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Grilled Salmon Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

grilled pistou salmon on a bed of lettuce
This Grilled Salmon Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is loaded with bright veggies, healthy for you salmon and topped with an herbaceous pistou-based vinaigrette that will have you saying mmmmm with that very first bite!
Sip + Sanity | Linda Feller
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Serving Size 4 people

Equipment

Ingredients

Pistou

  • 4 oz fresh basil leaves only
  • 2 medium cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

Salmon

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 5-6 oz salmon fillets center cut, skin on

Salad

  • 8 oz baby or fingerling potatoes skin on
  • 8 oz french beans trimmed
  • 5 oz mixed greens
  • 8 dried apricots diced
  • 16 cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 oz goat cheese crumbled

Vinaigrette

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

Make the Pistou

  • Put all the ingredients for the pistou in the bowl of your food processor. Run it for 20-30 seconds to combine. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Marinate the Salmon

  • Combine 4 tbsp of pistou with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Place the salmon on a dish and brush the pistou-lemon marinade all over the salmon flesh. Allow this to rest on your counter for about 20 minutes while you prep the remaining salad ingredients. Taking the chill off the fish will help it cook evenly on the grill.

Make the Vinaigrette

  • Combine 2 tbsp of pistou with olive oil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), and dijon. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Prep the Salad Ingredients

  • Fill a bowl witih ice water and set it aside.
  • Fill one saucepan with 6 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Salt the water then add the French beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the beans and immediately add them to the ice water to stop cooking and set their color. Once sufficiently cooled down, remove them from the ice bath to drain.
  • While you wait for the bean water to boil, place the whole baby potatoes in another saucepan and cover them with water, about 1 inch over. Set it over high heat to boil, then allow them to cook for 5 minutes under boil. Drain them and set aside to cool. Cut the potatoes in half or in quarters so they are bite sized.

Grill the Salmon

  • Preheat your clean grill until it reaches about 500°F. Then, set it up for 2 zone cooking: one side should be left on high heat, the other side on lower heat. If using a charcoal grill, push coals to one side to achieve 2 zones.
  • Place a wad of paper towels on the end of tongs, and saturate with vegetable oil to grease the grates on the hot side. Reserve to grease the cool side.
  • Place the salmon, skin side down, on the hot side of the grill and cover. Cook for 6 minutes. Grease the cool side of the grate. Using a long spatula, carefully check that the skin releases from the grate, then move the fillets to the cooler side of the grill and flip them flesh side down. Cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Carefully remove them to a plate.

Assemble the Salad

  • Divide salad greens between 4 plates. Next, evenly distribute the French beans, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and apricots across the salad. Crumble ½ oz of goat cheese onto each plate, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Finally, place one piece of salmon on each salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 493mg | Potassium: 1569mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 3512IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 279mg | Iron: 5mg

Notes

Serve this family style instead by assembling the salad in one large serving dish.