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This salmon salad recipe is made with canned salmon and comes together quickly! It’s similar to tuna salad, so it’s great in sandwiches for easy lunches.
You may also like my Easy Chicken Salad and Canned Salmon Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
I think canned salmon is somewhat underrated. Tuna gets all the glory, so if you want to change things up a bit, give this a try. Canned salmon is healthy and fairly inexpensive, and it’s something I like to include in my diet every now and then!
I love how flavorful this easy canned salmon salad is with bright lemon juice, fresh dill, and crunchy onion. They might be your new favorite way to use a can of salmon. It may even rival my Easy Tuna Salad recipe.
What you’ll need
- Salmon – I used canned sockeye salmon (Cloverleaf brand here in Canada)
- Mayo – for creaminess without drenching it
- Dijon mustard – it gives savory depth but doesn’t make it taste like mustard!
- Lemon juice and zest – I add lemon zest to many of my salmon recipes since it really adds a ton of freshness that pairs well with the fish
- Capers – a burst of bright, briny flavor
- Celery and red onion – it adds crunch
- Fresh dill – it’s the perfect complement to salmon
Pro tip
You can buy canned salmon without skin/bones, but I usually buy it with. Why? Because it’s more flavorful, contains extra vitamins/minerals, and you don’t even notice when you mash it all up. I know the idea may not be super appealing to some people (or if you think too much about it haha), but give it a try if you’re curious! My mom always bought canned salmon that way, and so I continued as an adult.
How to make salmon salad
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Drain the salmon, and mash it in a prep bowl. Prep the other ingredients and add to the bowl.
- Mix together, season with salt & pepper, and adjust as needed.
- Assemble into sandwiches with your favorite bread, baguette, buns, etc.
Substitutions and variations
- Can you use fresh salmon? Yes! I recommend using about 1 pound of fresh salmon (you could definitely use leftover Cooked Salmon for this recipe).
- This salmon salad recipe is pretty flexible. Just like with tuna salad, feel free to add/omit ingredients based on what you’ve got on hand or prefer. I encourage you to taste and adjust ingredient quantities as needed!
- If you can’t get fresh dill, dried dill will work in a pinch, but I do prefer the flavor of the fresh stuff. I’d start with 1 teaspoon, taste it, and add more if needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use my Microplane zester/grater to zest the lemon.
- Here’s a quality bread knife if you don’t have one and a chef’s knife for chopping.
- Pictured is one of these glass prep bowls, and this is my fave can opener that’s been going strong for years.
What to serve with salmon salad
- I just included butter lettuce in the sandwiches pictured, but feel free to add more stuff like tomatoes, arugula, cucumber, a different kind of lettuce, a slice of cheese… anything goes!
- Try my light Potato Leek Tomato Soup for a soup and sandwich combo, or make this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad on the side for more fresh goodness.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. I would probably eat any leftovers faster if using fresh salmon, however (within a couple of days).
- Make sure to not leave it sitting out and refrigerate promptly.
More easy seafood recipes
Leave a star rating and review below if you made these canned salmon salad sandwiches! Questions? Talk to me. Give me a follow on Instagram as well.
Canned Salmon Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (5 ounce) cans salmon drained
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 stick celery chopped small
- 1-2 tablespoons capers drained & chopped
- 1-2 tablespoon red onion chopped small
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the salmon and add it to a bowl. Mash it with a fork. Prep the other ingredients and add them to the bowl, then mix it all together. Taste and season with salt & pepper/adjust ingredients as needed.
- This recipe makes enough for 4 sandwiches (try adding some lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and/or sliced cheese to each sandwich). This canned salmon salad will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- Recipe is easily halved (just use one can of salmon and cut other ingredients in half).
- This recipe is very forgiving. If you don’t like an ingredient, you can definitely leave it out/sub as needed with what you’ve got on hand!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Amped up the lemon juice and dill, skipped zesting, and made open faced melts with a slice of tomato and cheddar 🤤
Thank you!!!
Sounds amazing!!
Excellent! Capers bring it to another level:)! Placed in wraps! Delicious
Thank you
That’s great to hear!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Added 3 cans of mushrooms and 9 boiled eggs for a family dinner (tripled the recipe). Plugged it into my weight loss program and under 150 calories per serving! Excellent! Next time the reduced calorie mayo/ miracle whip
Great!! 🙂
Delicious!! I made it with wild sockeye salmon, canned. The brand I used was Wild Planet. Skinless and boneless. I loved it!!
Awesome!! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the brand recommendation!
Could you use Miracle Whip and pickle relish
I don’t see why not. Enjoy! 🙂
Excellent ! Added water chestnuts and a Serrano chili pepper – just because they needed to be used up. Going to make grilled salmon/cheese sandwiches tonight. 😊👍 Thanks!!
Awesome!! So happy you liked it!
Easy, breezy, delicious, Glad I could finally use my capers. The range of textures and tastes, especially when placed on my English muffin, was joyous. I’m glad I live alone so I can get one or two more sandwiches out of this.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
The best recipe ever. Soooo delicious !!!
Thank you, Anna! 😀
Taste great! Did not have capers so just left that out and left the salt out. Loved it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Fabulous recipe! So fresh and delightful!
I didn’t have fresh lemon on hand so used fresh lime. Worked great! I used baby spinach leafs from the garden for greens (fenugreek sprouts worked okay but I preferred the spinach). Not only delicious but healthy as well. Can’t wait to try it on rye bread. Many might not need any salt, so taste it before adding salt.
Thanks for sharing this “keeper” recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Morris! 🙂 Yes, it’s definitely easy to customize to your liking. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!