A fresh, vibrant salad topped with a gorgeous caramelised salmon dripping with an Asian glaze and drizzled with sesame dressing. This Asian Salmon Salad will knock your socks off. No more boring salads!
Too. Hot. It’s just TOO HOT to cook! Apparently Sydney is “suffering” through a record breaking heat wave. Climate change. Tut, tut.
So tonight (Sunday), as I’m writing up this post and America is gearing up for the single biggest football game of the year (Super Bowl Sunday!), there are two things going through my head:
Hoping my BBQ won’t self destruct in this extreme heat when I’m grilling burgers for dinner; and
Wondering how in the heck I am going to go from this 40C/100F heat to the freezing cold snow fields in Japan? ⛷⛷⛷
Yup! I’m off to Japan this week! It’s been too long since I’ve been to visit my relatives, get my Japanese food fix /ski fix, shopping galore / visit my relatives (oops, better fix my priorities 😉). Stay tuned for live updates of my travels on Instagram!
(Yes, the thought of who might win the game is notably absent from the thoughts in my head. Bring on the food. I’ll cater. You watch!)
Oh. And yes, thoughts about this Asian Salmon Salad are noticeably absent too. Hmm. Well! There’s a glimpse into my mind and how it wanders!!
Actually, I made this salad on Saturday. It wasn’t as much of a stinker (Aussie slang interpretation:stinking hot day!) but it was still hot enough for me to avoid stove time.
Thus this Asian Salmon Salad was born. I deliberately cut the salmon into cubes so they cook faster – and also more surface area = high ratio of caramelisation and glaze to flesh. If you’ve got the stove on for more than 3 minutes, I’m putting you in the naughty corner because your salmon will be overcooked. 😞
As you can see in the photo above, the salmon is cooked in a sticky Asian sauce. It cooks down into a syrupy consistency really quickly – literally less than 30 seconds – and the idea behind this recipe is that the glaze forms part of the dressing for the salad. The salmon is gorgeous hot, warm or at room temperature. Personally I even love it cold. In fact, I had it cold straight from the fridge today (see Dozer gagging for the last piece of salmon at the bottom of the post!).
This salmon would be absolutely divine served on rice to soak up all that gorgeous sauce. But I really did enjoy it as a salad. The glaze combined with my super simple but everyone-loves-it Asian Sesame Dressing drizzled over whatever greens you have, then topped with that glazed salmon makes an epic salad that should take you just on 15 minutes to make. Or less if you have the Asian Sesame Dressing already in your fridge ready to go. And why wouldn’t you when it keeps for weeks and weeks and it’s so good you can use it for marinating and dressing almost any salad / steamed vegetables!
I’m happy to be adding another giant salad to my recipe collection! Especially one that’s made with a protein other than chicken or prawns / shrimp. Something a little different, ridiculously delicious, loaded with all the good stuff. 😉 – Nagi x
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Asian Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce , low sodium / ordinary (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp EACH hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, honey (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp sriracha , or other hot sauce (can omit)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 garlic clove , minced
Salmon & Salad
- 250 – 300 g / 8 – 10 oz salmon , skin off
- 2 tsp oil (vegetable, canola, peanut oil)
- 5 cups lettuce , bite size pieces (I used cos lettuce)
- 15 cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1/2 avocado , sliced
- 1 cucumber , halved, deseeded and sliced (Note 3)
Asian Sesame Dressing
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1½ tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil (Note 4)
- 1 tsp sugar (any type) or 1½ tsp honey
Optional Garnishes
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 scallion / shallot , finely sliced
Instructions
- Cut salmon into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes.
- Mix Sauce in a medium bowl. Add salmon, set aside for 3 minutes.
- Mix Dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake very well (jar is best).
- Divide Salad ingredients between 2 bowls.
- Heat oil in a non stick medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove salmon from Sauce, shaking off excess. Reserve Sauce.
- Place salmon in skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, turning to caramelise as many of the sides as you can (all sides is not practical, too much turning). (Note 5)
- Pour Sauce into skillet. Cook for 30 seconds or until the Sauce reduces to a syrup (see video for how it bubbles).
- Remove from stove. Immediately transfer salmon onto Salad. Leave to rest / cool for a few minutes. Then spoon the glaze over the salmon. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and shallots/scallions, if using.
- Drizzle salad with Dressing. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Asian Salmon Salad recipe video! Lovely eye candy moment watching the salmon simmering in that glaze….
LIFE OF DOZER
If you eat on the couch instead of the table, this is what you have to deal with. 🙄
Should I give him the last piece of salmon? Should I….???
BIG HOT HELLO , WE ARE TOO HAVING HEATWAVE WITH STRONG WINDS, SHOCKER. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECEIPT. HAD NICE FISH AND SALAD LAST NIGT. WISH YUO ENJOYABLE AND VERY SAFE TRIP. BE HAPPY. PS. DOSER NOT HAPPY WITH SOYA SAUCE, LOOKS WORN OUT .REGARDS, VERA.
Hiiii Vera! Gosh, wasn’t the weather early this week awful?? I’m in total climate shock being in freezing cold japan now! PS Dozer was VERY happy with that salmon….vereeeeeee happy! Stay cool Vera! The summer heatwave is almost over!
Hi Nagi,
My boyfriend and I made this the other night and we really enjoyed this recipe! The flavor was delicious and I love how quick it was to put together, not to mention how fast the salmon cooked. It also tasted great the next day straight from the fridge!
Have a safe trip!
Woo hoo! I’m so glad to hear that you and your boyfriend enjoyed this Stephanie, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Oh, Nagi, you’ve done it again. The Asian Salmon Salad was a real treat. Will probably always use this recipe for salmon in the future – so much flavour and obviously just the right amount of sriracha to give it a kick without being overpowering. Awesome!.
Lyn and David
You’ve tried this already? Woah! I’m so thrilled you both enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
So excited to hear that you are back to Japan for a visit! A great way to skip the heat wave and enjoy some family time. I am sure I won’t have to say…take lots of photos to share. LOL – I feel like poor Dozer… just looking at the empty bowl and wishing I could have shared that delicious salad with you. Take Care
I’m so excited to be here! It’s a long overdue trip!!!
Hi Nagi
We had the Asian Salmon Salad as a quick dinner party solution this evening.
What can I say tasty, quick and fabulous.
Thank you for a wonderful meal suggestion.
I’m so happy to hear that Peter! Thank you very much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it – N xx
Looks marvellous! As long as the new season avos have come in: absolutely hate the imported ones for more than one reason. Have to try the recipe before commenting: methinks I would even reduce the stated cooking time for the salmon, possibly not use all the sauce and probably have a room temperature meal to retain the purity of the salmon taste. Enjoy both the journey and Japan . . .
You would cook for even less than 2 1/2 minutes????? WOAH!!! You sure you don’t have Japanese blood in your veins Eha? 😉 N xx
🙂 ! Estonian-born – had my baby milk with raw herring naturally . . . the raw herring has remained, the baby milk changed to dry white quite some time ago!! Oh, love all the Japanese fish naturally . . .
I always have a jar of Charlie on the go in my fridge Nagi, and now I will add a jar of your dressing as well. My cooking got a whole lot easier once I started following your blog.
Awww thank you Veronica! I’m so glad you are finding some useful tips from my site! N xx
Hi Nagi. What a lovely salad and this salmon, omg. Have a blast in Japan, I want to hear all about it when you get back. You are a a wonderful friend.
Hiiii Dorothy! You should come with us one day 🙂 Go on! You and Gary! We’ll show you around!!! ❤️
I’m betting Dozer got that last piece, if for no other reason that he is spoiled rotten. This salad looks wonderful even though it is supposedly winter here… Hope you enjoy your trip to Japan.
He is absolutely and disgustingly spoilt rotten. Completely and utterly. 🙂
Or course you should give the last piece to Dozer.
It’s an unwritten dog owners’ law that the last piece of meat/fish belongs to your doggie. Of course you could always do what I do and keep a piece back specifically. My Boo never realises so I doubt Dozer would lol
Busted! I totally do…. everything…. even the last bite of my morning toast goes to him!!!
Yes, you should reward Dozer for waiting patiently until you finished all but the last piece of salmon! Delicious looking salad, btw!
But he was IN MY FACE that while time!!! (But yes, he got it… of course!)
In love with all your recipes
*Blush* N xx