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Salmon Caesar Salad in a serving bowl
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5 from 17 votes

Salmon Caesar Salad

This Salmon Caesar Salad is a healthy and delicious take on a classic Caesar.  It features easy, homemade dressing, freshly baked croutons, and pan-seared salmon.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 594kcal

Ingredients

Salmon:

  • 8 ounces Pink salmon (~2 fillets)
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Croutons:

  • ¼ French loaf (~ 4oz)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Yogurt Caesar Dressing:

  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 4 anchovies
  • 1 ½ lemons, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • cup Parmesan, freshly grated
  • cup whole yogurt, plain

Salad:

  • 1 romaine heart, roughly diced
  • ¼ cup Parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

  • Pat salmon dry, and set aside.  Allow salmon to come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Make Croutons:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Roughly dice bread into 1" squares.  Use a zester to grate garlic.  (Alternatively, finely dice garlic.)
  • Toss bread in garlic, olive oil, and salt.  Spread onto a baking sheet.  Bake 11 minutes for soft croutons, or 14 minutes for crunchy croutons.  Set croutons aside.

Make Dressing:

  • Use a zester to grate garlic. (Alternatively, finely dice garlic.)  Place in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
  • Add anchovies to the bowl.  Mash with a pestle or with a wooden spoon, until the anchovies have dissolved.
  • Whisk in lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.  Add the yogurt and the Parmesan.  Whisk until smooth.

Pan-Sear the Salmon:

  • Sprinkle salt on the salmon.
  • Add 1 TB olive oil to a heavy bottom pan, and heat over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot and begins to ripple, add the salmon skin-side down, and do NOT touch the salmon.
  • Allow the salmon to sear until the translucent flesh has cooked through and turned opaque about ⅔ of the way through the fish.  (You'll be able to see the fish turning opaque from the bottom up as it cooks.)  
    If the fish begins to smoke in the pan, lower the heat slightly.
  • When the fish is cooked through ⅔ of the way, use a thin metal spatula to flip it, and sear for 90 seconds on the other side.  (If the fish resists flipping, wait 30 seconds and try again.)
  • Remove fish from the pan, flake it apart with a fork.  Discard skin if desired.  Cover fish to keep it hot.

Assemble the Salad:

  • Add diced romaine and the remaining Parmesan to the large bowl with the dressing.  Toss salad until it's coated in dressing and there is no more dressing pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Add croutons and salmon to the salad, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

This recipe easily doubles or triples.

Nutrition

Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 2181mg | Potassium: 1077mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5186IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 387mg | Iron: 5mg