Asian Salmon Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing {Gluten-Free}

Asian Salmon Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing makes for the perfect summer lunch. Made with cucumbers, greens, and avocados this is a nutritious healthy 30 minute meal. Gluten Free and Dairy Free. The last two months of my life have been an absolute blur. After 4 months in South America, D and I landed in Portugal June 13th, and since then time has seriously been on fast forward. After a couple weeks in Portugal and Spain we set off for Morocco with D’s sister, then my friend came to visit and we rented a car to drive around Galicia, then another friend came to visit in Madrid for a separate friend’s wedding, then my parents came to visit so we rented another car to drive around Spain and Portugal, and then we flew to New York where I saw another friend, before heading to New Jersey for my annual family reunion/oldest cousins’ wedding.

Whew. That run on sentence is the current state of my brain.

Every part of the last couple months has been nothing short of incredible, and now that I’m home after all that it feels like I’ve been sprinting on the treadmill for miles and then all of a sudden it’s been shut off entirely.

Whoa. Peace and quiet is something I have simply grown unaccustomed to. Yesterday was the first day that I was by myself, as in not devoting all my time to someone else in well over a month.

It’s an odd switch.

I’m also making another strong switch currently –> diet. I just embarrassing how many bread rolls I consumed in Europe, and no not plain, but dipped into big bowls of garlic infused olive oil.

Oh yes it was delightful, and I have the weight gain to prove it. Unlike D, who needs to make thorough Excel spreadsheets and enter each and every item consumed into an app, in order to gain a few pounds, I can do so in my sleep. So while I love you Europe, your bread rolls and high grade olive oil are killing me.

Helloooo salads. Lots of them. I need fresh crisp greens. My body is begging for them.

And Asian food. It’s all I want to eat. In the last few months of our travels, D and I were only indulging in the local cuisine (and after a horrific sushi experience in Lima, couldn’t quite bring ourselves to eat sushi for a while) and while Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan food are flavorful and incredible, currently I’m over it.

I need Asian flavors. Ginger, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, tamari, fish sauce, curries, coconut milk, rice noodles — this is all that I am currently craving. After months of not having any (or properly prepared Asian food) once I got to the US I knew that I needed to immediately start cooking Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and any combination of all of those in one.

Sunday and yesterday I had hot and sour egg drop soup, sadly from the packet, I know saddest thing ever, but even that hit the spot. And for dinner last night I made ginger sesame broiled salmon with some Asian stir fry veggies.

The Asian food obsession continues today.

Just now I  whipped up about 25 vegan veggie summer rolls and shrimp summer rolls with my chili garlic sauce from my Asian Chilean sea bass as well as this Asian salmon salad with sesame ginger dressing.

This Asian Salmon salad though. Talk about the perfect summer recipe. No cooking involved (if you’re using leftover broiled salmon) and just minutes to throw together this bowl full of awesome ginger and sesame flavors.

Are ginger and sesame not the greatest flavors ever? I mean I’ve always loved those two, but now like never before. I’m also branching out. I used to be all about fresh ginger, but now I’m incorporating ground ginger into my recipes as well. The dressing for this Asian salmon salad is a combination of both, as well as sesame oil and then the salad is topped with sesame seeds. Doubling up on my two favorite flavors.

As for the other ingredients? Well you already know that greens, avocados and cucumbers work well together and the leftover broiled salmon, even cold, is just right on the salad. You’ve got your proteins, your veggies and your creamy sauce all covered.

I mean I loved this for lunch today and I know you will too so next time you have some leftover salmon laying around be sure to make my Asian salmon salad with sesame ginger dressing.

Other Asian salmon recipe ideas include:

• Asian Salmon Cakes Recipe {GF, DF}
• Asian Couscous with Salmon {DF}
• Cucumber Salmon Rolls Appetizer Recipe {GF, DF}

For other Asian themed recipes check out my Seafood Salad and Vegan Asian Slaw.

How to make Asian salmon salad

5 from 1 vote

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Sesame and Ginger Asian Salmon Salad {GF, DF}

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Asian Salmon Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing makes for the perfect summer lunch. Made with cucumbers, greens, and avocados this is a nutritious healthy 15 minute meal.

Course: Lunch, Salad

Cuisine: Asian, Healthy

Servings: 2

Calories: 512 kcal

Author: Vicky

Ingredients

• 4 oz package of greens I used Whole Foods Super Babies Salad (organic micro and baby greens
• 1 - 2 oz alfalfa sprouts cut in half
• 2 small cucumbers thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1 avocado cubed
• 8 ounce cooked salmon
• For the sauce:
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon gluten free tamari
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• garnish with 1 teaspoon roasted white and black sesame seeds

Instructions

1. In a bowl combine greens, alfalfa, cucumber, green onion and avocado. Toss. Top with pieces of salmon.
2. To make the dressing in a small bowl whisk mayo, ground ginger, sesame oil, tamari, and fresh ginger.
3. Pour dressing over salad.
4. Serve garnished with black and white sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

If you are using raw salmon, to prepare it quickly heat a skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and once hot add the salmon fillet. Cook on each side until browned and cooked through, reducing the heat to medium-high. 

I prefer to always cook salmon on high heat in hot oil to make sure that it gets a nice sear on each side.