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Asian Salmon Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing

Asian Salmon Salad is the proof to this world that low-carb meals ARE NOT BORING. Sticky honey soy glazed salmon on a bed of lettuce tossed in our homemade Asian-inspired salad dressing. So much freshness, flavor, texture in every. single. bite. SO MUCH YUM.

Asian Salmon Salad with a fork and dressing on the side
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If you love salmon with Asian flavors, don’t forget to also check out my Teriyaki Salmon, Miso Soy Glazed Salmon and Orange Ginger Salmon and Noodles recipe.

All the love for Asian Salmon Salad

The love runs deep I tell you.

I don’t remember exactly where I had Asian Salmon Salad for the first time. I have a feeling I was traveling, because if I lived near the place I had it I totally would have gone back…like 200 times.

The ingredients inside of the Asian Salmon Salad was also a bit hard to recall, except that I remember the dressing being light, and possibly soy and vinegar based. Side note if you didn’t already notice: I don’t have the best memory. Of anything.

But I do remember this. I remember taking a bite and thinking it was JUST AH-MA-ZING.

The salmon was perfectly marinated in some glorious sticky Asian inspired sweet and savory sauce. It was crusty on the outside, perfectly cooked and juicy on the inside.

The lovely piece of salmon laid on a bed of lettuce that had just the right amount of dressing. When I bit into the salmon, it MELTED into my mouth.

I was ready to have it again. I squeezed out every ounce of details I can from my vague memory of that Asian Salmon Salad, and created this recipe.

And DANG. I am beaming with pride. Because it tasted just as good as I remember, and gave me ALL THE FEELS I remember having.

I have been quite obsessed with my very own take on Asian Salmon Salad since. And I have this feeling that you will be too.

A bowl of Asian Salmon Salad with lettuce, mandarin oranges and green onions

Tips for making Asian Salmon Salad

This Asian Salmon Salad recipe is so simple to put together. There are basically two parts to it:

  • Salmon
  • Salad and dressing

The recipe card at the end of the post have lots of instructions but here are some additional tips to get you on the way to the BEST Asian Salmon Salad ever.

  • Buy fresh salmon! There are good quality frozen salmon out there, but in my experience fresh (not-frozen) fish will always taste the best.
  • For the best results, marinate the salmon for 30-60 minutes. We want to try to get the flavor into the salmon as much as possible. Try not to skip this step!
  • Do not overcook salmon. Overcooked salmon will be dry and no longer juicy. Most seafood have a small window to be cooked perfectly. It’s hard to say exactly how long to cook it because it can be different depending on appliances used or thickness of the salmon. Don’t be afraid of the trial and error, and also don’t shy away from cutting into it while salmon is still cooking to see if it is ready.

Pan-frying Salmon

Pay-frying salmon is super easy and also very quick! That’s one of the nice thing about salmon – it cooks quickly!

Pan frying salmon

Always, always heat up the skillet with vegetable oil or olive oil before pan frying the salmon. I like to pan fry it skin side up first, let it sear and create a nice crusty top, then flip salmon over.

I do this using a non-stick skillet (makes it easier for cleanup) under medium heat, and then adjust the heat up and down as needed.

Ginger Soy salad dressing

Can’t have Asian Salmon Salad without a solid dressing.

Oh there are so many reasons why I love this Ginger Soy salad dressing.

No food processor needed. No chopping of anything. No frills. BUT ALL THE YUM.

Just combine the following ingredients and mix it up – soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, ground ginger, and olive oil.

Drizzle as generously if you are a dressing heavy kinda person…just lightly if you are not. We created enough dressing for all you team dressing heavy out there. 🙂

Pouring dressing over Asian Salmon Salad
Pouring Ginger Soy Dressing onto Asian Salmon Salad

Flavor. Check. Texture. Check. Healthy. Check. Simple. Check.

Delicious. CHECK CHECK.

This Asian Salmon Salad is perfection.

I’m ready to make it all over again.

Other Salmon recipes!

Some of my other favorites!

Asian Salmon Salad with a fork and dressing on the side

Asian Salmon Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing

A sticky sweet soy glazed salmon on a bed of lettuce with mandarin oranges and carrots, drizzled with a simple yet flavorful singer soy dressing. A low carb meal that is delicious and healthy!
4.85 from 38 votes
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, asian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Marinate time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 581kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

Salmon

  • 1 lbs fresh salmon
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for cooking
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • sesame seeds garnish (optional)

Salad

  • 6-9 cups Lettuce of choice
  • 1 1/2 cups canned mandarin oranges drain
  • ~1 cups shredded carrots
  • 2-3 tbsp green onions

Ginger Soy Dressing

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Salmon

  • Make sure salmon is completely defrost if it is frozen. Then cut into three pieces for three servings.
  • Combine soy sauce, honey, sugar, olive oil, garlic powder, ginger powder, and salt in a small bowl. Pour over salmon and make sure to get the sauce on both sides. Marinate for 30 minutes or more.
  • Heat skillet with olive oil under medium heat. Shake off access marinate from fish and pan fry salmon skin side up. If salmon touches hot oil with a lot of sauce, it will splatter, so be careful! Cook for a few minutes or until one side is cooked, then flip and cook the other side. 
  • Brush leftover marinate to the non-skin side of salmon to get more flavor into the salmon. Salmon cooks pretty quickly so do not overcook! Tip – increase and decrease heat as necessary as the salmon cooks.
  • Remove skillet and salmon from heat.

Salad and Ginger Soy Dressing

  • Cut up and prep vegetables for salad and divide them into bowls. This recipe should make ~3 bowls of salad.
  • Combine Ginger Soy Dressing in a mason jar and shake it up. Or add them to a bowl and use a spoon to stir and mix well.
  • Add dressing to salad (see Note 1) and place salmon on top of lettuce. Optional: garnish salmon with sesame seeds.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: I was generous with the amount of dressing so there might be leftovers!

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 2167mg | Potassium: 1110mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 8468IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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Recipe Rating




35 Comments

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks so much Kelly!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much! 🙂

  1. Taylor Hawkins says:

    5 stars
    This recipe was SO yummy! Asian salads are one of my favorite kinds of salads and this one did not disappoint! Fresh, flavorful, and filling (even my husband was full afterwards). I added some additional veggies just because I like a packed salad, so know its definitely versatile in that sense! I also loved that after the salmon marinated, it literally took me less than 20 minutes to whip up (always a bonus when dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes). This salad will definitely be a regular in our dinner rotation!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you for your kind review, Taylor! I am so glad you and husband enjoyed it! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Omg this was so good! Easy. Relatively quick. My whole family ate it, no complaints. Decreased sugar by half in both marinade and dressing… Didn’t miss it at all. So delicious! Thank you so much!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I am so happy to hear that, Christie! Glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you! So glad you like it!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this tonight for my mom for Mother’s Day and it was a hit! I used arugula because that just happened to be the greens we had on hand and it was perfect. My dad doesn’t usually like eating salads with sweet flavors but even he enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this. It definitely will be added to our list of delicious go to meals now.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! I am so glad to hear that you all enjoyed it! 🙂

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!

  4. 5 stars
    I highly recommend this recipe!! Easy, looks fancy, and it’s delicious.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks so much, Kristen! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS!!!! I will definitely make this again. Super flavorful and easy to make. I loved this healthy low calorie meal!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! That’s great! Glad you enjoyed this yummy meal!

  6. 5 stars
    This was SO GOOD! I think it would be great with shrimp as well, Thanks!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Happy to hear that!!! Shrimp sounds so yummy with it!! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    This is fantastic! I can’t wait to make it again. I used one pound wild caught salmon that turned into three meals. The dressing is great. Not usually fond of mandarin oranges but so necessary. Used spring mix salad greens. Did not use carrots, didn’t miss them.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    This was so good!! I added farro which added a nice chewiness. Boyfriend loved it too and he is not a salad person!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! That’s awesome! So glad you all enjoyed it!

  9. 5 stars
    Easy and fabulous. I eliminated the sugar and didn’t miss it.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Good to know! Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed it.

  10. Mylene Roy says:

    3 stars
    Good but dressing is too sweet. Less sugar would be better.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks for the feedback!

  11. 4 stars
    We really enjoyed it. Next time I’ll leave the sugar out, it was a little sweet. I think I’ll add some water chestnuts for some crunch. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Water chestnuts sound amazing in this! Thanks for the feedback!

  12. 5 stars
    This salad is so fresh and flavorful, and the glaze really compliments the salmon. I’ll be using the Ginger Soy Dressing on other salads, too – it’s a keeper!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks Eliza! I’m so glad to hear that you love the dressing!

  13. Did you cook the salmon on both sides?
    Sounds great, making it tonight.
    Thx
    M

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes, you’ll want to flip the salmon half through pan frying so that it cooks on both sides. Let me know how this recipe goes!