This Salmon Salad is loaded with omega-3 nutrition.

I love a simple, one dish meal. They can be easy to toss together and even nutritious. Here’s one I use often, especially when there’s a sale going on at the fish counter.

Recently, I came upon a leftover piece of salmon in the far recesses of my freezer, deposited there in a by-gone era, possibly when I went off a diet. 

Salmon: Farm-Raised or Wild?

“I am what I eat.”

Before making the salad, let’s talk about the salmon. There’s some debate over which is better: farm raised or wild? On such issues, I turn to nutritionist and author Dr. Jonny Bowden.

He reminds us that salmon is high in omega-3 fats, the kinds that are helpful for heart and brain health, as well as inflammation, circulation, memory, mood, and blood sugar control.

But Not All Salmon Are Equal

The old saying, “You are what you eat” applies to salmon, too. Farm-raised varieties eat grain and produce less omega-3s. The wild variety dines on krill and other fish and produces essential fat. Color is often added to the farm-raised fish to enhance the look it lacks, because of the grain diet. So if you’re wanting a heavy jolt of omega-3, stick with wild salmon. 

A Meal in a Bowl

This salad comes together easily since three of the vegetables cook in the same water, one after the other.

Dousing the salad with a simple dressing made of oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, and mustard brings it all together in a jiffy. What an incredibly satisfying dish. It’s easy, healthy, and one that tolerates substitutions. I often leave out the cukes. When fresh tomatoes start tasting like cardboard, I substitute sun-dried ones.

Give this salad a try the next time there’s a salmon sale at the supermarket—unless you’re lucky enough to find a piece in the far reaches of your freezer.

Salmon Salad

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet (about 1 lb.)
• Salt and pepper
• 4 potatoes (Yukon Gold or red, peeled and quartered)
• 2 ears corn, cooked
• Handful of thin green beans, trimmed, cooked, chopped into 1” pieces
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (optional)
• 5-6 scallions (include green part) chopped
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

       Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. sugar or honey
• Fresh lemon or lime, a squeeze
• ½ cup olive oil

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

Directions

1. Rub salmon with a mix of oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of honey and grill over medium hot coals for 4-5 minutes on each side or bake in oven on foil-lined baking dish for 15 minutes.
2. Bring water to boil and add potatoes and cook about 12 minutes or until knife can be inserted. Remove potatoes with slotted spoon to large serving bowl. Add the corn to the same water. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove corn to cutting board and slice kernels and put in the serving bowl.
3. Add green beans to same pot of water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove beans and add to serving bowl.
4. Add the tomatoes, cucumber (if using), scallions, and cilantro to bowl along with salmon chunks. Toss with vinaigrette. Serves 4.