Crispy Salmon Salad with cabbage, carrots, cashews, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and an amazing peanut dressing to tie it all together. This big, filling entrée salad recipe serves up to four individuals.
Calling all lovers of huge, satiating salads!
Attention all salmon fanatics!
This vibrant and delicious crispy salmon salad features everything that is right with the world.
We have perfectly crispy salmon that comes with an incredible marinade, a delicious peanut vinaigrette, and a variety of fresh vegetables. We even have crunchy cashews and sliced almonds as well as tangy, sweet dried cranberries.
When combined together, we end up with a filling meal that is energizing and so nutritious with creamy, savory and sweet flavors.
We’re getting healthy omega 3 fatty acids from the salmon, plenty of protein, lots of fiber and complex carbohydrates, and so much flavor to make it all that much more enticing.
This chopped salad recipe is inspired by my Crispy Sesame Salmon, but served as a salad rather than a rice bowl.
Let’s discuss the simple fresh ingredients for this amazing chopped cabbage salad recipe!
Ingredients for Crispy Salmon Salad:
Crispy Salmon Ingredients: Fresh salmon, avocado oil, toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), rice vinegar, and fresh garlic.
Salmon gets chopped into cubes, marinated, then cooked to crispy perfection on the stove top in a skillet. The marinade gives remarkable flavor to the fish so that you’re left with a perfect bite.
I recommend buying fresh salmon, but frozen salmon works too. Just be sure the salmon fillets are thawed before making this crispy salmon recipe.
Peanut Dressing Ingredients: Avocado oil, peanut butter, sesame oil, liquid aminos (or coconut aminos or soy sauce) rice vinegar, pure maple syrup, garlic cloves, and fresh ginger. If you’re a black pepper fanatic, add it in.
This combination of ingredients makes a sweet, tangy, savory delicious vinaigrette, which can be used on a variety of salad recipes.
Salad Ingredients: Green cabbage, purple cabbage, baby spinach, carrots, green onions, red bell pepper, sliced almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries.
All of these salad ingredients come together to make an incredible crunchy salad with a wide variety of flavors and textures.
To make recipe prep easier, you can use a couple of bags of pre-shredded coleslaw mix. I like the mixes that contain both types of cabbage and grated carrot.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Replace the peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter if you prefer.
- Swap the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Coconut aminos, liquid aminos, and soy sauce are all interchangeable in the salmon marinade and the peanut dressing.
- Dice up one avocado and add it in with the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Use red onion, cherry tomatoes, celery, or any other fresh vegetables you love in salads.
- If you prefer using your air fryer to cook salmon, follow the recipe for my Sesame Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Bites.
- If there’s a dressing you prefer over the one listed in this recipe, feel free to use it! My Mayo-Free Green Goddess Dressing is lovely here too.
- Use extra virgin olive oil instead of avocado oil if you prefer.
- Swap the cashews and almonds with crunchy walnuts and pumpkin seeds if you’d like.
Now that we’re familiar with the ingredients list, let’s make this amazing salad!
How to Make Crispy Salmon Salad:
Prepare the Dressing:
Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together until a creamy dressing forms.
If you have a small blender such as a Magic Bullet or NutriBullet, you can use it to make the dressing.
Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Make the Crispy Salmon:
Whisk together the ingredients for the coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, and rice vinegar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside until ready to use.
Remove the salmon from its packaging and place it on a cutting board. Pat off any excess moisture with a paper towel.
Chop the salmon into cubes using a sharp knife. If you prefer your salmon skinless, you can cut the skin off and discard it before chopping it. I like leaving the salmon skin on because it adds to the crunchy texture.
Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a few minutes.
Carefully place salmon skin side down on the hot surface of the skillet. Allow the pieces to cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes before flipping them to another side and cooking for an additional 2 to 4 minutes, until two sides are deeply golden brown.
Pour the sauce into the skillet and gently swish it around until all of the salmon is exposed to sauce.
Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, or until the salmon has cooked through.
The FDA considers salmon to be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’d like, use a meat thermometer to spot check the fish by inserting the thermometer into the largest pieces.
The exact cook time will vary depending on the sizes of the salmon chunks, their temperature going into the skillet, as well as your desired level of doneness.
Taste the salmon for flavor and add more coconut aminos, rice vinegar, or a splash of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.
Assemble the Salad:
Grate or chop the vegetables for the salad. If you have a food processor with the grating attachment, you can use it to grate the cabbage and carrots.
Add all of the salad ingredients (excluding the cooked salmon) to a large mixing bowl.
Add in your desired amount of the peanut dressing and toss until everything is coated in the sesame ginger peanut dressing.
Serve salad on large plates or big bowls with the cooked salmon on top. Serve with lemon halves to drizzle fresh lemon juice over the salad if desired.
Can I Make the Salmon in the Oven?:
If you prefer oven roasting, here’s what you do. Chop salmon into cubes using a sharp knife and transfer the raw salmon to a zip lock bag with the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
Marinate the salmon for 15 minutes in the sauce ingredients then transfer everything to a rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish.
When you’re ready to bake salmon, place the oven on the High Broil Setting.
Broil on the upper third of oven for 7-8 minutes minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
And that’s it! A healthy salad recipe that is jam packed with flavor and a variety of nutrients for a balanced meal.
Those who are into crispy salmon skin, you’ll absolutely adore the amazing texture this recipe brings to a salmon filet.
If you love big salad recipes like this, try out these reader favorites.
More Healthy Salad Recipes:
- Crispy Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing
- My Current Favorite Salad Recipe
- Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
- Crispy Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Thai Chicken Chopped Salad
- Grilled Salmon with Strawberry Salsa
May all your salads be crunchy and your salmon be crispy!
Crispy Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Crispy Salmon:
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb salmon chopped into bite-sized cubes
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Sea salt to taste
For The Salad:
- 4 cups green cabbage thinly sliced
- 3 cups purple cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby spinach chopped*
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 red bell pepper cut into matchsticks
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds optional
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Peanut Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter**
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 small clove garlic peeled
- 2 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing:
- Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together until a creamy dressing forms.
- If you have a small blender such as a Magic Bullet or Nutribullet, you can use it to make the dressing.
- Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Make the Crispy Salmon:
- Whisk together the ingredients for the coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, and rice vinegar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside until ready to use.
- Remove the salmon from its packaging and place it on a cutting board. Pat off any excess moisture with a paper towel.
- Chop the salmon into cubes using a sharp knife. If you prefer your salmon skinless, you can cut the skin off and discard it before chopping it. I like leaving the salmon skin on because it adds to the crunchy texture.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a few minutes.
- Carefully place salmon skin side down on the hot surface of the skillet. Allow the pieces to cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes before flipping them to another side and cooking for an additional 2 to 4 minutes, until two sides are deeply golden brown.
- Pour the sauce into the skillet and gently swish it around until all of the salmon is exposed to sauce. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, or until the salmon has cooked through. The FDA considers salmon to be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’d like, use a meat thermometer to spot check the fish by inserting the thermometer into the largest pieces. The exact cook time will vary depending on the sizes of the salmon chunks, their temperature going into the skillet, as well as your desired level of doneness.
- Taste the salmon for flavor and add more coconut aminos (or soy sauce), rice vinegar, or a splash of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.
Assemble the Salad:
- Grate or chop the vegetables for the salad. If you have a food processor with the grating attachment, you can use it to grate the cabbage and carrots.
- Add all of the salad ingredients (excluding the cooked salmon) to a large mixing bowl. 3. Add in your desired amount of the peanut dressing and toss until everything is coated in the sesame ginger peanut dressing.
- Serve salad on large plates or big bowls with the cooked salmon on top. Serve with lemon halves to drizzle fresh lemon juice over the salad if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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This was very yummy!! Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure! I’m happy you liked it!
Can this be made overnight for next day’s lunch?
Hi Stephanie! Absolutely! My one suggestion would be to wait until you eat the salad to add the dressing, but even still you could add the dressing ahead of time and the salad holds up great. I’d say when you add dressing is a matter of preference but nevertheless the salad saves very well 🙂
The slaw was absolutely amazing! I had trouble with the salmon staying together. As it cooked it flaked apart. I might grill the salmon instead and drizzle the sauce over it at the end. But overall very tasty!!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Gina! Did you remove the salmon skin before cooking? If so, the salmon can definitely flake apart a bit easier than when the skin is left on. I’ve also found great success with cooking it in the air fryer if you own an air fryer! So happy you enjoy the salad! Thanks so much for reporting back!! xoxo