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This salmon salad with a toasted sesame seed dressing is light, healthy, and full of flavor.
I’m not one of those people who orders fish in a restaurant (unless it’s fish and chips… oh baby). Fish is so easy to cook at home, so why wouldn’t you? My go-to fish is salmon. Salmon is especially tasty when paired with avocado, leafy greens, a not-too-sweet marinade, and a refreshing vinaigrette.
There’s plenty of garlic in this too, of course. Garlic and ginger go well together, don’t you think? I decided not to mess about with fresh ginger and used the ground stuff. Much easier to work with. Done and done.
Toasting the sesame seeds is super easy and gives the dressing a little extra somethin’-somethin’.
Avocado adds a magical creaminess, and cucumber and lemon juice make this salad extra summery tasting. It’s snowing HARD right now as I type this. I will take anything that makes me remember what summer is like.
Questions? Let me know!
Salmon Salad with a Toasted Sesame Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 pieces salmon
- Salad greens (I used a spring mix + butter leaf lettuce)
- 1 avocado
- Cucumber to taste
- Spring onions to taste
Marinade:
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 pinch of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- You'll want to make the marinade and marinate the salmon for 30-60 minutes before you cook it. To make the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Add the fish and place in the fridge.
- When the salmon is almost finished marinating, pre-heat oven to 375F.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients except for the sesame seeds. To toast sesame seeds, place them in a small pan on high heat. Watch them carefully, and shake the pan every 30 seconds or so to spread them around. It'll take less than five minutes to toast them, and they can burn fast. They're done once they've turned a light brown color. Let them cool and add them to the dressing.
- Once salmon is finished marinating, add to a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness) or until cooked through.
- While salmon is cooking, prepare the salad by slicing avocado, cucumber, and spring onions then tossing them with the salad greens and dressing.
- Top salad with cooked salmon and serve immediately. I like to squeeze a bit of extra lemon juice on top of the salad before serving. Add extra salt & pepper if desired.
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Ugh. Stop making all your food look so beautiful and appetizing. I can’t visit your site before I eat lunch or it makes me too hungry! 😉
This looks so good and easy. I’m a little squeamish about cooking fish, but I could totally do this one! Pinning for a future dinner!
Sorry ? haha. Don’t worry – baking it is hard to mess up. Other methods can prove more difficult.
I’m always up for a salmon salad and this one looks delicious! Love how you captured the beautiful color of the purple leaves, they work great in these photos.
Thanks Nicole!!
This salmon looks amazing. I seriously need to start cooking with salmon in my house!
Thanks Cathleen 🙂 It’s really simple, you should definitely try.
I love salmon, it is by far the best fish 🙂 And that sesame dressing sounds so good. This salad looks satisfying AND healthy, which is something I am always looking for.
Thank you!! 🙂
This salmon is PERFECTION! It looks like salmon you could find in a high class restaurant! Yes, that good 🙂
Aw thank you!!
I’m not one of those people that orders salad in a restaurant, unless its SALMON salad. Tried a salmon salad at Joey’s once and i’ve been recreating it at home since then. LOVE it.
Salmon salad is a good exception to make 😉
Natasha, your salmon looks absolutely HEAVENLY! I love the marinade ingredients and the dressing sounds super tasty too!
Thank you!!