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. We are obsessed with this delicious salmon salad with Asian flavors that is also healthy, light, and ready under 25 minutes!

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

Note: I originally publish this post in 2018. I have revise the recipe after receiving readers’ feedback that the salmon burns when seared in the marinate. I always strive to continue to perfect my recipes, and have retested and updated the recipe card with a new and improve method that will yield better results. Enjoy!

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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 coated 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 am quite obsessed with my very own take on Asian Salmon Salad. The lettuce is crisp and fresh, combined with juicy bites of mandarin oranges, crunchy carrots, that flaky salmon with savory sweet glaze gently coating it, and of course, that umami soy dressing that ties it all together.

Ingredient Notes

For the Asian Glazed Salmon

• salmon fillets – get fresh salmon fillets if possible (they taste the best!). If frozen, make sure to thaw completely and pat dry to remove moisture before pan frying. No need to remove salmon skin – the skin will come right off after it is seared.
• soy sauce – this is an Asian staple that can be found in most mainstream grocery store. You can use also low sodium soy sauce, Tamari soy sauce, or coconut aminos
• honey– I like honey for this Asian salmon salad because it is naturally-sweetened, and brings a little bit of thickness to the sauce.
• granulated sugar
• olive oil – another neutral oil can be used instead if that is what you have. Cooking oil will soften the salmon, prevent sticking, and also form the beautiful crust on your salmon (oh yes). Use a good quality olive oil for best results!
• minced garlic
• ginger – ground ginger or ginger powder is the easiest and work great for this Asian inspired salmon salad, but fresh ginger brings more flavor if you have that on hand.
• salt

For the Ginger Soy Dressing

• black pepper – to tasteHow to make Asian Salmon Salad
• soy sauce – bring about that umami and savory flavors
• rice vinegar – white vinegar can be used as well
• granulated sugar – this helps balance out the vinegar and soy sauce
• sesame oil – brings a distinct nutty flavor that really elevates the dressing
• olive oil
• garlic – minced garlic cloves work best. In a pinch, garlic powder can be used
• ground ginger – minced fresh ginger can be used in place of ground ginger

How to Make It

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

• Cooking the salmon
• Bring together the salad and dressing

Pan-frying Salmon

To begin making this Asian style salmon, grab a bowl for the sauce/marinate, and combine honey, soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic, and sugar together.

Pat dry salmon and sprinkle the non skin side with salt.

Heat up a skillet with cooking oil under medium heat and pan fry Asian salmon on the skin side up (so the skin will be on the skillet) for a few minutes.

Once the flesh side is cooked and has a golden brown color, flip salmon and pan fry the skin side. Asian salmon will take a couple more minutes under medium heat to be fully cooked – be careful not to overcook.

Cover the skillet to cook salmon, and reducing heat or removing the skillet from heat as needed to control the cooking process.

Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness. Once the thickest part of the salmon reaches 145ºF, salmon is done.

Add sauce to the skillet and sauce will thicken quickly, so be careful not to burn the sauce. Use a spoon to scoop up sauce and drizzle on top of salmon, then brush to smoothen the sauce all over. Right after that, remove from heat promptly to avoid overcooking the salmon.

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.

Bring everything together

Once dressing is done, add to your Asian salmon salad.

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 heavy-dressing out there. 🙂

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.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge: Store Asian inspired salmon salad and dressing in separate containers in the fridge for up to five days. For better taste and textures, it is best to store salad without adding dressing if you know you will have leftovers.

Reheating: Salmon salad can be eaten cold or warm. To reheat warm, remove salad leaves from bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Toss with fresh salad and dressing to serve.

Variations and Substitutions

One of the great things about this Asian inspired Salmon Salad is you can mix and match, add or omit ingredients as you’d like! Here are some options:

• Lettuce: use Spring mix, bag lettuce, spinach, or Kale for your base.
• Veggies: add in more veggies—shredded carrots, kale, red peppers, cabbage, cucumber, or tomatoes.
• Other: Add fresh herbs for a different flavor profile. Parsley, cilantro, and dill are a few favorites.
• Cook the salmon differently: Instead of pan frying, you can also add sauce/seasoning, and bake it!

Other Salmon recipes!

Some of my other favorites!

• Baked Salmon Sushi Bowl
• Panko Crusted Salmon
• Garlic Butter Dill Salmon
• Smoked Salmon Spinach Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette (by my blogger friend, Kim from Give it Some Thyme!)