This smoked salmon salad is a nutritious and delicious lunch option, consisting of pieces of smoked salmon, fresh mixed greens, crumbled feta, juicy tomatoes and cucumber, sweet red onion, boiled eggs, and a savory Dijon mustard dressing.

A colorful salad with smoked salmon, halved boiled egg, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mixed greens, sprinkled with seeds.

Tastes are such a weird thing. As a kid, the mere thought of eating fish sent me into a spiraling tantrum. In fact, I gave myself an asthma attack from getting so worked up about my parents forcing me to try shrimp at age 7. To reconcile that perspective with today where I eat smoked salmon for breakfast and happily slurp down oysters whenever possible is just comical.

My weekly trip to Trader Joes usually results in a package of wild smoked salmon in my cart. It’s the perfect breakfast alternative on an English muffin with some avocado and bacon when I’m sick of breakfast sausage. Similarly, it makes for a great healthy lunch without requiring much effort tossed into a salad like this.

Various fresh ingredients on a table, including salmon, eggs, arugula, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon, arranged for meal preparation.

If you’re looking for a healthy salad with loads of delicious crunchy texture and flavor, try this smoked salmon salad. You’ll only need a couple of minutes to make it from scratch.

This protein-packed salad combines soft-boiled eggs and torn pieces of smoked salmon to keep you feeling fuller for longer, while the mixed greens and other fresh salad ingredients add volume, hydration and a balance of nutrients to every bite.

The homemade Dijon dressing is just as easy to make as the salad, giving you full control over the ingredients. Simply whisk the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the assembled salad just before serving. The zesty brightness of the fresh lemon balances the savory mustard perfectly.

Enjoy your salad with smoked salmon as is or with a side of crusty bread. It’s also delicious loaded into wraps or onto sandwiches.

Why We Know You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s a healthy and refreshing fish salad that can be enjoyed as a side dish or light main meal.
Simply mix the salad ingredients together and drizzle the Dijon mustard over – it’s as easy as that!
Easily adapt this smoked salmon salad recipe by making your preferred ingredient swaps. It’s also a great way to use up whatever fresh produce you have on hand.

Colorful smoked salmon salad with boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mixed greens, served with lemon on the side.

Featured Ingredients In This Smoked Salmon Salad

Mixed greens – Baby spinach is a key ingredient in this salad, but feel free to use your favorite mixed greens, such as arugula, kale, baby bok choy, watercress, and lettuce. Romaine would give the salad a nice welcome crunchy texture.
Smoked salmon – Torn into pieces. Regular cooked salmon can be used if you don’t enjoy the taste of smoked salmon. In fact, it’s a great way to use up leftovers like our baked sockeye salmon recipe.
Crumbled feta cheese – Mozzarella balls, broken apart, could be used instead or crumbled goat cheese. Shaved parmesan cheese would also work and add a nice salty taste.
Diced cucumber– I haven’t peeled the cucumbers as the skin adds a delicious crunchy texture. If you don’t enjoy cucumbers, celery is a good swap.
Cherry tomatoes – Halved. Grape tomatoes can also be used.
Red onion – I use a small red onion, peeled and sliced. If you aren’t a raw onion person, consider pickling them first.
Sunflower seeds – Other varieties of seeds or nuts are an option such as pepitas.
Boiled eggs – Sliced. These can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge. In our opinion, a soft-boil where the center is still a little jammy is the perfect boiled egg. Plus, they add another protein boost to keep you satisfied longer after lunch.
Dijon dressing – This simple dressing consists of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, ground black pepper, and Dijon mustard. Feel free to add in red chili flakes for a kick of spicy heat.

How To Make This Smoked Salmon Salad Recipe

Wash, dry and prepare the salad ingredients.

Combine all of the salad ingredients into a large salad bowl or serving plate.

Make the dressing by whisking all of the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve and enjoy!

My Pro Tips

Recipe Tips

This salmon salad can be enjoyed as a side salad or a light main meal alongside loaded cheddar bacon bread, bacon jalapeno herb cornbread or our classic gluten-free and vegan cornbread recipe.
Use any leftover smoked salmon to make this mouth-watering smoked salmon BLT.
This salad can be served immediately or you can let it sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Do not allow this fresh salad to sit at room temperature or higher for more than 20 minutes. Salmon shouldn’t sit out that long and the salad ingredients will start to wilt.
The lemon Dijon vinaigrette can be made a week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Give the stored dressing a good whisk or shake before drizzling over the salad as the fat and acid in the dressing can separate.

A vibrant salad with smoked salmon, boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and crumbled feta cheese, served in a gray bowl.

Variations

Dressing: Add sweetness to the mustard salad dressing by including honey into the salad dressing ingredients. You could also opt for a lemon vinaigrette instead or this lemon garlic herb tahini dressing.
Greens: Apart from mixed greens, experiment with the addition of fresh herbs in this salad, such as parsley, basil or cilantro.
Add-ins: Sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts, raisins, currents, dried cranberries, thinly sliced apples and crispy crumbled bacon are all lovely additions to this smoked salmon mixed greens salad and will add great texture and flavor.
Protein: While I use smoked salmon in this salad, smoked trout, mackerel, or even smoked chicken can be used instead.

A colorful salad with smoked salmon, boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and mixed greens, topped with feta cheese and sesame seeds, served with lemon slices.

Storage

This fresh salad should be enjoyed immediately as it will begin to turn soggy in storage.

If you do have leftovers of the smoked salmon salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days at most.

The Dijon mustard salad dressing can be stored in an airtight container or sealable jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

The Best Smoked Salmon To Use

If you’ve read any other salmon recipes on this site, you know I’m a big proponent of wild-caught salmon. Smoked salmon is no different.

Choose wild-caught when possible and look for no added ingredients like preservatives or flavorings. Seasonings are fine, but oftentimes you’ll see “natural smoke flavor” used as a shortcut on the ingredient list. Avoid that when possible.

Wild-caught fish has a better ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids and the fish haven’t been pumped full of dye to achieve its pink color.

Two bowls of fresh salad with arugula, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, smoked salmon, feta cheese, and a boiled egg, served with lemon slices on the side.

More Lunch Salad Recipes To Try

This simple sardine salad is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fats while also packing a punch of flavor. The consistency of this salad makes it ideal to enjoy with crackers or on crusty bread rolls.

Another favorite is our Dijon dill salmon salad incorporating fresh dill, Dijon mustard, salty capers, roasted chickpeas and cottage cheese.

Adding tuna to a classic waldorf salad instantly transforms it into a healthy and complete meal that you can enjoy within minutes of making as a light lunch.

Gina Matsoukas

Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

Smoked Salmon Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette