Easy Smoked Salmon Salad comes together in 5 minutes without cooking. Made with avocado and cucumber then tossed with fresh greens and a drizzle of vinegar and olive oil, it’s perfect for a light meal!
Other simple salmon recipes we love include this canned salmon salad and canned salmon cakes!
Table of contents
This smoked salmon salad is light, looks impressive, and yet is one of the easiest healthy lunch ideas I have ever made. It’s loaded with tons of greens, anti-inflammatory apple cider vinegar, and heart healthy avocados.
All you have to do is fill up a large bowl with refrigerated and pantry items then just slightly toss its delicate ingredients.
And you have a delicious light lunch or quick healthy dinner in 5 minutes. Five!
As much as I love healthy salmon filled summer dishes like healthy salmon burgers or grilled salmon, there’s nothing as simple or quick as this smoked salmon salad recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
“Easy smoked salmon salad” suggests simple ingredients. And they are highly customizable. Use what you have.
You know me. Or if you are new here, learn more about me. I love garlic, fresh dill and leftovers.:)
- Salad greens: Fresh organic spring mix, spinach or arugula make up the based of this salad.
- Microgreens: This young vegetables or baby plants of many vegetables are optional but add so many nutrients and antioxidants.
- Smoked salmon: Thinly sliced smoked salmon is the star of this salad and adds so much flavor! You could use grilled or even canned flaked salmon if smoked taste is not your favorite.
- Cucumber: I like English cucumber for its crisp crunch. You could use garden cucumber or even thinly sliced radishes.
- Avocado: Adds a creamy texture to the salad.
- Red onion: Thinly sliced you could also use green onion for a bit more mild onion flavor.
- For the dressing: Extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pepper and sesame seeds. You could use any light vinegar, such as white wine, for a different flavor.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Salad
This is such a festive and fresh dish I crave in spring and I love serving smoked salmon salad at Easter or Mother’s Day! During the summer, a side of Instant Pot corn on the cob is all I need to complete it.
Build your Salad Base
We are going to layer all ingredients gently on top of each other. Start by placing mixed greens and microgreens in a medium bowl.
Add Salmon, Avocado and Fresh Vegetables
Add thinly sliced smoked salmon. Smoked salmon is pricey. Tear or cut salmon into smaller pieces to make it go further.
Dice avocado and add to the bowl. Then thinly slice red onion and cucumber and add on top of other ingredients in a bowl. We are done layering the salad.
Dress It Up
Drizzle salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Then sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and toasted sesame seeds on top.
Gently toss salad to combine ingredients. Do so just a few times, just enough to sort of combine everything. Don’t toss salad too long otherwise it won’t look as pretty and heavier avocado will fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Tips for Making the Salad
- Use 1-2 large avocados. Creamy avocados are staples on my Costco shopping list. They are Costco size, which often means larger so I used only one.
- More flavor. Skip plain avocado and serve simple avocado salad on the side.
- Leftover salmon: This salad may star smoked salmon, but leftovers of Thai salmon or honey garlic salmon taste great, too!
- Other dressing options: I love the simplicity of olive oil and vinegar, but you may love one of these 10 healthy salad dressings for variety or a squeeze of lemon juice!
FAQs
I buy wild smoked salmon. Thankfully, smoked farmed salmon has become rare. But still please read the package to make sure it doesn’t say “Atlantic salmon” or have any extra flavorings or preservatives.
Can’t find smoked salmon? Look near the fresh meat and seafood counter at your grocer. You could also make cedar plank salmon, which has delicious flavor!
No. Smoked salmon is meant to be eaten cold but that being said, if you want to warm it up you could in your oven broil for a few minutes.
You might also just like this salad better with baked salmon in foil, too.
This salad is best served right after tossing it with the olive oil and vinegar but leftovers can be refrigerated up to 12 hours.
If you want to make it ahead, you could add all ingredients to a bowl minus the dressing, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Toss with dressing before serving.
This salad is the perfect size for a lunch salad or light dinner main. It serves two.
If you are extra hungry, add quinoa or brown rice to the smoked salmon salad. Sometimes I add leftover air fryer hard boiled eggs, too!
More Healthy Salads To Try
Just look at this bite of health in a bowl, healthy salad recipes for the win! Enjoy!
Easy Smoked Salmon Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- Big handful of salad greens, arugula or spinach
- Small handful of microgreens optional
- 6-7 slices smoked salmon preferably wild
- 1 very large avocado diced
- 1/2 long English cucumber sliced
- 10 thin slices red onion or 2 chopped green onion sprigs
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds preferably toasted
- 2 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add greens and salmon. To stretch salmon further, cut or tear into small pieces.
- Add avocado, cucumber and red onion.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and pepper on top and drizzle vinegar and olive oil. Give a gentle toss and be blown away!
Notes
- Best salmon: I buy wild smoked salmon. Look near the fresh meat and seafood counter at your grocer. You could also make Cedar plank salmon, which has delicious flavor!
- Microgreens: Are young vegetables or baby plants of many vegetables. Look for a bag in refrigerated produce section that says “microgreens”.
- Use 1-2 large avocados. Mine are Costco size, which often means larger, so I used only 1.
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 12 hours.
- Make Ahead: Assemble salad without vinegar and oil. Refrigerate covered for up to 24 hours. Dress and toss before serving.
This was easy and very tasty! Thanks!
Very helpful and easy to make . Thanks !
You are welcome!
This smoked salmon salad was amazing!
Yay!:) So happy you enjoyed it.
Hi Olena! This looks delicious… I think I’ll be trying it soon. I love & eat Salmon regularly, however, I’ve never tried Smoked Salmon. We eat a lot of salads, avocados, cucumber & red onions… all ingredients (staple items in our household) I already have – with the exception of the Smoked Salmon… will be purchasing soon – hopefully this week/end!! I’m all for dishes to make w/o the oven as it’s getting hot in Texas…not so much for oven cooking recipes during the Summer – will be resorting to Slow Cooker meals. Thanks again Olena for making/sharing such great tasting healthy meals!! I’ll be sure to give a review after making this recipe!!
Hi Tricia. I think you will like it if you love salmon. As a European I adore smoked salmon. It was such a delicacy back home but I grew up on smoked salmon, not fresh. So good! Send some of your Texas heat to my Canadian island. It is getting warmer but I want summer-summer.:) Let me know how you like smoked salmon salad. This was one of my most favorite salads I ever made!
I definitely will let you know when I make it & how I liked it – although, I’m p r e t t y sure I’m going to like it. I absolutely love everything I’ve made from your site so far… this will be no exception! We just finished Chicken Breast with Garlic & Tomatoes… served with whole wheat pasta AND Avocado Salad (both recipes I’ve made more than once or twice already). My husband loves your recipes I’ve cooked so far and even offers to make a run to the grocery store so I can cook him up one of your delicious meals. I do venture into other food blog sites but always – ALWAYS – come back to yours to actually cook a meal which helps since everything so far has been good… yours is the one I trust.
And, I’ll send you some of our Texas heat if you’ll send me a piece of your beautiful water view – and that sunset! We have that here, too, just not at our back door!!
I also eat a lot of salmon. I am diabetic and have been advised to follow a low-carb diet. This site is absolutely unbeatable. I live in the Shetland Islands where salmon is readily available. This is going to be one of my go-to recipes. Thank you Olena for this wonderful selection of recipes. Can have a different one every day.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!