Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad
This Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad is perfectly delicious. It’s crunchy, tasty, lemony, fresh, and healthy. When it comes to salads, I tend to experiment with different methods to come up with something versatile to make and eat. Here it is! This six-ingredient salmon salad checks many boxes for us. I serve this on baby greens with a Wasa cracker (crisp bread) or my Gluten-Free Parmesan Herb Crackers for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Table of contents
Why you will love this Salmon Salad recipe
A good salmon salad recipe is good to have in your back pocket. This recipe has been on rotation in this house for several years and it’s one of my husband’s favorites. The flavor profile is fresh, and light with the crunch of the celery, onion, the zip of lemon, and the herbaceous touch of fresh Parsley and Dill. And speaking of Dill, my Yogurt Dill Dressing is a wonderful complement to this recipe if you serve it as a bowl-style meal or on a Green Salad.
In addition to the mouthwatering flavor, it’s easy to make because Salmon cooks quickly. Once the salmon is poached and cooled, and vegetables chopped, this salmon salad comes together in minutes. Give it some time to chill in the fridge and well, (insert chef’s kiss here) grab a glass of crisp white wine, and some good crackers and savor it!
How to poach salmon filets
The best type of salmon cut for poaching are skinless, boneless filets. These pieces of salmon can be purchased fresh or frozen. In either case, you will need 10 ounces which is typically two pre-portioned pieces you can buy at most grocery stores.
The salmon will be poached in butter and white wine with some seasoning. Season both sides of the salmon with kosher salt, pepper, and dried dill weed.
In a skillet, on medium heat, melt butter. Once the butter is melted, add the white wine. Gently place the seasoned salmon portions in the skillet with wine/butter mixture. Place the lid on the skillet and allow the salmon to cook fully. The salmon will cook gently in the wine-butter mixture. Salmon will be done when the color has turned to a pink color. You can turn the pieces of salmon if they are on the thicker side. It takes about 5 minutes or less depending on the thickness of the salmon.
When the salmon is poached, remove the filets from the pan and allow it to cool. Discard any leftover wine and butter. Once the fish is completely cooled, you can start flaking the fish. While you are flaking the fish, check for tiny bones that may still be in the fish. Flake the fish into larger chunks.
Ingredients for Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad
This delectable salad requires just a few fresh ingredients that are easy to prepare. You can adjust all of these ingredients to suit your taste. I sometimes add more capers because I just personally love them.
- 10 ounces of poached salmon, flaked
- 3 tablespoons of capers, drained
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/3 cup onion, red finely chopped
- 1/3 cup parsley curly or flat, finely chopped
- Freshly Dill, chopped (to taste)
- 1 juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
How to make salmon salad
First, allow the salmon to cool, and flake. Second, in a medium-sized bowl, combine flaked salmon, capers, celery, onion, and parsley. Add lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Toss gently to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully combined. Adjust for salt and pepper if needed.
How to serve
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to one hour. Lastly, gently toss the salad again before serving. Serve on salad greens and with your favorite crackers.
For this Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad and my Salmon Caper Orzo Salad, I simply use Lemon juice and olive oil. What I also love to use is my Easy Lemon Dijon Dressing or Champagne Vinegar with some olive oil. There is so much flexibility though, you can use any light vinegar with this, and will turn out beautifully.
How to store leftovers
To store leftovers, use a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. I prefer glass because the fish odor is eliminated when the dish is washed. Place any leftovers in the container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Questions and substitutions
You can serve this salad with a simple chilled cucumber salad with my Easy Lemon Dijon Dressing. Additionally, avocado is perfect in this salad.
Diced cucumber and seeded, diced tomatoes work really well.
Cilantro and fresh dill work very well with this salad.
Absolutely. Ensure bones are removed and follow the recipe as directed.
If you love easy and delicious salads try my Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad or my Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Feta that are compact but full of flavor.
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Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad
April 3, 2020Equipment
- skillet
- bowl
Ingredients
For Poached Salmon
- 10 oz salmon skinless
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
- dill dried
For Salad
- 3 tbsp capers drained
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/3 cup onion, red finely chopped
- 1/3 cup parsley curly or flat, finely chopped
- Freshly Dill, chopped (to taste)
- 1 lemon juice of
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
For serving
- salad greens
- crackers of choice
- lemon wedges
Instructions
To poach salmon
- Melt butter and add wine to a shallow pan.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper and dill on both sides of the salmon filets.
- Add salmon to the pan and cook until done. Salmon will be cooked through when entire filets are pink.
- Allow to cool. Then flake with two forks gently. Check for bones. Typically, small filets are boneless.
For Salad
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine flaked salmon, capers, celery, onion, dill and parsley.
- Add lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.
- Toss gently ensuring that all of the ingredients are fully combined.
- Adjust for salt and pepper if needed.
- Chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Toss before serving.
For serving
- Serve with salad greens, crackers of choice and lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
In the list of ingredients for the salad, the unit of measure was omitted for the lemon juice. Is it juice of three lemons, or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, or 3 oz. … ? Thanks!
Apologies Andrea, it’s the juice of one lemon.