Meyer Lemon Salmon Caesar Salad

Meyer Lemon Salmon Caesar Salad with my creamy Meyer lemon Caesar dressing and homemade garlic herb croutons. By far my favorite Caesar salad I have ever made and eaten it comes together surprisingly quick especially if you make the dressing a day ahead of time. Use wild Alaskan Sockeye or Coho for this hearty and delicious salad.

Lemons and salmon - a perfect pair:

I love winter citrus and Meyer lemon is my favorite because I have a huge tree that puts out hundreds of fruit every winter. I have many Meyer lemon recipes on my site because of my amazing tree.

Lemon and salmon go so well together and this recipe has a meyer lemon roasted salmon to go with the salad.

The salmon is of course from Copper River Salmon. This time I am using Sockeye which was previously frozen, Coho would also work well here. Frozen wild Alaskan salmon is an excellent choice next to fresh. It thaws quickly for making this salad quickly.

Why I love this recipe:

• Wild Alaskan salmon - my favorite this recipe uses sockeye salmon from Copper River salmon.
• Meyer lemons - I get to walk outside and pick them from my tree but they are abundant in stores during the winter.
• It's a hearty salad which I love for lunch or dinners, you can use kale as I have here or romaine lettuce.
• A creamy homemade dressing as well as homemade croutons because all salads need tasty dressing and some crunch.

Meyer lemon Caesar dressing:

I love making homemade dressings to go with salads since they are usually cheaper overall and I can add in whatever ingredients I like, however, if you do want a shortcut route you could just add some fresh Meyer lemon juice to a store-bought Caesar dressing. I do suggest you try making my Meyer lemon Caesar dressing at some point it is really good and go so well with salmon. I have included the recipe for the homemade croutons in the recipe notes. The Meyer lemon Caesar dressing is on its own post you have to click over to.

Ingredients for the salad:

Just a few simple ingredients really not a whole lot to it. You can save some time with store-bought Caesar dressing and store brought croutons if you like, but I highly suggest trying the homemade recipes first.

• Salmon - wild Alaskan sockeye or Coho 1.5 to 2 lb fillet. Rinse, pat dry, check for any excess bones and remove them.
• Seasoning for the salmon - olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice.
• Kale or romaine lettuce. - If using kale, you will want to massage it a little with a little bit of olive oil to soften. I prefer to use Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale over curly kale.
• Artichoke Hearts - I love adding an artichoke hearts to Caesar salads I use canned not marinated in anything because I don't want to add any other seasonings besides what's already in the salad.
• Parmesan Cheese - I like to shave large pieces over the salad
• Meyer Lemon - I will grate a little fresh Meyer lemons last over the salad as well as squeeze a little bit of extra juice
• Croutons - day old baguette or ciabatta bread seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, thyme and basil. See recipe notes for details on the croutons.
• Creamy Meyer lemon Caesar dressing

Prepare and season the salmon:

If using frozen salmon you can thaw it overnight in the refridgerator or add it to a roasting pan and fill with cool water. The salmon thaws quickly.

• Set the salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet and heat my oven to 400° Fahrenheit (200° C).
• Brush or spray the salmon with a little bit of olive oil season with half a teaspoon each kosher salt fresh ground black pepper onion powder garlic powder and Meyer lemon zest let sit for a few minutes to absorb the seasonings. I squeeze a little Meyer lemon juice over the salmon before I roast it.

Prepare the kale:

If using kale (lacinato kale seen here), strip it from the middle ribs then sliced thin. Wash well in a salad spinner or large bowl and drain it, dry the kale well. Place in a large bowl drizzle a little olive oil over it and massage with your hands for a few minutes until it softens. This stuff is not necessary if you were using Romaine lettuce. With Romaine you just need to wash, chop and dry.

Roast the salmon:

Place the seasons salmon in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 8 to 10 minutes until firm do not over cook it.

Let the salmon cool slightly before slicing it up to place on the salads you can either place a smaller filet cut off the larger piece or break up the salmon into smaller pieces and place all over your salad. I remove the salmon skin before adding it to the salads.

This Meyer lemon roasted salmon is delicious served on its own served with grains or rice or salad on the side. This is how I like to prepare it for salmon Caesar salad. I will often make a Caesar salad wrap with it the next day if there are any leftovers.

I will then add dressing, artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese and toss with the kale, or lettuce, then divide amongst bowls and add croutons before adding the salmon.

How to store the salad:

I would store everything individually before making the salad only dress the lettuce or kale right before serving. Dressing tends to make lettuce soggy so this is definitely a eat at the time you make it.

Leftover salmon can be stored in an airtight container and use within 4 days of cooking.

The croutons can be kept in an airtight container up to one week at room temperature.

The dressing can be stored up to 2 weeks in your refrigerator in a jar with a lid.

Other salmon recipes you may enjoy:

More Meyer lemon recipes to try:

Meyer lemon Salmon Caesar salad recipe:

Meyer Lemon Salmon Caesar Salad

Shanna

Hearty salmon Caesar salads with tangy, creamy Meyer lemon Caesar dressing, artichoke hearts and toasted homemade garlic herb croutons. Makes 4-6 large salads

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• For the salmon:
• Wild Alaskan Sockeye or Coho Salmon 1.5-2 lb fillet
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon each: kosher salt ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
• For the salads:
• 2 large bunches Lacinato Kale or two heads of romaine lettuce
• Olive oil if using kale
• 1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts drained, artichoke hearts sliced into smaller pieces
• Parmesan cheese - thinly shaved or shredded
• Meyer Lemon zest and juice
• Meyer Lemon Caesar Dressing see recipe linked in post
• Homemade Garlic Herb Croutons See recipe notes

Instructions

 

• Prep times are all approximate, which includes includes preparing and seasoning the salmon, preparing the kale (if using) and the baking time includes both of the salmon and the homemade croutons, if making them.  I do not include preparation or making of the dressing in that time since that is a separate recipe, but that recipe does come together very quickly, and you can make that before starting the rest of the salmon salad.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Set a piece of parchment paper out on a baking sheet rinse and pat the salmon fillet dry and check for any pin bones. Remove them if you find any. Tweezers work well for this.
• Place the salmon fillet on the prepared baking sheet, rub it with a little olive oil, then season with the salt, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and the lemon zest. Let sit for a few minutes while you prepare the kale or lettuce.
• If using the kale, strip the kale leaves from the stems, thinly slice rinse well in a lettuce strainer or colander and dry thoroughly. Placing a large bowl, drizzle olive oil over the kale and massage well with your hands to soften the kale. If using Romaine lettuce, you only need to wash and dry it after slicing it.
• Roast the salmon - squeeze the lemon juice over the top of the season, salmon and roast for 8 to 10 minutes no longer. Let rest and cool slightly before slicing and adding to the salads.
• Prepare the salads -
• Mix the dressing with the kale or Romaine in large bowl ( adding just a few tablespoons at a time until it's to your liking for the amount of dressing). Add in the Parmesan, the artichoke hearts and toss well before dividing amongst smaller bowls. Add in croutons then the salmon.
• You can add the salmon and a smaller cut fillet or break it up into pieces however, you like. I remove the salmon skin, you can keep it if you like.
• Zest a little more Meyer lemon zest over the top of the salads as well as a drizzle of the dressing and more Parmesan shavings. Enjoy..

Notes

For the Croutons:
You can make these before the salmon, since they are also made in a 400° oven.

1 baguette (300g) or half a day old ciabatta loaf - you want to make about 4-6 cups of croutons
70 g olive oil (⅓ cup)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through garlic press
1 teaspoon each thyme, oregano, basil ( can be fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Slice the baguette or ciabatta bread into one to one and a half inch pieces. Set out a large baking tray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and whisk well.
Add the bread pieces to the bowl, and stir well to coat the bread pieces.

Spread the seasoned bread pieces over the large baking tray checking to see if there any pieces that didn't get oil or seasoning. You can always drizzle a little more oil over the top of the bread pieces as well as more seasonings.

Roast for 20, minutes stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown, let cool before using. Keep in an airtight bag or container. They may soften at room temperature. You can always pop back into the oven for a few minutes to re-crisp..