This roasted Salmon Kale Salad is packed with flavor, easy to make, and high in protein! An easy homemade miso sesame dressing gives the salad an amazing umami flavor. It comes together really easily and makes a delicious lunch or a light dinner. Kale salad also stores really well so it's great for meal prep.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
So flavorful - The salad is dressed with homemade miso sesame dressing which gives both the kale and the salmon an amazing umami flavor. You can prep the dressing ahead of time in just 5 minutes! It lasts a week in the fridge so it's perfect for meal prep.
Easy and quick - The whole salad comes together in just about 30 minutes. The recipe is simple, straight forward, and you can even prep a few things ahead of time!
Healthy and high in protein - The salad has over 35g of protein per serving and although it's filling, it's still very light, healthy, and refreshing. Both salmon and edamame are packed with protein and make this salad a great filling lunch or a light dinner.
Ingredients
- Salmon - There are many varieties of salmon and the one you use just depends on which you like the most. There's no one best variety of salmon but in general, wild is always better than farmed. Some take longer to cook than others (Sockeye salmon cooks very quickly). Wild Sockeye, Coho salmon, Atlantic salmon, pink salmon, and Chinook salmon are some of the most common varieties. You'll usually find Atlantic and Sockeye salmon at most grocery stores. I always buy it frozen and defrost it as I need it.
- Spices - The salmon is roasted with garlic powder, dried oregano, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Kale - I like using dinosaur kale or baby kale in my salads but curly kale or any other kale is great here. Keep in mind some varieties are tougher than others and need massaging. I always massage curly kale and dinosaur kale with a little with of dressing or sea salt and olive oil to soften it.
- Edamame - Frozen edamame are perfect to have on hand for quick meals like this. All you need to do is boil them from frozen for a few minutes and they're ready to eat!
- Veggies - The salad has chopped cucumber, avocado, and sliced shallots (or red onion for stronger flavor and more color). Feel free to add even more veggies.
- Miso Sesame Dressing - This dressing is made with toasted sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil, tamari, miso paste, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, and toasted sesame seeds. Just add everything to a jar and shake it up!
Variations and Substitutions
- Different kinds of greens - You can make this salad with practically any type of greens. Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, baby kale, little gem, mesclun, frisee, oak leaf, or any other lettuce is great!
- Different base - If you don't have some of the dressing ingredients or want to try a different version of this, make this Kale Crunch Salad your base for this recipe! It has toasted almonds, crunchy cabbage, and an apple cider vinegar based dressing.
- More veggies - You can dress this salad up with as many veggies as you like! Add tomatoes, bell peppers, roasted veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, or asparagus. Pickled red onions would also be delicious here!
- Shrimp - Change things up and make this salad with shrimp instead. You can roast them just like you do the salmon or sautee them in a large pan until opaque. Cooking time will vary.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Because the salmon cooks very quickly and I like to serve it while it's still hot, I cook it last when everything is already ready. First, you'll make the dressing, then you'll boil the edamame, massage the kale, top it with the veggies, and then roast the salmon. It's so easy and it comes together really quickly.
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Miso Sesame Dressing
- Add everything into a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until well-mixed and emulsified.
- Alternatively, you can also do this in a jar and just shake everything up to mix the dressing. I find the miso blends in better sometimes with a whisk.
- Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Salmon Kale Salad
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Boil the edamame beans in salted water for 3-5 minutes. Strain, rinse, and set aside.
- Add shredded kale to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the dressing or a little bit of oil.
- Massage the kale with the dressing using your hands as if you were kneading dough. This is optional but kale is tough and this makes it easier to eat.
- Add the boiled edamame, cucumber, red onion, and avocado to the kale with 1-2 tablespoon of the miso sesame dressing and gently toss to mix.
- Wash and dry the salmon and add it to your prepared baking sheet.
- Brush it with avocado oil on both sides and season with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano.
- Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your salmon (wild salmon roasts quicker).
- Divide the salad into two bowls, top each salad with the salmon, drizzle with a little more of the dressing, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Storing and Make Ahead Options
Storing: Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. The salad itself could last longer but because of the fish, I don't recommend storing it for very long to be safe.
Make it ahead: You can prep the miso dressing and boiled edamame the day before or when you're meal prepping for the week. The dressing keeps well in the fridge for up to 5-7 days and the edamame for 3-4 days. You can even chop up the cucumber and red onion the night before.
FAQs
The best way to defrost a salmon is in the fridge overnight. If you don't have time and need it defrosted quickly, submerge it in cold water until defrosted. Make sure it's cold water otherwise, it will cook or spoil.
I usually go with frozen salmon because where I live, the salmon has to get to the shelves frozen anyway. The ones that are being sold u0022freshu0022 are often already defrosted. By buying frozen salmon, I'm making sure it's as fresh as it can be.
I like using dinosaur kale in my salads although the most common kale is curly kale. It has tiny little curls and it tends to be very tough. Dinosaur kale is also tough but I find it to be a little easier to chew. It's more flat and much darker shade of green. There is also baby kale that's similar to other softer leafy greens. Baby kale doesn't need massaging.
I like to shred or chop kale into small thin strips without the stem because it's much tougher and not pleasant to eat. Most varieties of kale are recommended to u0022massageu0022 with sea salt and olive oil or whatever dressing you're using. This softens it and makes it easier to chew. It's very easy, you just massage it as if you were kneading dough.
Other Salmon Recipes
Salmon is my favorite fish to cook with, whether it's salads, pasta, or any other dishes (do you love smoked salmon as much as I do?!) so naturally there are lots of salmon recipes on my site. Below are five of my favorites you have to try, especially the teriyaki salmon, it's the best! To see all the latest ones, head over to Fish and Seafood.
📖 Recipe
Salmon Kale Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Salmon Kale Salad is packed with flavor, easy to make, and high in protein! An easy homemade miso sesame dressing gives the salad an amazing umami flavor.
Ingredients
Miso Sesame Dressing
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- ½ tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 tbsp miso
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- ½ tsp grated ginger (I use bottled ginger juice*)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Salmon Kale Salad
- ½ cup frozen edamame beans
- 4-6 cups shredded kale (I used dinosaur kale)
- ½ cucumber, diced
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced (or a shallot)
- ½ avocado, diced
- 260g raw salmon
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
Miso Sesame Dressing
- Add everything into a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until well-mixed and emulsified.
- Alternatively, you can also do this in a jar and just shake everything up to mix the dressing. I find the miso blends in better sometimes with a whisk.
- Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Salmon Kale Salad
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Boil the edamame beans in salted water for 3-5 minutes. Strain, rinse, and set aside.
- Add shredded kale to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the dressing or a little bit of oil. Massage the kale with the dressing using your hands. This is optional but kale is tough and this makes it easier to eat.
- Add the boiled edamame, cucumber, red onion, and avocado to the kale with 1-2 tablespoon of the miso sesame dressing and gently toss to mix.
- Wash and dry the salmon and add it to your prepared baking sheet.
- Brush it with avocado oil on both sides and season with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano.
- Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your salmon (wild salmon roasts quicker).
- Divide the salad into two bowls, top each salad with the salmon, drizzle with a little more of the dressing, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing: Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 1 week. Store the salad and salmon for up to 2 days.
Ginger juice: I use ginger juice by The Ginger People in cooking to make things easier. It’s especially great in dressings and sauces you want to keep extra smooth.
Toasted sesame seeds: Toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn them.
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Veronika Sykorova says
Miso and salmon are the perfect flavor match. I've made this salad so many times, I promise you you'll love it!