This strawberry salmon salad is inspired by one my mom and I have been ordering at a spot in my local hometown for years-and we're still not over it. The mix of juicy strawberries, flaky seared salmon with a crispy top, crunchy almonds, and salty-sweet flavor is too good to pass up!
Better yet, this simple salmon strawberry salad comes together in 20 minutes or less, making it perfect for a quick and satisfying lunch or dinner. Let me show you how to bring this flavor-packed, seasonal favorite to your own table!
Key Ingredients + Notes
Selecting Salmon: I prefer wild-caught salmon, but farm-raised will work as well for this recipe. Frozen or fresh both work. If you do use frozen, I recommend thawing it in cold water before removing packaging (typically takes about 15-20 to thaw). If you have more salmon you need to use up after this recipe, try my easy lemon dill salmon!
Let's Make Strawberry Salmon Summer Salad
- Step 1: Heat olive oil in a medium-large pan over medium heat and drizzle in maple syrup.
- Step 2: Add almonds, reduce heat to low, and sauté until coated fragrant, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and transfer to a plate to cool.
- Step 3: Return pan to medium heat (no need to rinse) and add more olive oil. Add salmon skin side down, and sprinkle salt + pepper on the top. Let the salmon sizzle in the pan until mostly cooked through (about 5 minutes, depending on salmon thickness).
- Step 4: Carefully flip salmon over to sear the flesh side until cooked through, about 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Step 5: Shake balsamic vinaigrette ingredients together in a jar.
- Step 6: Divide greens, red onion, and strawberries among bowls. Top each with freshly seared salmon, maple salted almonds, and shredded asiago cheese. Drizzle balsamic over the top, and serve!
Extra balsamic? Use leftovers in salads throughout the week, or you can use as a as a dressing for fruity caprese pasta salad.
Tera's Sustainability Tips
- Strawberries. Strawberries are generally in season in late spring and summer, so this is the best time to buy fresh. To keep strawberries fresh for longer, store them unwashed in the crisper drawer of your fridge in a paper bag or reusable produce bag. You could also keep them in their original packaging, making sure they're dry.
- Using up strawberries. If you have leftover strawberries that need to be used up after making this salad, try them in some strawberry shortcake overnight oats or some strawberry salsa.
- Salmon. Read up more on sustainably caught salmon! I often reference the Seafood Watch Sustainable Salmon Guide, and you can always research the sustainability specific brands you buy as well - whether for wild caught or farmed.
📖 Recipe
Salty-Sweet Strawberry Salmon Summer Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Description
Fresh summer greens, strawberries, salmon, asiago, crunchy salted maple almonds, and simple balsamic vinaigrette will make this beautifully textured, flavorful strawberry salmon summer salad a regular in your meal rotation!
Ingredients
Salad:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon more for salmon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¾ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound salmon (I use wild-caught, skin on - see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon each salt + pepper
- 10 cups mixed greens (use your fave kinds!)
- ¼ large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- ½ cup asiago (or parmesan), shredded or shaved
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (I like aged)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make almonds. To make the salted maple almonds, heat olive oil and maple syrup in a medium-large pan over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds and reduce heat to low, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, then transfer to a plate.
- Sear salmon. Using the same pan over medium heat, add more olive oil and salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Cook until salmon starts to turn pink all the way through, about 5 minutes. Gently flip to sear the flesh side for another 2-4 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through.
- Make the balsamic vinaigrette. In a mason jar or blender, combine olive oil, balsamic, dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup, and salt. Shake vigorously or blend until emulsified.
- Assemble salad. Combine greens, strawberries, red onion, almonds, and asiago a bowl and toss. Divide among bowls and top with salmon and balsamic!
Notes
- Storage instructions. I like to store the greens, strawberries, red onion, almonds, and asiago separately without the dressing to avoid it getting soggy. Store dressing in a jar or container and dress just before eating! Store salmon in a separate container and add to salad upon serving as well.
- Salmon. Depending on what salmon you buy, the pieces can vary quite a bit in thickness. If you have a thinner piece, I recommend reducing the cook time slightly and carefully watching as the salmon cooks through. If you buy salmon without skin, simply follow the same instructions and pay attention to how quickly it's cooking!
- Add more ingredients. I always like to prepare extra strawberries, onion, and shredded asiago in case anyone wants to add more to their salad.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Sear, combine
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 449
- Sugar: 8.7 g
- Sodium: 610.1 mg
- Fat: 27.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.9 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 37.5 g
- Cholesterol: 65.1 mg
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