This Spring Salmon Salad Platter is an ode to springtime ~ think Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day, or your best friend’s shower. It’s a healthy side of wild salmon served chilled over the prettiest spring themed greens and veggies.
The possibilities are endless for this cold salmon salad, you’re limited only by the size of your imagination…and your platter.
I love to express myself in the kitchen, and salads can be a great creative outlet. This salmon salad is full on spring themed…grab your biggest platter, preferably white, and think of it as your blank canvas. Lay down a base coat of spring greens…baby lettuce, micro greens, sprouts, etc. Then center your main subject, the salmon, and frame it with colorful baby veggies.
Let’s dig in
- The possibilities are endless for this cold salmon salad, you’re limited only by the size of your imagination…and your platter.
- Ingredients for spring salmon salad
- related: Favorite Spring Dinner Recipes
- Tips for cooking a whole side of salmon
- What’s with the white stuff that seeps out of salmon as it cooks?
- more show stopping spring salads
- WANT TO TRY THIS SPRING SALMON SALAD?
Ingredients for spring salmon salad
- side of salmon
- I bought a 2 pound side of wild salmon at Costco for just over $20, but if you can’t find that you can use smaller fillets. I usually allow 1/4 pound salmon per person.
- spring lettuces, baby lettuce, and micro greens
- red onion
- cucumber
- carrots
- pea pods
- fennel, very thinly sliced
- radishes
- asparagus
- lemon
- capers
- edible spring flowers
- I used pansies. Other common types of edible flowers are roses, carnation, jasmine, geranium, violets, and marigolds.
- yogurt dill dressing
related: Favorite Spring Dinner Recipes
Tips for cooking a whole side of salmon
- First up, make sure you’ve got a platter long enough to accommodate your salmon.
- If your salmon is too large for your plate, you’ll need to trim it. Do this with a sharp knife before cooking. It’s generally best to trim from the small tail end.
- I like to cook the salmon on parchment paper or nonstick foil sprayed with cooking spray. The paper will be the easiest because the salmon won’t stick.
- If you don’t have a roasting pan big enough for the salmon, use a baking sheet like I did with my Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon and my Sheet Pan Salmon Primavera.
- You can roast the salmon at 400F for about 20 minutes, or go low and slow at 300F, for about 30 minutes, either will work fine. The exact timing will depend on the thickness of your fish. The higher roasting results in a firmer fish, and the lower temp will yield a softer texture.
- For salmon salad you can make the salmon a day ahead since it will need to be chilled first.
What’s with the white stuff that seeps out of salmon as it cooks?
You know the stuff, it’s white and yucky. But it’s just coagulated protein known as albumin, and it’s harmless. It’s only a problem when you’re making a special presentation dish like this spring salmon salad. I brushed some of it away with a wet brush after my salmon came out of the oven. You can also dab with paper towels. If you’re seriously bothered by it you can follow America’s Test Kitchen’s suggestion and quick brine your salmon first. According to them that helps a lot.
more show stopping spring salads
Spring occasions are ideal times to go all out and serve a presentation salad like this one. One of my favorites are this Spring Salad with Eggs and Creamy Tarragon Dressing, the eggs make it a perfect choice for Easter. And my Pansy Salad or Chopped Salad with Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette would be a good choice for a shower. My Fully Loaded Wedge Salad is a show stopper of a different sort, even the guys go wild for that one.
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Spring Salmon Salad Platter
Equipment
- a large sheet pan
- large serving platter mine is 12×16 inches.
Ingredients
yogurt dill dressing
- 1/3 cup full fat yogurt
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fresh dill fronds, packed
- 1/2 tsp dried dill (this is optional but gives an extra punch of flavor)
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
salad (the amounts are approximate)
- 4 cups fresh spring greens of your choice, I used a spring greens mix along with some microgreens.
- 1/4 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced small cucumbers
- 1 handful sugar snap pea pods, sliced in half on the diagonal
- handful of baby asparagus stalks (I use them raw, but you can blanch in boiling water if you like them softer.)
- handful of cherry tomatoes (if you can find them on the vine, that's nice)
- 8 radishes, trimmed and halved or quartered
- 1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced very thinly
garnish
- fresh dill fronds
- capers
- thinly sliced lemon, seeds removed
- edible flowers like pansies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F Line a baking sheet large enough for your fish with foil.
- Arrange your fish on the foil and brush with olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the fish sit in the oven for another 10 minutes, without opening the door. Remove the salmon and let cool, then chill until ready to serve.
- Make the dressing: add the yogurt, mayo, lemon, and both dills to a small food processor and process until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon if necessary.
- When the fish is chilled, arrange your platter. Spread a layer of greens across the whole plate. Lay the salmon in the center. If the salmon is too large, trim a bit off the tail end with a sharp knife.
- Arrange the rest of the veggies around the salmon. I like to add some lemon slices to the top of the fish. Sprinkle the capers and dill over all. Tuck in a few pretty edible flowers if you have them.
- Serve the salmon asap after arranging your salad, along with the dressing on the side. The delicate spring greens will not last very long after arranging. If you must store it for a short while, wrap in plastic before refrigerating, and add the garnishes just before serving.
Nutrition
This was a big hit last year for Easter. The only problem was that my platter was too small. What size did you use?
Mine is 12×16 inches. If your salmon is too long for your platter you can slice a bit off the tail end to make it fit!
We made this as a “showstopper” to start our Easter meal (ham), and it was amazing. Thank you – this is a keeper and will be part of our special occasions for years to come.
Wonderful 🙂
If you don’t like dill (or rosemary) could you suggest an alternative?
You could go super simple with parsley, or I love basil or thyme.