I’m all about taking a humble salad and making it heartier and more filling and this Mediterranean Salmon Salad does exactly that! It’s packed with fresh vegetables, a vibrant lemon dressing, and topped with crispy capers. It’s light but satisfying, full of fresh flavor, and perfect for lunch or a quick dinner.
Serve it on its own, or with my Same Day Focaccia, Roasted Garlic Potatoes or Greek Spinach Rice for a complete meal.
Mediterranean Salmon Salad: Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings
2 Large Servings
Calories*
645 kcal
Difficulty
Easy
Main Ingredients
Salmon, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, capers, olives, greens, and fresh dil.
Technique
Roasting salmon, frying capers, and assembling a salad.
*Calories are estimated
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to prepare: A one‑pan salmon roast plus quick salad assembly makes this a fast meal any night of the week. It’s so easy!
- Fresh, vibrant flavors: Bright lemon, fresh herbs, and fresh vegetables bring a Mediterranean pop that feels both nourishing and indulgent.
- Balanced & versatile: I love it as a main dish salad. It pairs beautifully with crusty bread. Or feel free to make it even heartier by adding butter beans, cooked quinoa, or faro.
Ingredients
This is a pretty straightforward recipe that comes together with a handful of fridge staples. Here’s what you will need:
- Salmon filet: Skin-on or skinless both work. Choose center-cut pieces for even cooking. Obviously, fresh would be great, but most salmon available at the grocery store these days is thawed, so there’s no shame in buying frozen fillets and thawing them yourself at home. Also, try my Baked Mediterranean Salmon or my Honey Harissa Salmon. In fact, you can use the salmon marinade from these recipes to change up the flavor profile in this salad. Could you use canned salmon in this recipe? Sure, in a pinch. But I personally wouldn’t.
- Mixed greens: Use arugula, spring mix or even chopped romaine. The greens “beef up” the salad.
- Fresh Herbs: A salad like this really needs some added freshness from fresh dill. You can substitute with fresh parsley if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olives: I like the addition of olives in this salad, as they reinforce the Mediterranean flavor profile. You can use green olives, kalamata olives, or a combination. It’s totally up to you!
- Capers: I always have capers in brine on hand and use them in many of my Greek and Mediterranean recipes, like my Tuna White Bean Salad, Greek Potato Salad or Sicilian Pesto.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a subtle sharpness to the dressing, but most importantly, it helps emulsify the acid and oil. You end up with a creamy dressing instead of one that splits. I use it in many recipes, including my Steak Caesar Salad with Tahini.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Mediterranean Salmon Salad Recipe
Step 1. Cook the Salmon. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Season the salmon with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 10–12 minutes, or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, then flake into large chunks.
Step 2. Crisp the Capers. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the drained, patted‑dry capers and fry for 2–3 minutes until they’re golden and crunchy. Transfer to a paper‑towel‑lined plate to drain.
Step 3. Make the Dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
Step 4. Assemble the Salad. In a large serving bowl or large serving platter, combine the mixed greens, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, chopped dill and/or parsley, and olives. Drizzle with the lemon herb dressing and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 5. Dress and Serve. Top the dressed salad with flaked salmon and those irresistible crispy capers. Serve right away.
Pairing and Menu Ideas
This salad works great as a lunch. But you can totally make it as a main and pair it with one of my Mediterranean Side Dishes like Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach Rice), Charred Zucchini with Garlic Yogurt, Mediterranean Yellow Rice or Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf.
It can also be served as part of a larger salad spread with my Mediterranean Lentil Salad, Antipasto Salad, Greek Inspired Potato Salad, Strawberry Burrata Salad or Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip crisping the capers: That little crunch and burst of salty flavor elevates this from good to wow. Just be careful with splatter. You may want to dry off the capers with a paper towel before frying them.
- Let the salmon rest: Cooling slightly before flaking keeps the chunks tender and juicy.
- Balance the dressing: Start with less lemon and oil, then adjust to taste. You want a bright but smooth dressing. Check out some of my other Mediterranean Salad Recipes for dressing inspiration.
- Use fresh herbs: Dill and/or parsley bring freshness. Don’t be tempted to use dried herbs here.
- Other Additions: Feel free to add red pepper flakes to the dressing. Or add tangy feta cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers or green onions to the salad
Mediterranean Salmon Salad Recipe FAQs
You can roast the salmon and make the dressing up to a day ahead. Keep everything chilled separately and toss together just before serving.
Store the dressed salad without the crispy capers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1–2 days.
Cooked salmon freezes well on its own. Freeze flaked in a sealed bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before adding to the salad.
Other Salad Recipes
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Mediterranean Salmon Salad (with Herbs & Crispy Capers)
Ingredients
Salmon
- ¾ lbs Salmon filet
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Crispy Capers
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 tablespoon Capers (drained and patted dry)
Lemon Dijon Dressing
- 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Small garlic clove (grated)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups Mixed greens
- 1 Persian cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ Small red onion (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup Olives (whole or chopped)
- 2 tablespoon Fresh dill (chopped) – or fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the Salmon. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Season ¾ lbs Salmon filet with 1 teaspoon Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon Black pepper. Roast for about 10–12 minutes, or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, then flake into large chunks.
- Crisp the Capers. Heat 2 tablespoon Olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoon Capers (drained and patted dry) and fry for 2–3 minutes until they’re golden and crunchy. Transfer to a paper‑towel‑lined plate to drain.
- Make the Dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 Small garlic clove (grated), ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon Black pepper until emulsified.
- Assemble the Salad. In a large serving bowl or large serving platter, combine 4 cups Mixed greens, 1 Persian cucumber (diced), 1 cup Cherry tomatoes (halved), ½ Small red onion (thinly sliced), ¼ cup Olives (whole or chopped), and 2 tablespoon Fresh dill (chopped). Drizzle with the lemon herb dressing and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Dress and Serve. Top the dressed salad with flaked salmon and those irresistible crispy capers. Garnish with more fresh dill if you like. Serve right away.
Notes
- Salmon filet: Skin-on or skinless both work. Choose center-cut pieces for even cooking. Obviously, fresh would be great, but most salmon available at the grocery store these days is thawed, so there’s no shame in buying frozen fillets and thawing them yourself at home. Could you use canned salmon in this recipe? Sure, in a pinch. But I personally wouldn’t.
- Fresh Herbs: A salad like this really needs some added freshness from fresh dill. You can substitute with fresh parsley if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olives: I like the addition of olives in this salad, as they reinforce the Mediterranean flavor profile. You can use green olives, kalamata olives, or a combination. It’s totally up to you!
- Capers: I always have capers in brine on hand and use them in many of my Greek and Mediterranean recipes.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a subtle sharpness to the dressing, but most importantly it helps emulsify the acid and oil. You end up with a creamy dressing instead of one that splits.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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