This Miso Ginger Salmon Salad is a substantial dinner salad worthy of the weekly dinner rotation. The secret lies in an addictive miso ginger dressing used both to marinate the salmon and to dress the salad. The miso salmon, charred and caramelized under the broiler, is served on a bed of mixed baby greens, luscious mango, and crisp jicama and radishes, all drizzled with that incredible dressing - a salad you'll want to make again and again!
Salmon Salad
Salmon with a salad for dinner? Not my usual craving. I'm typically more of a salmon rice bowl or broiled salmon-with-baked-potato kind of person; I need those carbs! But then came this miso ginger dressing.
It's a game-changer - the most incredible marinade for the salmon. And it transforms the entire salad experience, turning it into something utterly irresistible and satisfying.
The Miso Ginger Dressing
Miso is a remarkable ingredient - a powerhouse of savory (umami) flavor made from fermented soy beans and other grains.
In this dressing we use sweet white miso and combine it with fresh ginger, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, and a dash of hot sauce.
This dressing takes no time to prepare - mincing the ginger is the only task besides spooning ingredients into a bowl and whisking them.
It's hard imagine a better marinade for salmon or a more vibrant dressing for salmon salad.
The Miso Salmon
Miso and salmon are a match made in culinary heaven. Many a celebrity chef and food blogger extol the amazingness of this combo and I am right there with them.
There's something truly magical that happens when you cook rich oily fish - like Chilean sea bass, black cod and salmon - with miso. They become stunningly delicious.
For this recipe, the marinating time is short. 20-30 minutes is all that's needed for delicate fish. The thick miso ginger dressing coats the salmon and, when cooked under the high heat of the broiler for a short amount of time, the salmon becomes charred and caramelized on the outside and flake-apart tender on the inside - seriously, it's salmon perfection!
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The Salad
Isn't this salad beautiful? You can't help but get excited about at all those colors and shapes together in one bowl. But in addition to the visual appeal, these four ingredients also taste great together, each one adding a special something to the mix: tender lettuce, tangy mango, crisp jicama and crunchy watermelon radishes.
Variations
Don't worry if some ingredients seem hard to find. Here are easy substitutions:
Salad Greens: Use any mix you prefer—mesclun, spring mix, baby romaine, etc.
Mango: Ripe mango is ideal, but pineapple offers a similar tangy sweetness and is available year-round.
Jicama: Daikon radishes make a great substitute if you can't find jicama.
Watermelon Radishes: If unavailable, regular red radishes work well. They're visually different, but the flavor is similar.
A shout out to Season's 52 Restaurant for their outstanding Sesame-Grilled Salmon Salad, which inspired me to create this recipe. I kept going back to the restaurant and ordering the same dish until I finally decided I had to figure out how to make it at home!
I’m happy to be adding another great salad to my salad recipe collection! Especially one that’s made with a healthy protein - salmon - and shines so brightly, with a beautiful mix of fruits and vegetables and a dressing that is just the best!
If you make this Miso Ginger Salmon Salad, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe
Miso Ginger Salmon Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
A fresh, vibrant salad tossed with incredible Miso Ginger Dressing and topped with sweet and savory broiled Miso Salmon. The key to this simple, flavorful dish is the miso ginger dressing which is used both to marinate the salmon and to dress the salad. It's a nutritious and satisfying meal that's quick to prepare and full of exciting flavor.
Ingredients
For The Miso Ginger Dressing
- 6 tablespoons white miso
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Dash or two of Chipotle Tabasco hot sauce or other hot sauce
For The Salmon
- 4 6-ounce salmon fillets, skinless
- ½ cup miso ginger dressing (see below)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (note 1)
For the Salad
- 12 ounces mixed salad greens (note 2)
- 2 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 medium jicama, peeled with a vegetable peeler, and cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium watermelon radish, peeled, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
Instructions
Prepare dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk miso and vinegar until smooth. Add remaining ingredients: lime juice, honey, ginger, sesame oil, salt and hot sauce. Whisk to combine. Makes about 1-½ cups. Dressing can be made ahead and will keep for a week in the fridge, covered.
Marinate Salmon:
- Pour ½ cup of miso ginger dressing over the salmon and turn fillets, to coat. Leave to marinate, in the fridge, for 20-30 minutes. To save time, prepare the vegetables for the salad while the salmon marinates.
Cook The Salmon
- Place an oven rack towards the top of the oven, 5 inches from the broiler element. Preheat the broiler to high (500ºF). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Use tongs to transfer marinated salmon fillets to prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them. If any marinade has dripped off the fish during marination, pour it back on. Broil salmon for 5-7 minutes, depending on how you like your fish done. I recommend no more than 7 minutes, as the salmon will continue to cook even after you remove it from the oven, from the heat of the baking sheet.
Assemble the Salmon Salad:
- Place greens in a big bowl and add mangos, jicama and radishes. Add half of the remaining dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among four plates and top each with a piece of salmon. Drizzle remaining dressing evenly over the salmon fillets and sprinkle them evenly with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve while the salmon is still warm.
Notes
- To toast sesame seeds: You can often find roasted or toasted sesame seeds at the grocery store or online. But it's also easy to toast them yourself. Put them in a dry non-stick skillet, over medium heat and cook, tossing and moving continuously, until golden. Remove from heat immediately to avoid burning.
- Salad Substitutions: Any type of delicate lettuces can be used: baby romaine, mesclun, spring mix or your favorite mix. Ripe pineapple can be substituted for mango, daikon radish can be used in place of jicama, and red radishes can be used in place of watermelon radishes.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator; however our nutrition information should be used only as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Broil
- Cuisine: Asian
Eddie
Ok, this is seriously the best healthy dinner I have had in years! The salmon marinated in miso ginger dressing would have been amazing on its own, but with the salad, full of mango, jicama and watermelon radishes, it is at a whole other level. Amazing recipe and very straightforward to make. I couldn’t recommend more highly.
LK
Just made this yesterday, divided in half because there are only two of us. It's an easy recipe and absolutely delicious! And healthy! The salmon came out super tender and the dressing is unbelievably good. It's a lot of lettuce but my husband and I devoured the whole salad. This recipe will for sure go into our regular rotation.