Salad with Gravlax Salmon and Strawberries

Let’s make a simple, delightful, and healthy salad with salmon, strawberry, avocado, lettuce, cream cheese, and tasty sauce. This salad is not only delicious but also full of protein, omega fatty acids, and vitamins. Another great advantage is that it is quick to prepare. With this perfect salmon and strawberry salad recipe, you can have a packed lunch, healthy appetizer, or quick snack in just 30 minutes.

What is a Strawberry Salmon Salad?

A strawberry salmon salad typically includes grilled or salted salmon fillets served on a bed of fresh mixed greens. The salad is topped with sliced strawberries, avocado, and other complementary ingredients. To enhance the flavors and tie the ingredients together, the salad is often drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette sauce of fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, honey, medium-hot mustard, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Pairing savory salmon with sweet and juicy strawberries creates a delicious contrast of tastes. Plus, adding avocado provides creaminess and texture. Overall, strawberry salmon salad is a refreshing, nutritious, satisfying, and flavorful meal option.

Strawberry Salmon Salad Origin

The origins of strawberry salmon salad are not as clear-cut as those of some other dishes. It is likely to have emerged from the creativity of chefs and home cooks looking to combine fresh and flavorful ingredients. However, for its harmonious blend of sweet and savory flavors, the combination of salmon with fruits such as strawberries has been appreciated in various culinary traditions. It represents the modern trend of using seasonal and local ingredients to create lively and healthy salads. While its exact origins may be unclear, the popularity of strawberry salmon salad is on the rise due to its delicious taste and versatility.

Strawberry Salmon Salad Ingredients

• Lightly salted salmon Gravlax: The star of the salad, it has a rich, buttery texture with a hint of saltiness, a nice contrast to the sweetness of the strawberry.
• Strawberries: A splash of freshness and sweetness, they add vivid color and a juicy texture to the salad that contrasts beautifully with the hearty salmon.
• Avocado: With its creamy richness and velvety texture, avocado adds a smooth and buttery element to the salad that balances out the flavors and adds depth to every bite.
• Cream Cheese: Providing a tangy and creamy component, cream cheese complements the other ingredients with its smooth texture and subtle tang, and enhances the overall creaminess of the salad.
• Mixed Salad Greens: With a variety of textures and flavors, mixed salad greens offer freshness and crunch, serve as a tasty base for the other ingredients, and add visual appeal to the dish.
• Salt and Pepper: Indispensable for flavor, salt, and pepper enhance the taste of the salad, bringing out the natural sweetness of the strawberry and balancing the richness of the salmon and cream cheese.

Sauce:

• Medium Hot Mustard: For a kick of heat and complexity, medium hot mustard adds depth of flavor and a hint of heat to the sauce.
• Honey: Providing sweetness and balance, honey adds a natural sweetness to the sauce that complements the acidity of the lemon and orange juices.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: Sour and bright, fresh lemon juice adds a tart and refreshing taste to the sauce, enhancing the overall freshness of the salad.
• Fresh Orange Juice: With its citrusy sweetness, fresh orange juice adds a subtle sweetness and tang to the sauce that complements the other flavors in the dish.
• Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil: Olive and sunflower oils combine to create a smooth, velvety dressing that provides richness and a silky texture that evenly coats salad ingredients.
• Salt and Pepper: Used to season and balance the flavors of the dressing, salt and pepper add depth and complexity, ensuring that the dressing enhances the overall flavor of the salad.

Strawberry Salmon Salad Recipe

1. First, put the olive and sunflower oils in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool.
2. To make the sauce: Add honey, mustard, fresh lemon juice, orange juice, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add the oil in a thin stream until the sauce thickens.
4. Then, peel and slice the strawberries.
5. Cut the avocado with a knife, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and slice.
6. Then, slice the salmon and roll it into rolls. 
7. Peel the spinach if needed.
8. To assemble the salad: Season the spinach with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil, toss, and arrange on a plate, pouring the sauce over it.
9. Place the sliced avocado on both sides of the plate. Then, pour the sauce over the avocado.
10. Using a spoon, place the cream cheese in the form of dumplings on the plate.
11. Place strawberries and salmon on top and garnish with chips if desired. Enjoy!

Chef Recipe Tips:

• Instead of citrus juice, use balsamic, wine, raspberry, or walnut vinegar in the sauce.
• The strawberries can be substituted with another berry.
• Avocados can be heated with a blowtorch for extra flavor.

What Type of Salmon Is Best for Strawberry Salmon Salad?

Salmon Gravlax is often the preferred choice for strawberry salmon salad. Gravlax is a Nordic dish in which salmon is cured with a mixture of salt, sugar, and a variety of spices. It has a delicate texture and a flavor profile that is slightly salty and yet subtly sweet, which pairs beautifully with the fresh sweetness of the strawberries in the salad. Gravlax’s rich, buttery texture adds a luxurious touch, making it a delicious and sophisticated option for seafood lovers.

How long will this Strawberry Salmon Salad last?

Once the ingredients have been combined, this recipe will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We recommend keeping the salmon salad and dressing separate until you’re ready to serve to keep your salad fresh longer. 

However, we don’t recommend storing it in the freezer! Your salad will be watery and the sauce will not thaw well. 

Useful Advice for the Best Strawberry Salmon Salad

• If you’re not too concerned about the added fat, add toasted walnuts or almonds and avocados. They will make what is already a delicious salad even more flavorful and decadent.
• To keep salads fresh and prevent them from getting soggy, choose glass containers. In addition to being convenient and easy to clean, using glass containers is a healthier option than plastic containers. Glass preserves the integrity and safety of your fresh, nutritious salad because it is non-porous and free of harmful chemicals like BPA, ensuring that no toxins leach into your food.

Variations on Simple Strawberry Salmon Salad

This salmon salad recipe can be varied in many ways:

• Use other greens – Play around with your greens of choice. You can use spinach, butter lettuce, arugula, baby kale, spring mix, or corn salad.
• Swap the Protein- This salt is delicious with all-purpose chicken breasts, perfectly cooked rib eyes, grilled shrimp, or canned tuna instead of salmon.
• Change The Fruit- Try substituting blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries for strawberries. Or try sliced mangoes, peaches, or apples.
• Vary the Onions – Try green onions (also known as scallions), shallots, white onions, or sweet onions such as Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Maui onions.
• Add other vegetables-Tomato, cucumber, peppers, or radishes would work well in this salad. 
• Add Whole Grains – Mix in a little cooked quinoa, farro, or brown rice.
• Use Canned Salmon – For an easy pantry meal, use canned salmon or tuna.