Spring Salad Recipe with Spice-Rubbed Salmon
Spring inspires me to start making fresh and flavorful salads. This is one of my favorites, spring salad with spice-rubbed salmon!
This recipe incorporates some of the best seasonal ingredients, such as grilled corn, carrots, cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, and a simple spice-rubbed salmon, to create a tasty and healthy meal. It’s the perfect salad to “eat the rainbow.”
Have You Ever Tried to “Eat the Rainbow”?
“Eating the rainbow” refers to consuming a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables that provide a range of essential nutrients for good health. The colors of fruits and vegetables indicate the different phytonutrients they contain, which have a range of health benefits.
Red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, watermelon, and strawberries are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and mangoes, contain beta-carotene, which can help promote healthy skin and eyes.
Green fruits and vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health.
Eating the rainbow ensures that your body gets a diverse range of nutrients that can help to support good health and prevent chronic diseases. This spring salad with spice-rubbed salmon checks a lot of colors off of the rainbow!
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Warm Salad Toppings
I love to combine warm and cold toppings in a salad so I cooked the corn, mushrooms, and spice-rubbed salmon for this spring salad in a pan on the stovetop.
I started with the corn. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and once the pan is heated, add a cup of frozen corn. Yes, frozen corn. If you love corn, add more, if you don’t love corn, you can leave it out! Cook the corn until it begins to brown. There are a few reasons why I use frozen corn for recipes that call for corn:
- Convenience: Frozen corn is readily available year-round and can be used straight out of the freezer without the need to thaw it first. This can save time and effort compared to fresh corn, which needs to be shucked, cleaned, and cooked.
- Consistency: Frozen corn is consistent in texture and flavor, which can be important for recipes where you want to ensure even cooking and uniform taste. Depending on the season and growing conditions, fresh corn can vary in sweetness and tenderness.
- Moisture: Frozen corn retains moisture better than fresh corn, which can help prevent it from becoming too dry or tough when pan-fried. This is especially important if using a high-heat cooking method like pan frying.
Next, I used the same cooking process above for the mushrooms. I like to buy pre-sliced mushrooms because they are easier to clean. TIP: Mushrooms are very porous and absorbent, they easily soak up water and become mushy and less flavorful, so don’t wash your mushrooms.
Brush off any dirt or debris using a soft-bristled brush or a damp paper towel. I added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and once the pan was heated, I added about a cup of sliced mushrooms. Mushrooms cook down, so add more than you think you will need.
For the salmon, I removed the skin and then cubed the salmon. I cut the pieces into about 2″ squares. I mixed 1 TBL of smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt and then tossed the salmon cubes in the seasoning until coated. The exact process was used before: Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and add spice-rubbed salmon pieces. Cook until the outside is browned, and there are no dark pink spots when you cut into a piece. And I forgot to take photos of this step. Oops!
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.Salad Toppings
I made this easy on myself by using boxed spring salad mix, already-sliced carrots, and sliced purple cabbage.
Get creative with the vegetables that you and your family like. Here is what I included in mine:
- Carrots
- Purple cabbage
- Cherry tomatoes
- Avocado
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Sauteed corn
- Pan-cooked spice-rubbed salmon cubes
- Edible flowers, pansies, and marigolds
Assembling the Plates
When I assembled this salad, I wanted to show each of the ingredients and let my family and guests mix the salad together on their own, so I served the dressing on the side.
Start with a bed of greens. I used spring greens for this salad. As you add items to the plate, make room for everything you will add.
This spring salmon salad is not only delicious but also packed with nutrients. Salmon is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart and brain health. The grilled vegetables add a variety of vitamins and minerals, while the avocado provides healthy monounsaturated fats.
The cilantro avocado dressing is the perfect finishing touch to this salad. It’s creamy and flavorful, but also light and refreshing. You can adjust the amount of cilantro, depending on how much you enjoy the taste.
Overall, this spring salmon salad is a great way to enjoy the season’s fresh flavors while nourishing your body with healthy ingredients. It’s easy to make, beautiful to serve, yummy to eat, and can be customized to suit your preferences, so give it a try and see for yourself!
The Recipe
Spring Salad with Spice-Rubbed Salmon
A colorful and healthy salad with lots of veggies and a delicious salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of Spring Greens
- 1 cup Shredded Carrots
- 1 cup of shredded Purple Cabbage
- 20 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 Avocados, sliced
- 1 Cup of Frozen Corn
- 1 Cup of Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 Large Salmon Filet, skin removed and cubed
- Edible Flowers for garnish, Pansies and Marigolds
- Spice Rub for Salmon (if you enjoy spice, you may want to double this)
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- Avocado, Cilantro Dressing
- 1 Avocados
- 1 handful Cilantro
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1 clove of Garlic
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch of salt/pepper
Instructions
To make the salad dressing, add one avocado, a handful of fresh cilantro, a clove of garlic, the juice of one lime, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding a little more oil if needed to thin out the dressing. Season to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove skin from salmon and cut into cubes. Sprinkle spice rub onto salmon and coat thoroughly. Set aside.
1. Start with the cooked items, first corn. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a heated pan, add frozen corn, and cook through until corn is browned. Set aside.
2. Using the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add sliced mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are browned and cooked through, but not limp.
3. Using the same pan as the corn and mushrooms, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the heated pan and add spice-rubbed Salmon. Cook until the salmon is browned on the outside and the center of the cube is cooked through (not dark pink).
Salad Assembly - I added each salad topping as an individual item on top of the salad instead of scattering or tossing so that each component could be seen and the salad could be dressed and combined individually.
1. Add greens to each of the plates.
2. Add shredded carrots to each of the plates.
3. Add purple cabbage to each of the plates.
4. Add chopped cherry tomatoes to each of the plates.
5. Add sliced avocado to each of the plates.
6. Add the cooked corn to each of the plates.
7. Add the cooked mushrooms to each of the plates.
8. Add the cooked salmon to each of the plates.
9. Serve Avocado Cilantro Dressing on side.
Garnish with edible flowers
You will want to keep this spring salad recipe on hand all spring and summer. Get creative and add or subtract your vegetables or protein. I’d love to know how you make it your own!
Mother’s Who Love to Cook
Here are eight more amazing spring salad recipes!
Blogger’s Best Spring Salad Recipes
- Spring Salad Recipe with Spice-Rubbed Salmon | My 100 Year Old Home
- Mason Jar Greek Salad | Modern Glam
- Cold Sweet Potato Salad Recipe | Happy Happy Nester
- Easy Chicken Salad Recipe | My Sweet Savannah
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad | Tatertots and Jello
- Fresh Spring Luncheon Salad | Make Mine a Spritzer
- Spring Tortellini Salad | Twelve on Main
- Simple French Carrot Salad | Most Lovely Things
- Spring Strawberry Salad | Finding Lovely
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This sounds delicious! The perfect summer salad.
Hi Renae – This really is the perfect summer salad, especially picked right from the garden!
I see rice in your pictures….may I ask what kind of rice is it?
Looks yummy!
Hi Cindy – just simple brown and wild rice!
Oh my, this is a rainbow on a plate. Beautiful and oh so delicious! xo
Thank you Juliet. As they say, you eat with your eyes first!
Made this for lunch yesterday. It was full of flavor and oh so healthy. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe Barbara. A healthy and yummy way to get all of those vitamins!
Leslie, your salad looks amazing! Every color!
And congratulations on the arrival of your first grandchild, graham!
xo
annie
Thank you so much Annie! The salad is quite delicious and thank you, I am so over the moon about Graham!