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.
Also because I ate three cupcakes yesterday. Not mad about it but you know. They were vanilla CREAM FILLED cupcakes from Whole Foods and they were quite tasty and I just couldn’t resist. I’m a sucker for baked goods. Anyway, that’s not why we’re here. I swear I do want to talk about this garlic salmon salad.
I also want to talk about the weather even though it’s incredibly cliché. It’s finally supposed to be in the 70s in Pittsburg for the next couple of days, and I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. Have a picnic by myself? Bust out all my tank tops, obviously. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to snow again next week, but I’m just excited for the few days of warmth. C’MON SPRING/SUMMER. My brain is in full-on summer recipes mode, and I really need the weather to reflect that.
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.
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!
PrintGarlic Salmon Salad with Tzatziki
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2
Ingredients
- 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
- 2 tbsp olive oil, or more
- 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.
This looks really delicious. Very timely since I am looking for something light but flavorful. I would love to try this garlic salmon salad. In fact, I am going out today to grab some ingredients.
Great recipe and photos :). I love salmon as it’s great for my brain health and performance. I will make sure to try this at home