Garlic Salmon Salad with Tzatziki

This Garlic Salmon Salad features seared salmon on top of a bed of lettuce with asparagus and a simple tzatziki dressing. 

…..’cause it’s Thursday and we need to prepare for the weekend by fitting in ALL THE GREENS. 

This garlic salmon salad is simple but also such a treat! Honestly, any recipe with tzatziki sauce is a treat. I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat salmon for dinner and not for lunch. Isn’t that strange? Kind of like how I eat tuna for lunch and not for dinner. But guys, you can totally eat salmon for lunch! …you can also eat salad for dinner, though I usually think of salad as a “lunch food”. Ok so I guess what I’m trying to say is that this salmon salad can easily be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.

My other favorite ways to prepare salmon are seared with fresh salsa on top, and classic baked garlic salmon. YUM.

GARLIC SALMON INGREDIENTS

• salmon
• garlic herb seasoning
• spring mix
• asparagus
• feta cheese
• lemon

GARLIC SALMON SALAD RECIPE

So this salad is very, very simple—it’s just a bed of lettuce with lemon-roasted asparagus—and the garlic salmon, which I opted to cook in my cast iron skillet. It comes together quickly and can be enjoyed as a side, though I think the salmon makes it a full meal. The real kicker is the tzatziki sauce, though. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE tzatziki sauce. It adds so much flavor to any meal, and this salad is no exception.

• Preheat your cast iron skillet: that way, the salmon will start cooking right away. Also, be sure to add no more than one tablespoon or oil; otherwise, the oil will splatter everywhere
• You should be able to easily cut/shred the salmon with two forks. If you can’t, then the salmon probably needs to cook for a couple more minutes. 
• If you own a NutriBullet Pro – 13-Piece High-Speed Blender/Mixer System with Hardcover Recipe Book Included (900 Watts)” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>NutriBullet, I recommend using that to make the tzatziki sauce. If not, your blender or food processor should work fine.

Note: though not pictured, feel free to add cucumber to the salad itself. I have it noted in the actual recipe as well—I should have added cucumber, but I completely forgot! Also, the cheese is optional if you want to keep this dairy free, in which case you’ll have to use a dairy free yogurt for the tzatziki sauce, which you can absolutely do. 

Hopefully you’ll enjoy this salad as much as Miguel and I did! 

Garlic Salmon Salad with Tzatziki

This garlic salmon salad featured pan-seared salmon on top of a bed of lettuce drizzled with homemade tzatziki sauce.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

for the salad:

• 4 cups spring mix lettuce
• 2 tbsp feta cheese
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper

For the salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic herb seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the tzatziki:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cucumber
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp fresh dill
• 2 mint leaves
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Then, start by making the tzatziki sauce. Simply place all of the ingredients EXCEPT the yogurt into a blender and pulse for 20-30 seconds. Pour ingredients into a bowl, then stir in the yogurt by hand. Set tzatziki aside.
• Next, chop ends off of the asparagus, then place asparagus on a nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then place it in the oven and roast asparagus for 12-15 minutes depending on how thick your asparagus is.
• While your asparagus is roasting, cook your salmon.
• Pour olive oil into a large skillet (I used my cast iron) and heat skillet over medium high. Then, pour garlic herb seasoning onto a place and dip salmon into the seasoning, making sure both sides of the salmon are coated. Then, place salmon directly into the hot skillet. Place a lid on the skillet and cook salmon for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. You may need to add more oil to the skillet, so keep an eye on the salmon--you don't want it to stick to the skillet!
• Once the salmon and asparagus are cooked, you can assemble the rest of your salad. Just place the lettuce in a large bowl or on a plate, then top it with the asparagus, salmon, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.
• Enjoy!

Notes

*You're going to use 1/2 a cucumber for the tzatziki sauce, so feel free to use the other half in the actual salad itself! Something I should have done by forgot to do.

Course: lunch

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Author: The Almond Eater