This is an easy favorite of mine with any leftover salmon I’ve prepared on a weeknight. While I can eat cold salmon for breakfast straight out of the fridge, I like to prepare a simple salad hearty enough for lunch or dinner.
I flake the salmon into a bowl and to that I add about an equal portion or less of small white or cannelloni beans. If I’m using canned beans, which I usually am, I’ll dump the beans into a colander to drain and rinse under cold running water to help remove any preservatives. To the bowl I’ll add some finely chopped fresh dill—and parsley, too, if I have it. Because I’m always looking for opportunities to add more color to meals, I’ll dice some red bell pepper (or orange or yellow—whatever I have on hand), and thinly sliced red onion and toss all that together with salt and pepper to taste. Then I’ll add fresh lemon juice and olive oil and toss it again.
I’ll simply eat the salmon salad as is or spoon it onto a bed of greens like arugula, spinach or mixed greens. Alternatively, I’ll stuff it into half a Haas avocado. By the way, you can easily use canned salmon for this salad or tuna (choose low mercury!). I just enjoy fresh salmon more.
A fun thing to do is spoon a little morsel onto endive leaves to make canape hors d’oeuvres. And remember, as with any fish recipe, it’s best to consume your salad within a couple days. It won’t last that long in the fridge.
To your health!
Leyla Muedin, MS, RD, CDN
