Fresh Salmon Salad

You want to cook the salmon just enough to be barely cooked through. That way it will be tender. Over-cooked salmon is dry and tough. Cool off with this easy Salmon Salad! Poached salmon is gently tossed with celery, red onions, capers, and dill and is perfect for a brunch or light lunch.

Are you a salmon lover?

Here is a salmon salad using freshly poached salmon that is restaurant-worthy. It’s light, cool, and wonderfully flavored with dill, capers, and lemon. Perfect for a brunch or light lunch!

Salt and chill the salmon fillet first, before prepping the other ingredients.

For the salmon:

½ kg salmon fillet, cut in half

½ tsp sea salt (for the rub)

4 cups water

1 ½ tsp sea salt (for the poaching liquid)

1 lemon slice

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

½ red onion, peeled, finely sliced

1 tbsp capers (strain out the pickling juice)

1 tsp lemon zest

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Get the salmon fillets ready: Rub the salmon fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Make the dressing: Combine celery, red onion, capers, lemon zest and juice, dill, olive oil, black pepper in a large bowl. Set aside for the flavors to blend.

Poach the salmon: Put 4 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a slice of lemon in a pot wide enough to hold the salmon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salmon to the pot. Return to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes at a bare simmer.

Cool and break up the salmon: When the salmon is just cooked through, remove it from the water and put it in a bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Once it has cooled, break the salmon into chunks.

Make the salad: Add the salmon to the bowl with the celery, onions, and capers. Gently toss to combine. Serve as is, or over mixed greens or butter lettuce.

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Fresh Salmon Salad