Easy Smoked Salmon Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

Smoked salmon salad with greens, avocado slices, salmon, red peppers, and oranges in a large bowl with wooden salad servers.

Easy Smoked Salmon Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

This smoked salmon salad is the perfect blend of smoky flavor, juicy mandarins, crunchy cucumber and bell pepper, creamy avocado, salty capers, fresh dill and nutty pepitas all covered in a delicious maple dijon vinaigrette. It comes together in just 10 - 15 minutes in a few simple steps too! It's the perfect salad for a light weeknight dinner or lunch.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Halal, Hindu, Kosher, Low Lactose

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings as main course (4 as a side)

Calories 540kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Equipment

Ingredients

Salad

6 cups mixed salad greens very loosely packed (about 5 ounces)
2 mandarin oranges peeled and separated.
1 Tablespoon capers
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup cucumber sliced
½ cup thinly sliced red pepper
6 ounces smoked salmon broken into pieces (I prefer hard smoked but lox works too)
½ large avocado sliced or diced
2 Tablespoons Pepitas

Maple Dijon Dressing

1 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic about 2 medium sized cloves (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep all salad ingredients by removing any salmon bones and breaking it into bite sized pieces. Chop dill, peel and separate mandarins, slice cucumber, red pepper, and avocado.
1/2 cup cucumber, ½ cup thinly sliced red pepper, 6 ounces smoked salmon, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Prepare salad dressing by adding all ingredients, except oil to the bowl you plan to serve the salad in. Whisk to mix well. Drizzle in olive oil while continuing to whisk vigorously. Continue whisking for another 15-20 seconds to make sure the salad dressing is well emulsified.
1 Tablespoons maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Add all of the salad ingredients to the bowl, except for salmon and avocado. If the dressing has been sitting the bowl for awhile, make sure to whisk again before adding salad ingredients.
6 cups mixed salad greens, 2 mandarin oranges, 1 Tablespoon capers, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1/2 cup cucumber, ½ cup thinly sliced red pepper, 2 Tablespoons Pepitas
Gently fold in avocado and salmon. Alternatively you can dish up the salad and then place the salmon and avocado on top for a more appealing presentation. Serve right away.
6 ounces smoked salmon, ½ large avocado

Notes

To prep ahead of time: make the dressing up to five days in advance. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until about 15 minutes before serving, then shake and use. If the oil in the dressing is still solid, run the jar under warm water. Break up the salmon, slice the cucumber and red pepper, and chop the dill up to 24 hours in advance.

Nutrition