Let me introduce you to the ultimate Greek salad that will be on your table in nearly 20 minutes! This easy Greek salmon salad is loaded with crisp vegetables, briny olives and creamy feta cheese and topped with a perfectly seared filet of salmon. And highly recommended, add a few toasted pita chips for even more crunch and thank me later!
Let me tell you, this Greek salmon salad is no wimpy salad! This is one of our favorite weeknight dinner salad recipes that I cannot get enough of. It's full of textures and flavors, crisp and crunchy vegetables, briny olives and Peperoncini's for an added kick.
A good helping of fresh mint and dill is added right before tossing and then the entire salad is lightly dressed with a tangy red wine vinaigrette. And if that wasn't enough, a perfectly seared salmon filet rounds the entire recipe out. This Greek salad with salmon truly has it all!
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🥗 Recipe Highlights
- Greek salmon salad is the perfect recipe to add to your weeknight Mediterranean recipes for a healthy lunch or dinner!
- The entire recipe is made in 20 minutes and uses simple ingredients such as pitted kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes.
- This isn't any ordinary Greek salad, this loaded salad is full of colorful and crisp vegetables with a healthy amount of fresh herbs.
- Both the Greek salad and Greek salmon is gluten free and follow the Mediterranean diet. Omit the feta cheese for a dairy free alternative, though there are some fantastic dairy free feta cheeses available as well.
📋 Ingredients
- Salmon Fillets: Serve 6-8 ounces of salmon per salad and per person. If possible, look for wild Alaskan salmon, which is some of the best quality with heart healthy omega fatty acids.
- Romaine Lettuce: Romaine holds up well to salads and stays crunchy as well. You can substitute with arugula or your favorite salad mix.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Vine cherry tomatoes are so sweet but if they are not available, chop up medium sized roma tomatoes into ½ inch cubes.
- Cucumber: Look for Persian cucumbers which have a thin peel and less seeds.
- Radish: Use a mandolin to slice the radishes very thin.
- Red Onion: To take the bite off of an onion, place the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.
- Feta Cheese: Look for feta cheese that is packed in brine and not pre-crumbled, which will be much creamier.
- Fresh Herbs: This is the time to use summer's fresh mint and fresh dill. The fresh herbs add a lovely flavor to the entire salad. If fresh herbs aren't available, sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of dried mint and dried dill.
- Pitted Kalamata Olives: These are traditionally used in Greek salads and puttanesca pasta and have a great salty flavor. Even though I prefer whole olives, use pitted olives for the salad to save you prep time.
- Sliced Pepperoncini: This is one of my favorite additions to this Greek salad! Pepperoncini are pickled, tangy and slightly spicy with a great crunch.
- Dried Oregano: Use dried oregano to season the salmon as well as in the Greek salad dressing.
Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients
The most delicious red wine vinaigrette with a bit of Dijon, a touch of honey and earthy dried oregano to bring all the Mediterranean flavors together.
- Olive Oil: This is the time to use a great flavored extra virgin olive oil for the salad dressing.
- Red Wine Vinegar: This vinegar is sharp and tangy and you only need a little bit. If red wine vinegar isn't available, substitute with champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Lemon Juice: A splash is added to the dressing but I suggest saving a wedge or two to squeeze over the cooked Greek salmon.
- Honey: Because there are a lot of salty and sharp flavors, a touch of honey balances out the savory flavors of the dressing without being too sweet.
- Dijon Mustard: A classic in vinaigrettes, mustard helps the dressing emulsify and thicken.
- Dried Oregano: If dried isn't available, add ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of romaine, substitute with arugula or spring mix.
- Add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts.
- Instead of Greek salmon, serve the salad with chicken shawarma skewers or cedar plank salmon.
- Add toasted pita chips sprinkled with za'atar for extra crunch!
- Roast the salmon in the oven for 12-15 minutes instead of searing or grilling.
- If fresh herbs aren't available, sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of dried mint and dried dill.
⏲️ Instructions
Step 1: Add the Greek salad vegetables and feta cheese to a large bowl.
Step 2: Top the salad with fresh mint and fresh dill.
Step 3: Add the red wine dressing, including the olive oil, Dijon, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey and oregano to a bowl.
Step 4: Whisk the dressing until emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Set aside.
Step 5: Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season the salmon with salt, pepper and dried oregano.
Step 6: Bring a cast iron skillet or grill pan to medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Once hot, sear the salmon filets for 3-4 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms. Then remove and set aside.
Step 7: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine If using toasted pita chips, add that to the salad. Top the salad with the seared salmon and serve.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the salad up to 1 day in advance, but don't add the dressing until you're ready to serve.
- Dry Salmon Well: Pat the salmon dry with paper towels before seasoning, which will help the herbs stick to the salmon easily and also sear well for a crispy exterior.
- Feta Cheese in Brine: Look for feta cheese that is packed in brine and made from goats milk or sheep milk, which will be creamier than other varieties.
- Mix the Greek salad dressing in a small jar instead of whisking in a bowl.
- Mellow the Onion: by placing the sliced onion in bowl of cold water for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Greek salad is a simple Mediterranean salad with whole ingredients including sweet tomatoes, olives, olive oil and feta cheese. All of the ingredients follow a Mediterranean diet and are heart healthy. In addition, feta cheese is a sheep milk cheese and is easier to digest than cow's milk.
Serve Greek salmon with Greek fries with feta cheese and a generous dollop of creamy tzatziki sauce and lemon orzo salad.
Instead of pan cooking the salmon, season the salmon and place in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 12-15 minutes. If your salmon is very thick, add another 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
More Salmon Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Greek Salmon Salad
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemons worth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Greek Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce root end removed and chopped
- ½ red onion sliced thin
- 2-3 radishes sliced thin
- 1 Persian cucumber chopped in ½ inch cubes
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- ½ cup sliced peperoncini's
- ½ cup cubed feta cheese
- ¼ cup Fresh dill hard stems removed and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh mint leaves stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- Pita chips optional addition
Salmon
- 8 ounces salmon filets 2 fillets, 4 ounces each
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Make the red wine vinaigrette. In a bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the dressing until emulsified and slightly thickened. Alternatively, add all the ingredients toa. small jar and shake until combined.
- For the Greek salmon. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt, pepper and oregano.
- Bring a cast it on skillet or grill pan to medium-high heat and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sear the salmon for 4-5 minutes per side until a crust forms and the salmon is still flakey.
- Assemble the Greek salad. In a large bowl, add the chopped romaine, along with the cherry tomatoes, olives peperoncini's, crumbled feta cheese, radishes and olives. Top with the fresh dill and mint and pour the dressing over the salad.
- Toss the Greek salad with the dressing and serve with a filet of seared salmon on top. If you have any vinaigrette left over, spoon some over the salmon and serve.
Video
Notes
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- Assemble the salad up to 1 day in advance, but don't add the dressing until you're ready to serve.
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- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels before seasoning, which will help the herbs stick to the salmon easily and also sear well for a crispy exterior.
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- Bring your cast iron or skillet to high heat so the salmon can get a good sear on each side.
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- Look for feta cheese that is packed in brine and made from goats milk or sheep milk, which will be creamier than other varieties.
- If fresh herbs aren't available, sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of dried mint and dried dill.
New2Cooking says
This is a fun hearty salad. Almost everybody loves Salmon and on a hot day chilled greens and some great fish is just perfect. Kalamata olives, where have you been all my life. Do not forget the mint. Wonderful.
victoria says
Wonderful! Excellent combination.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Sheila says
This is a brilliant combination. My parents are visiting next week and would love to serve them this greek salad and some grilled salmon. Thank you for sharing this recipe. You just saved me from the stress of thinking what to prepare.
Samantha says
Thank you so much Sheila!! It has seriously been on a regular rotation here! Hope you and your parents enjoy it!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
I can't stand 'wimpy salads'! This one is right up my alley, can't wait to try it for myself 🙂