This salmon salad is loaded with roasted sweet potato croutons, avocado, pickled onions and dressed in a light lemon vinaigrette! It’s an easy go-to meal you’ll love having as part of your weekly rotation.
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but I love doing recipe recreations! And I’ve got another copycat recipe for ya today! This salad is inspired by the grilled superfood salmon salad at Bonefish Grill.
It’s kind of funny because although I’ve been to Bonefish Grill before (many years ago) I’ve actually never had the superfood salmon salad, but it sounded delicious, so I thought it would be fun to recreate!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It has all the components of good meal-sized salad… protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, lots of veggies and satisfaction factor!
This is the perfect recipe for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
You can easily prep parts of this salad ahead of time for quick assembly.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS SUPERFOOD SALAD:
Salmon Health Benefits
Salmon is a superfood in my book! It’s packed with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids which can help reduce inflammation and blood pressure. It’s a great source of protein and has a ton of key vitamins and minerals. Studies have linked salmon to protecting brain health, reducing heart disease and weight control. (Source)
The nutrition facts for wild vs. farmed salmon are kind of crazy! If I didn’t do some research, I would have thought the stats would have been fairly similar. Not the case! Farmed salmon has a lot more fat, almost three times the amount of omega-6 fatty acids and three times the amount of saturated fat. It also has almost 50% more calories. Farmed salmon also generally has higher amounts of contaminants.
Disclaimer after having said all of that: all salmon is still good salmon! Wild-caught salmon can be more expensive and not available in every grocery store so get what’s available and what you can afford.
Ingredients Needed
salmon fillets – both wild salmon and farmed salmon have benefits! While wild salmon might be considered the better choice, it is more expensive and farmed salmon is still a great option!
avocado oil – I personally like searing my salmon in a little avocado oil because the salmon gets golden and a little crispy.
pickled red onions – a great way to add some extra flavor and a pop of color!
feta – the feta adds a bit of creaminess to the salad and gives it a little tang as well. I recommend using vegan feta to make this salad dairy-free if needed! You could omit it, but you’ll lose a lot of flavor.
pepitas – aka pumpkin seeds, which is one of my favorite seeds. Feel free to swap these for another seed or nut.
lemon vinaigrette dressing – a mixture of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup (or honey), oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s a light, fresh and super easy dressing that pairs perfectly with the salmon!
Customize Your Superfood Salmon Salad
This salad is completely customizable! Here are some suggestions for variations and substitutions:
Switch up the greens – if you’re not a romaine or baby kale fan, feel free to use your favorite leafy green instead.
Make this dairy-free and vegan – simply skip the feta cheese (or use a vegan option).
Use different veggies – Have different veggies on hand? Toss them in! Cucumber, cabbage, broccoli or bell peppers would be delicious additions.
Use a different protein – swap the salmon with chicken or if you want to make this salad vegetarian swap in tempeh, tofu or beans!
Swap the seedsfor nuts – if you have a seed allergy or if you just prefer nuts you can swap the pepitas for almonds or another nut of choice. Sunflower seeds would also be delicious.
Add fresh herbs – I love adding fresh herbs to my salads. Fresh chives, oregano or dill would all be delicious in this salad.
How to Prep in Advance
If you want the real deal but don’t have time to make everything in this salad in one night, you can prep some of the components in advance for faster assembly. Here’s what I would prep in advance:
Sweet potato croutons – these only take about 25 minutes to cook but that’s precious time on busy weeknights! Make these during your weekend meal prep for quick assembly on the night of.
Pickled onions – this step is hands-off once you slice the onion and make the vinegar mixture.
This salmon salad is loaded with roasted sweet potato croutons, avocado, pickled onions and dressed in a light lemon vinaigrette! It’s an easy go-to meal you’ll love having as part of your weekly rotation.
Make pickled red onions, the lemon vinaigrette dressing and bake your sweet potato croutons.
Season salmon filets with sea salt and ground pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet (a cast-iron works great) over medium-high heat. Place salmon in pan, skin side up for about 4 minutes or until the flesh is golden brown. Turn and cook until salmon is medium-rare, about 4 more minutes.
In a salad bowl, toss greens with sweet potato croutons, pickled red onions, feta and pepitas.
Divide between 2 plates. Top salad with salmon and avocado. Then drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Video
Notes
Dairy-free – Feel free to leave of the feta cheese for a dairy-free version.
Mix-ins – Feel free to switch up your mix-ins for this superfood salad… I often do! Sometimes I change up the veggies based on what I have on hand. Feel free to get creative and make this your own!
This salad knocked it out of the park. A new family hit. We each salad often, and I usually make my own dressing/vinaigrette but this version was so nice and lovely, I will make it often. I don’t typically remake dressings and vinaigrettes I find online because they often are ok, but are missing something. Yours was fabulous and had the right balance of everything. I have never added sweet potatoes to a salad, and that was a huge hit (especially with my kids). Also, I have never pickled onions, and we are now using them on everything. So, thanks!
I made this for a family night, left my mom with leftovers, and she is craving more, so I am going back again today to make her more. Thanks for a new family favorite!
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Stephanie. So glad this salad was a hit with the family. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This is an exceptionally good dish and perfect to share with guests. It was fun and satisfying to prepare the lemon vinaigrette, sweet potato croutons and pickled onions. I will serve this many times because it is so perfect! Love your recipes!
Oh I am so happy to hear that you were able to share this recipe with your guests and everyone enjoyed it, Jan! Thank you for your review and star rating, I really appreciate it!
AMAZING!! My husband looooved it! Thanks for putting together these delicious/healthy dishes. This is the one you really knocked out of the park! My favorite dish so far.
My family loves salmon so I’m always looking for new unique delicious ways to make it. This recipe was amazing & did not disappoint. It was packed with SO much flavour & was a huge hit. Thanks for this, it’s a keeper!
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This salad knocked it out of the park. A new family hit. We each salad often, and I usually make my own dressing/vinaigrette but this version was so nice and lovely, I will make it often. I don’t typically remake dressings and vinaigrettes I find online because they often are ok, but are missing something. Yours was fabulous and had the right balance of everything. I have never added sweet potatoes to a salad, and that was a huge hit (especially with my kids). Also, I have never pickled onions, and we are now using them on everything. So, thanks!
I made this for a family night, left my mom with leftovers, and she is craving more, so I am going back again today to make her more. Thanks for a new family favorite!
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Stephanie. So glad this salad was a hit with the family. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This is an exceptionally good dish and perfect to share with guests. It was fun and satisfying to prepare the lemon vinaigrette, sweet potato croutons and pickled onions. I will serve this many times because it is so perfect! Love your recipes!
Oh I am so happy to hear that you were able to share this recipe with your guests and everyone enjoyed it, Jan! Thank you for your review and star rating, I really appreciate it!
This was so delicious. My husband said it looked like something out of a magazine.
Wow, what a compliment! Great job, I am so happy you both enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the review + star rating, I so appreciate it.
AMAZING!! My husband looooved it! Thanks for putting together these delicious/healthy dishes. This is the one you really knocked out of the park! My favorite dish so far.
I’m speechless! Thanks so much, Kelly! I’m so glad this salad is a hit, thanks for leaving a review 🙂
My family loves salmon so I’m always looking for new unique delicious ways to make it. This recipe was amazing & did not disappoint. It was packed with SO much flavour & was a huge hit. Thanks for this, it’s a keeper!