This healthy Tzatziki Salmon Salad features delicious baked salmon over fresh greens and creamy tzatziki sauce for the dressing. This healthy lunch or dinner recipe focuses on protein and healthy fats for an energizing meal.
If you’re a salmon lover like me, you’ll get a kick out of this fresh take on your favorite protein.
Baked salmon is chopped up and served over a bed of greens with creamy avocado, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a delicious homemade tzatziki sauce to tie it all together.
The refreshing, zesty, tangy, creamy flavors come together in a flavorful bowl of energizing nutrients.
Do you love tzatziki sauce? If so, I encourage you to make my Homemade Tzatziki Sauce recipe (it’s easy, I promise!), and to use it on everything, including your salads.
This high-protein low-carb dinner recipe is ideal for those prioritizing protein and aren’t as focused on carbohydrates for fuel. I love it when I’ve been getting my carbs from other sources throughout the day and don’t need to add them to dinner.
While it may seem like there are a lot of ingredients in this salmon salad recipe, you may already have some of them on hand, and they are all straightforward ingredients that you can find at any grocery store.
If you enjoy salads with salmon, also try my Crispy Salmon Salad with cabbage and peanut dressing. It’s one of my personal favorites!
Let’s chat about the ingredients in detail, as I like to provide reasoning as to why I choose the ones I do and also give options for ingredient swaps.
Ingredients for Tzatziki Salmon Salad:
Salmon Ingredients:
Fresh Salmon: You can use any kind of salmon you like for this simple recipe. If I’m going for a lower amount of fat, I use sockeye salmon, and if I’m going for my actual preference, I use wild-caught salmon (typically King salmon).
If you’re using frozen salmon, be sure to thaw it completely before using it. Pro tip: choose a boneless fillet to prevent having to pick bones out of the salad.
Avocado Oil: We need some form of fat to drizzle over the fish to ensure it stays moist and bakes evenly during the cooking process.
I like using avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, ideal for cooking at high temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil works here too.
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Sea Salt, Black Pepper: A sprinkle of garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt is all you need to bring a boost of flavor to the fish.
Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients:
Greek Yogurt: The base of tzatziki sauce, we need plain Greek yogurt. Any fat content works here, but I find having at least a little fat (2% or higher) yields the best results.
The yogurt is what gives the sauce a creamy consistency and tangy flavor.
English Cucumber: One of the star ingredients of a classic tzatziki sauce. We need fresh cucumber for that refreshing flavor and texture.
Fresh Dill: A generous amount of dill brings an incredible herby flavor to the sauce, enhancing the flavor profile.
Rice Vinegar: A burst of acidity levels up the flavor of the sauce. Any kind of vinegar works here, including apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white vinegar. Lemon juice works great as well.
Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic works magic in homemade sauces like this to give our palate something to be excited about.
Sea Salt: Season the sauce to your personal taste using salt and black pepper.
Salad Ingredients:
Greens of Choice: Pick your favorite kind of salad greens. I like chopping up romaine lettuce or Spring green mix, but baby spinach or even cabbage works here too.
Avocado: Ripe avocado brings creamy texture and richness to the meal, giving your taste buds an impressive show.
Cherry Tomatoes: A burst of fresh juicy tomato makes this healthy salad recipe exude freshness. I love cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, but heirloom tomatoes or vine-ripened tomatoes are great too.
Red Onion: I love adding a little red onion to salads (just the right amount!) to bring zippy freshness.
Feta Cheese: Listen, feta lovers. You’re going to go bonkers over how nicely feta and tzatziki play together to bring something exciting to this easy meal.
There are plenty of ways you can change up this simple salmon salad recipe using ingredients you love! Here are some ideas.
Recipe Adaptations:
- To make this a lower fat meal, use 0% Greek yogurt and omit or reduce the avocado and feta cheese.
- Add crunchy goodies like sesame seeds or pistachios if you like them.
- Swap out the red onion for one bunch of chopped green onions.
- Mix in your favorite fresh veggies like purple cabbage, grated carrots, and celery.
- Change the salmon out for rotisserie chicken.
- Add goodies like kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, or sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavors and a Greek salad kind of appeal.
- If you have fresh herbs like fresh parsley or fresh basil on hand, toss them in!
- Add lemon zest to the tzatziki sauce for some extra pomp and circumstance.
- Bean lover are you? Add a can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans or kidney beans if you’d like for extra fiber.
- This salad recipe makes enough for 2 to 3 hungry individuals. With that knowledge, you can scale the amount of ingredients up or down depending on the number of people you’re trying to feed.
- I usually halve what is written in the recipe card to make one big salad for myself for lunch.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for this healthy meal, let’s make it! The great news is it can be prepared in parts for my meal preppers out there.
How to Make Tzatziki Salmon Salad:
Prepare the Salmon:
If you’re using Atlantic salmon, use my Broiled Salmon Recipe for instructions on how to prepare it. For sockeye salmon, use my Baked Sockeye Salmon Recipe for instructions for baking sockeye salmon.
Generally, baking salmon in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit takes between 10 and 18 minutes, depending on the thickness and weight of the fish.
You can also cook salmon in a large skillet following my Crispy Skillet Salmon recipe. Prefer cooking in the air fryer? Make my Crispy Air Fryer Salmon recipe.
Salmon is considered fully cooked when the salmon reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature.
Once cooked, move the salmon to a plate and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes. To speed up the process, refrigerate the cooked salmon until it is completely chilled.
Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and chop it into chunks. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Tzatziki Sauce:
As the salmon bakes (or up to 3 days in advance), prepare the tzatziki sauce.
Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them. Chop the cucumber into small pieces using a sharp knife.
Place the chopped cucumber into a colander and sprinkle it with salt.
Set it aside while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe to allow any excess liquid to seep out of the cucumber, or for at least 15 minutes.
Transfer the chopped cucumber to a small bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for the tzatziki sauce.
Stir well until everything is combined. Taste the tzatziki for flavor and add more vinegar or sea salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Tzatziki sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make the Salad:
If you’re like me and you prefer your greens chopped for ease of eating, transfer them to a cutting board and use a knife to chop them into smaller pieces (you’ll need to do this in batches if you’re making the full 10 ounces of greens).
Transfer the greens to a large bowl along with the halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and feta cheese.
Similarly, move the cooled and chopped salmon to the bowl with the salad.
Add in the tzatziki sauce and toss everything together until the ingredients are coated with the sauce.
Taste the salad for flavor and add a drizzle of lemon juice, a little olive oil or balsamic vinegar if you’d like. I like to add a sprinkle of sea salt.
Optional Additional Salad Dressing:
While I enjoy the tzatziki sauce as the dressing, I also like to mix in a little something extra for more flavor and creamier texture. To do as I do, mash up one avocado with 3 to 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (I use a blueberry infused balsamic) until the mixture is nice and creamy. Use a rubber spatula to mix it into the salad until everything is combined.
This additional mashed avocado salad dressing brings richness to the meal, which I find enhances the flavor.
Meal Prep Options:
If you’d like to use this as a meal prep recipe, bake the salmon and make the tzatziki sauce up to 3 days ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat, assemble the salad, using the amounts of salad ingredients you’d like rather than making the huge salad all at once. This way, you don’t have to worry about the greens getting soggy or the avocado browning up.
The tzatziki sauce and cooked salmon can be stored in airtight containers until you’re ready to use them for optimal freshness.
And that’s it! An easy dinner or lunch that is loaded with both flavor and nutrients.
The next time you’re craving a big entree salad with plenty of filling ingredients, try out this marvelous concoction.
The perfect weeknight dinner involving simple ingredients and fresh flavors with the added benefit of plenty of proteins and micronutrients.
If you enjoy big filling easy recipes like this, also try out these fresh recipes.
More Filling Salad Recipes:
- Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Ranch Salad
- Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tzatziki on your salad? Go get it!
Tzatziki Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Salmon Ingredients:
- 10 to 16 ounces sockeye salmon
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh dill chopped
- Pinch sea salt to taste
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients:
- 10 ounces Spring greens or romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- ⅔ cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
Prepare the Salmon:
- If you’re using Atlantic salmon, use my Broiled Salmon Recipe for instructions on how to prepare it. For sockeye salmon, use my Baked Sockeye Salmon Recipe for instructions for baking sockeye salmon. For skillet instructions, follow my Crispy Skillet Salmon recipe. For air fryer instructions, make my Crispy Air Fryer Salmon recipe. Salmon is considered fully cooked when the salmon reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature.
- Once cooked, move the salmon to a plate and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes. To speed up the process, refrigerate the cooked salmon until it is completely chilled.
- Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and chop it into chunks. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Tzatziki Sauce:
- As the salmon bakes (or up to 3 days in advance), prepare the tzatziki sauce.
- Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them. Chop the cucumber into small pieces using a sharp knife. Place the chopped cucumber into a colander and sprinkle it with salt. Set it aside while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe to allow any excess liquid to seep out of the cucumber, or for at least 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chopped cucumber to a small bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for the tzatziki sauce. Stir well until everything is combined. Taste the tzatziki for flavor and add more vinegar or sea salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Tzatziki sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make the Salad:
- If you’re like me and you prefer your greens chopped for ease of eating, transfer them to a cutting board and use a knife to chop them into smaller pieces (you’ll need to do this in batches if you’re making the full 10 ounces of greens).
- Transfer the greens to a large bowl along with the halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and feta cheese. Similarly, move the cooled and chopped salmon to the bowl with the salad. Add in the tzatziki sauce and toss everything together until the ingredients are coated with the sauce. Taste the salad for flavor and add a drizzle of lemon juice, a little olive oil or balsamic vinegar if you’d like. I like to add a sprinkle of sea salt.
Notes
Optional Additional Salad Dressing:
For creamier, tangier salad dressing, mash 1 whole avocado in a bowl with 3 to 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar until the mixture is nice and creamy. Use a rubber spatula to mix it into the salad until everything is combined.Nutrition
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