Salmon Salad for Meal Prep
Salmon Salad is a fresh salmon salad without mayonnaise. Just crunchy cucumber, onion, Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard are in this delicious salmon salad lunch recipe that is good for you and takes just minutes to make. Stuff in a whole wheat pita pocket or serve on toast, this nutritious lunch is loaded with the good stuff.
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Why this recipe works
According to the USDA, cooked fish will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. This is provided it is fully cooked and was fresh to begin with. Salmon especially works well for meal prep. It cooks quickly, it is so versatile, and it can be made easily with any level of cooking experience.
This salmon salad works as a meal prep lunch recipe because it takes just minutes to throw together. The flavors combine SO well, and there are literally no questionable ingredients – remember, this is a salmon salad without mayo. Just tasty goodness you can feel so good about. AND you can either stuff this salad into a pita pocket or onto toast or add greens and keep it all gluten-free. Tons of options for you to tailor your lunch to suit your tastes.
Be sure to check out all my meal prep lunch ideas!
About the ingredients
See the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, but here are a couple extra tips.
- I prefer to get my salmon with the skin on because I find it makes for far juicier, tastier salmon.
- I used an English cucumber because then there are no seeds to remove. If you opt for a regular cucumber, you will want to use a spoon and scrape the seeds out before chopping.
- If a red onion is not available, a Vidalia onion would be a great substitute.
- The bed of shredded iceberg lettuce serves two purposes: to add fiber, crunch, and flavor, and to help with the water that may give off from the salad. Salmon and cucumber are both super juicy, and to keep the salad from becoming wet, the bed of shredded lettuce gives that juice a place to go. Whether you choose to eat that lettuce too is up to you – I do.
How to meal prep this salmon salad
This is where I will shamelessly brag over how sticking easy this recipe is…. Ahem, you make my salmon salad lunch thusly:
- Season and bake salmon.
- Combine salmon with remaining salad ingredients.
- Parse salad out to storage or meal prep containers.
PERFECT for meal prep with this easiness, no? But, a couple tips:
As opposed to other salmon recipes including my Chipotle Salmon Meal Prep recipe, this is a cold salad with salmon, water logged cucumber, and Greek yogurt – that’s a lot of water and no one likes a wet salad. Therefore, to handle the potential for water that may come off, we are doing 3 things:
- Cooking the salmon a bit more than I otherwise would (think medium-well done instead of medium-rare).
- Sopping off as much juice as possible from the salmon after cooking.
- Keeping the salad on a bed of shredded lettuce to give that water someplace to go rather than having the salad just sitting in a pool.
I have had times where there has been more water, and other times hardly any – it just depends on the ingredients at that time. Either way, this salad has always been so delicious during my busy workday.
FAQs
Yes, but I recommend cutting back from 1/4 cup to 3 Tablespoons.
Salmon Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh salmon with the skin on
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch fresh cracked pepper
- ½ tsp Old Bay seafood seasoning
- 1 cup diced English cucumber
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 (8 oz) bag shredded lettuce
- whole wheat toast, sprouted wheat toast, or whole wheat pita for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Place the salmon on a bake sheet (line with foil for easier cleanup if desired), skin side down. Season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork and is light pinck throughout. Set aside to cool completely.
- In a bowl, add the salmon and break up with a fork. Use a few paper towels to absorb off excess juice and discard.
- Add the cucumber, onion, Greek yogurt, and Dijon to the salmon and combine.
- Divide the lettuce between 4 meal prep or storage containers. Divide the salmon salad on top of the lettuce.
- Serve salmon salad on toast or in a split pita pocket.
