Our lovely salmon salad is a wholesome and quick meal that doesn’t hold back on flavor.
Feta Salmon Salad Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Our salmon salad is packed full of fresh vegetables, salty feta cheese, and grilled garlic-ginger salmon, all dressed with a tangy red wine vinaigrette. It’s one of those easy salmon recipes that we can’t get enough of.

Ingredients for Salmon Salad

  • Skin-on salmon fillets: There are lots of types of salmon to buy, but salmon can be expensive, so select whichever catch fits your budget.
  • Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a nice pungency and sharpness to the salmon.
  • Ground ginger: Ginger creates a bright and zippy flavor that freshens the salmon’s taste.
  • Spring mix salad greens: Spring mix contains a myriad of different greens that all contribute different flavors like fresh, spicy, bitter and peppery.
  • Cucumber: Cucumber creates fresh and bright bites of crunch throughout the salad.
  • Tomato: Tomato pieces have a bright acidity, and their red hue adds to the vibrant sea of color in this salad.
  • Feta cheese: Feta is our cheese of choice in this salmon salad recipe for its brittle texture and salty, vinegary taste.
  • Red wine vinaigrette: Red wine vinaigrette dresses this salad simply with bright and tangy notes.

Directions

Step 1: Season the salmon

In a small bowl, stir together the salt, garlic powder, ground ginger, dried parsley flakes and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the salmon.

Step 2: Grill the salmon

Place the salmon on an oiled grill rack, skin side down. Grill, covered, over medium heat (or broil in an oven 4 inches from the heat source) just until the fish begins to flake easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re a newbie to the grill, learn all the best grilling tips with our guide on how to grill salmon so you can get it right on the first try.

Step 3: Assemble the salad

Two Plates of Delicious Feta Salmon SaladTMB Studio

In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, cucumber, tomato and cheese. Divide the mixture evenly among four plates. Top each plate with a salmon fillet, and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Salmon Salad Variations

  • Use different greens: Omit the spring salad mix, and go for dark-green Tuscan kale (don’t forget to massage it first to release the bitterness!), vitamin-packed baby spinach, or light and crunchy romaine.
  • Amp up the dressing: We dress this salad simply with a red wine vinaigrette, but there are so many delicious recipes for homemade salad dressing to try if you want a bit more flavor.
  • Sprinkle with a different spice blend: A classic fish seasoning contains dill and lemon, but you could also try something with a bit more flavor like a Creole seasoning mix or a Moroccan spice blend.
  • Marinate the fish: Instead of a dry seasoning, try a marinade. Place about 1/4 cup marinade in a shallow bowl. Add the fillets, turn to coat, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Fish requires a short marinating time—too long and the fish will get mushy. Our citrus-marinated salmon and gingered honey salmon contain great marinade recipes.

How to Store Salmon Salad

If you have leftovers, it’s best to store the salmon, salad and the dressing all separately. Store the salmon by wrapping it tightly in aluminum foil or placing it in a shallow, airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. The dressing will keep nicely in a small airtight container. Store the salad in a large resealable bag or a covered bowl. Undressed salad can stay crisp and fresh for up to seven days. However, once you add the dressing, it may go limp and unappealing after only one to two days.

Can you make salmon salad ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this salmon salad recipe ahead of time. However, we suggest not combining all the components together until you’re ready to serve. Grill the salmon, toss the salad’s vegetables together, and whip up the dressing, but store them all separately.

Salmon Salad Tips

Feta Salmon Salad With Tangy Lemon VinaigretteTMB Studio

How else can you cook salmon fillets for salmon salad?

Different ways to cook salmon fillets for salmon salad include baking, broiling, pan-searing, poaching and smoking. There are so many different ways on how to cook salmon, and almost all of them would be acceptable for this salmon salad.

Can you eat salmon cold on a salad?

Yes, you can eat salmon cold on a salad. Some people dislike hot components on a cold salad, so it’s totally OK to serve the salmon cold for this dish. (Just make sure you actually cook the salmon first!)

What do you serve with salmon salad?

There’s an abundance of side dishes for salmon, but the feta cheese and cucumbers give this salad a Greek flair, so why not add more Greek- and Mediterranean-inspired ingredients? For vegetables, try olives, cooked lentils, chickpeas, fava beans or roasted peppers. Top the salad with fresh fruits like figs and apricots, or a nut like toasted pistachios. Change out the dressing for a honey-yogurt mix, or a simple olive oil and lemon juice mixture for a wonderful minimalist touch.

Watch how to Make Feta Salmon Salad

Salmon Salad

My son David always ordered the satisfying salmon sandwich at a local pub. In trying to replicate it, he came up with this salmon salad recipe. It's the only recipe he's ever made, and our entire family thinks it's wonderful. —Susan Griffiths, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Feta Salmon Salad Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Makes

4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
  • 1 package (5 ounces) spring mix salad greens
  • 1 large cucumber, chopped
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinaigrette

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients; sprinkle over salmon.
  2. Place salmon on oiled grill rack, skin side down. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 10-12 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, toss salad greens with cucumber, tomato and cheese; divide among 4 plates. Top with salmon; drizzle with vinaigrette.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 352 calories, 18g fat (5g saturated fat), 93mg cholesterol, 531mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 33g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 2 fat.