simple and easy - This salad comes together very quickly, and it's very versatile! It's made with a variety of colorful chopped fresh veggies, briny olives, salty feta, and tangy lemon vinaigrette with lots of fresh herbs.

Colorful Greek salad in a white low bowl with a piece of roasted salmon sliced horizontally on top.

Ingredients

Salmon fillets - There are many salmon varieties, the main ones being Atlantic, Pink, Coho, Sockeye, and Chinook Salmon. I usually go with Atlantic because it's the most common and more tender than Sockeye. You can also choose between farmed and wild. I recommend buying wild salmon whenever possible.
Lettuce - I went with romaine lettuce here because it adds crunch, and it's a classic, but other varieties like mesclun or butterhead, little gem, green leaf, or anything similar would be delicious too!
Fresh vegetables - Chopped cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes add crunch and freshness. You could also add roasted or grilled veggies to change things up.
Feta cheese - I recommend always using block feta. Pre-crumbled feta has unnecessary additives, and it tends to be drier than regular feta. I always go with either goat or sheep milk feta.
Kalamata olives - You can add any kind of olives you like. I find Kalamata work the best in Mediterranean dishes, so that's what I always use.
Lemon vinaigrette - This is basically my Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette but with fresh parsley and oregano instead of thyme. It has lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey. It's light, herbal, and works really well in this salad. You can also add other fresh herbs to the dressing, like chives, marjoram, thyme, or rosemary.

Variations and Substitutions

Shrimp or chicken - You can make the same salad with shrimp instead of salmon. You can even cook them in a skillet on the stove if it's too hot outside and you don't want to turn the oven on! Alternatively, you could also easily make this with chicken.
Add-ins - You can add quinoa or chickpeas to bulk up the salad and add more protein. You can also add grilled or roasted veggies like bell peppers, eggplant, red onion, corn, or zucchini!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
In a small bowl or a jar, whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, fresh parsley, and oregano. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Set aside.

Vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, and fresh herbs in a small glass bowl.

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Into a large mixing bowl, add chopped romaine lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, diced bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, crumbled feta, and halved kalamata olives.
Set the salad aside and wait until the salmon is in the oven to add the dressing so the salad doesn't become soggy.

Romaine lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, feta, and olives in a large bowl before and after tossing with lemon vinaigrette.

Add the salmon to your prepared sheet pan skin-side down, and brush with avocado oil on all sides. Season it with dried oregano, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Roast the salmon in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
While it’s roasting, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Serve the salad topped with the roasted salmon while it’s still warm and enjoy!

Two servings of pink salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before and after roasting.

Tips & Tricks!

Rinse the feta and olives - Both are sold in very salty brine, and rinsing them briefly removes some of that excess saltiness. I do this every time I use either. They'll still be plenty salty, but you'll avoid making the salad too salty.
Don't overcook the salmon - You want it to be pink (unless it's sockeye) and cooked through inside, not raw, but salmon can overcook and dry out quickly, and it usually needs less time than you think. Once it's firm when you press on it, it's ready.
Fix a broken vinaigrette - If the oil in your vinaigrette keeps separating from everything else, add mayonnaise. You only need ½-1 teaspoon, but it works like magic and will help you emulsify the dressing in seconds!

Storing and Reheating

Romaine lettuce leaves aren't very tough, so they wilt down once you add any dressing pretty easily. Because of this, this isn't a great salad for meal prep, and it tastes the best the first day. That being said, you can still store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days; it just won't be as crunchy.

Store any leftover roasted salmon separately or with the salad for 1-2 days in the fridge as well. You can enjoy it cold with the salad or reheat it in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 350°F for 10 minutes or until warmed through.

FAQs

Can I cook the salmon in a pan as well?

You can, but depending on the size of your fillets, you might be better off dicing the salmon before cooking to cook it completely through more quickly.

Is the salmon spicy?

No, the salmon only has black pepper. If you want it spicy, you can season it with chili flakes or chili powder before cooking.

Colorful Greek salad in a white low bowl with a piece of roasted salmon sliced horizontally on top with a fork on the right.

Similar Salmon Recipes

If you want to try other salmon recipes you can make for lunch or dinner, all of which can actually be great for meal prep, check out the four delicious recipes below! And to see all the latest ones and more, head over to Fish and Seafood Recipes.

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