Salmon Caesar Salad
This Salmon Caesar Salad recipe is the perfect combination of two of our most popular dishes: our 5-star Caesar dressing and chef-approved, crispy seared salmon filets. Below you’ll learn how to get my pro tips on the ideal ratio of romaine lettuce, croutons and Parmesan and deets on perfectly cooked salmon.
There is something so satisfying about a crispy hot salmon filet atop a savory crunchy cold Caesar salad. The buttery flaky salmon is the perfect protein to pair with the garlicy and lemony dressing. I favor it over chicken even! It’s an all-time favorite to order in a restaurant, and now I’m spilling my secrets how to get restaurant quality Salmon Caesar at home!
Read on to find out how to get perfectly crispy on the outside and just barely opaque all the way through salmon (hit: it’s called carryover cooking and it is virtually foolproof!) Plus I’ll share why a lot of Caesar dressings fall flat on flavor (spoiler: they didn’t get the balance of tastes right- I’ll teach you my ways, don’t worry!)
Use our TOC to jump to the sections below and let me know if you make this one: I can’t wait to hear back!
Table of contents
Ingredients For Salmon Caesar
- Oil: For the best flavor use a blend of extra virgin olive oil and a neutral oil such as avocado oil or organic canola oil
- Anchovies: A classic component of Caesar dressing, anchovies add umami flavor and saltiness. I used chopped anchovy filets but 1 1/2 teaspoons of anchovy paste can be subbed in.
- Egg yolk: To emulsify the dressing you’ll need a raw egg yolk. If you prefer to make your dressing without yolk use our egg free Caesar dressing.
- Garlic: For the dressing, I added a smashed and peeled whole clove of raw garlic.
- Lemon juice: Two tablespoons from one medium lemon
- Dijon mustard: Adds flavor and body to the dressing
- Worcestershire sauce: a few dashes helps boost tangy flavor
- Parmesan cheese: You can use grated Parmesan or your favorite hard Italian cheese like Romano or Asiago. Note both Asiago and Romano are saltier than Parm so make sure to only add salt to the dressing to taste.
- Salt and Pepper: To season the dressing and fish, coarse kosher salt is easiest for sprinkling over the salmon filets. I recommend a generous amount of black pepper in your dressing, and to serve at the table.
- Salmon: See buying tips below. To remove the salmon skin, follow my tutorial here.
- Romaine: When in season locally look for nice tight heads of Romaine lettuce, or year-round choose Romaine hearts, sold in three-packs in the grocery store.
- Croutons: When time allows you can make homemade croutons or if you’re needing a simple time-saving swap, use purchased croutons.
Tips For Buying Salmon:
- Center Cut: One of the keys to getting your salmon to taste just like a portion of salmon from a restaurant is to choose the right kind at the fish counter. Look for a thicker (center cut) filet that’s about 1 1/2 pounds total.
- Wild Vs Farmed: In the summer months you’ll be able to find sustainably caught King salmon. Depending on budget and availability you can also look for Atlantic from sustainable aquaculture sources.
- Keep In Mind: When in doubt, check the Seafood Watch site to make sure your seafood is coming from a sustainable fishery. King salmon and Atlantic salmon are higher in healthy fats and have great buttery texture. Smaller salmon species like Sockeye are leaner and often sold previously frozen. These do not stay as moist when pan cooking.
How To Make Caesar Salad with Salmon
Step 1: Make Caesar Dressing
Combine both oils, anchovies, egg yolk, garlic, lemon, Dijon and Worcestershire in a blending jar, blender or mini prep. Puree with an immersion blender or mini-prep until thick and completely combined. Add in ¼ c Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt and puree. You can also chop the garlic and anchovy as finely as possible and make the dressing by hand. Omit the oil and whisk the other dressing ingredients until completely lump-free. Then very gradually drizzle in the oils while whisking constantly. The dressing will not be as thick and creamy but taste great.
Chef Katie’s Pro Tip: The key to amazing Caesar dressing is the balance of acid, salt and fat. A lot of dressings fall flat on flavor because they do not have enough lemon and salt in them. The two are inextricably linked and must balance each other. If your dressing tastes too salty, you probably need a little more lemon, and conversely if it is too tart add a pinch more salt (or Parm.)
Step 2: Heat Skillet and Season Salmon
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper all over the salmon.
Step 3: Sear Salmon
Lay salmon filet skin side up in the hot oil. Let cook, undisturbed until browned and crispy along the bottom edge, and the flesh is turning opaque about halfway up the side of the filet, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness.
Step 4: Use Carry-over heat to cook salmon
Flip salmon over and remove the skillet from heat. Allow the salmon to remain in hot skillet to allow the carry-over heat to continue cooking the other side until cooked to the desired temperature, 2 to 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the filet will be 125 degrees when the fish is cooked to medium doneness.
Step 5: Toss Salad
The key to a great Ceasar is to customize your preferred ratio of lettuce, dressing, croutons and Parmesan. Start with about 2/3 of the dressing, tossing to coat. Then add in the Parmesan and croutons. Give it a taste and if you want more dressing, add in the remaining amount. Feel free to add additional lemon, Parm or salt and pepper as you toss to your taste preference.
Step 6: Serve
Divide among 4 plates. Top with salmon and serve immediately.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Dressing: Caesar dressing can be made and stored in the refrigerator in a jar or airtight container for up to 5 days. After 24 hours in the refrigerator, the dressing will start to thicken. If your dressing is too thick to toss with the lettuce you can warm up the dressing at room temperature for a little bit, thin with a little warm water or toss the salad with gloved hands.
- Lettuce and Croutons: Chop the romaine and place in gallon ziplock bag up to five days ahead. The croutons can be made and kept at room temp for three days.
- Salmon: For best results make the salmon at the last minute, but if you are prepping this for company you can do a little trick! Sear the salmon on side one and then flip it to the presentation side on baking sheet lined with parchment. You can do this up to an hour ahead. To serve, bake the salmon on the sheet pan at 450 degrees (preferably with convection) until the center of the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer. For meal prep you can simply remove the skin of the salmon and cut into portions to help ease dinner time stress.
Leftovers and Reheating
Unfortunately, once the Caesar Salmon Salad is tossed it should be eaten within an hour or or it will wilt and the crunchy croutons will get soft and soggy.
- Dressing: If you have leftover dressing, it can be kept for 5 days in a jar in the fridge. See above for more details.
- Salmon: Keep the salmon in an airtight container for up to 48 hours. Leftover salmon is terrific served cold. I like to flake it over the salad. To reheat, place a single filet on a microwave-safe plate. Place a paper towel over it to keep it from splattering. Microwave on 50% power for one minute. Test to see if it is heated through with a digital thermometer. Continue heating as necessary in 30-second intervals on 50% power until just warmed through. Avoid overheating as the natural oils will cook out of the salmon and it will become dry.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Salmon Caesar Salad Recipe
Fresh crunchy Caesar salad made with our signature Caesar dressing, crunchy croutons and Romaine lettuce is perfectly balanced with Parmesan cheese, lemon and garlic. On top of each portion sits perfectly crispy-on-the-outside and buttery-on-the-inside salmon.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or neutral cooking oil plus 2 teaspoons, divided
- 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
- 3 filets anchovies or 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 egg yolk raw
- 1 garlic clove small
- 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 dashes Worchestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 to 1.5 pounds center cut salmon filets skin removed
- 10 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 1 cup croutons purchased or homemade
Instructions
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Combine both oils, anchovies, egg yolk,garlic, lemon, Dijon and Worcestershire in a blending jar, blender or miniprep. Puree with immersion blender, blender or mini prep until thick and completely combined. Add in ¼ c Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt and puree.
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Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper all over the salmon.
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Lay salmon filet skinned-side up in the hot oil. Let cook, undisturbed until browned and crispy along the bottom edge, and the flesh is turning opaque about halfway up the side of the filet, 4 to 6minutes, depending on thickness.
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Flip salmon over and remove the skillet from heat. Allow the salmon to remain in hot skillet to allow the carry-over heat to continue cooking the other side until cooked to the desired temperature, 2 to 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the filet will be 125 degrees when the fish is cooked to medium doneness.
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Toss romaine with the dressing, croutons and the remaining ¼ cup cheese until coated.
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Divide among 4 plates. Topwith salmon and serve immediately.
This is such a great combination of ingredients. Love it!
Thanks Mimi!
How much Dijon?
Hi April. First up, the answer is 1 tsp. Thank you for letting me know I missed it in the ingredient list. I used a new recipe card plugin on this post which I am not used to. It is a little clunky to input the recipe and I think I missed that line somehow! Now I know this will be another spot to have to proofread better. I added it back to the list so it’s in there now. Sorry about that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Salmon Caesar! Please report back if you do!