Salmon Caesar Salad

Salmon Caesar Salad is a hearty main course dinner salad that everyone loves! It’s irresistible when drizzled with a creamy house dressing.

In summer, we all crave main course salads for dinner. Here’s one that’s simple, but satisfies every time: Caesar salad with salmon! Imagine: tender, perfectly seasoned salmon pieces surrounded by crispy romaine lettuce, juicy cherry tomatoes and crunchy croutons. Everything is coated in a creamy homemade Caesar dressing that makes every bite perfect gorgeous. This one is a hit every time we serve it (and our kid loves a deconstructed version with the Caesar for dipping!).

Elements of this Caesar Salad with Salmon

You hardly need a Salmon Caesar Salad recipe: just cook the salmon and put it on a bed of romaine lettuce with Caesar dressing. But making a big plate of it at home takes a homemade dressing, in our opinion! We also have a couple of adders that take it to the next level. What you need for the Salmon Caesar Salad:

• Fresh, canned or smoked salmon
• Croutons (try them homemade!)
• cherry tomatoes
• Roman hearts
• pieces of parmesan
• For the dressing: Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, garlic, parmesan, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce or anchovy paste, salt and pepper
• Optional: capers, sprigs of dill

How to cook salmon

This Salmon Caesar Salad works with a variety of different types of salmon and cooking methods. In fact, there are multiple ways to make this salad without even cooking the fish! It’s also a great way to use up leftover salmon. Here are our top ways to cook salmon:

• Stove : Get a pan and cook it on the stove.
• Cooked: Baked salmon is an easy and safe method (although you will have to wait for preheating).
• Goal: Faster than in the oven and just as good!
• Blackened: Using the searing method, brush the fish with a mixture of Cajun spices. This makes a killer Caesar salad!
• Goal: When it’s in season, grilled salmon is ideal for this summery entree.
• Poached: Poaching is one of the quickest ways to cook salmon and that’s what we used here! It’s tender and melts in your mouth.
• Cans: Don’t have time to cook? Use canned salmon and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper before adding to the salad.
• Smoke: Another no-bake method! Tear up pieces of smoked salmon for a quick salad.

For the Caesar dressing

The star of this Salmon Caesar Salad is the fresh and creamy homemade Caesar dressing. It’s a staple we’ve been making for years. Using Greek yogurt will lighten it up and reduce the calories of a standard Caesar. Here’s what you need:

• Greek yogurt: Yoghurt replaces part of the usual mayonnaise in this dressing: It saves calories while remaining irresistibly creamy.
• Mayonnaise: You still need a little mayonnaise for the richness and for the dressing to stick to the greens.
• lemon juice: The fresh juice brings a touch of acidity.
• Parmesan cheese: The cheese adds a savory salty flavor.
• Anchovy Paste or Worcestershire Sauce: Anchovies are traditional or substitute a vegetarian sauce for the Worcestershire sauce.
• Garlic & Dijon Mustard: These round off the savory taste.

Service Tips

And that’s it! Mix up the creamy vinaigrette, assemble the salad, and sprinkle with Caesar. A few notes about the service:

• The capers add a nice brackish note. We love adding a handful of drained capers to a Caesar salad.
• Add other vegetables if you like. A traditional Caesar doesn’t have tomatoes, but we added them to make a main course salad for dinner. Feel free to add other veggies of your choice!
• Serve as a cut up salad for the kids. Our son loved this separately with salmon, “salad chips”, cherry tomatoes, croutons and a small cup of Caesar dip.

More salmon recipes

Salmon is waiting for dinner here! Here are some easier salmon recipes to incorporate into your repertoire:

This Salmon Caesar Salad recipe is…

pescetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free croutons. For dairy-free items, use the vegan Caesar salad.