I made the most amazing Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing this week and I have a looooong list of foods that I can’t wait to pour it over, but my first choice was this light but filling no-cook summer salad. This Lemon Dill Salmon and Kale Salad takes advantage of the convenience of canned salmon to make a super quick and easy meal for those summer days when all you want is to be outside having fun!
I kept this salad simple with only a couple of toppings, but I there were so many different ingredients I wanted to pile on there. I’m going to include a list of other toppings that would go great with this salad and dressing, just in case you happen to have them on hand and want to get fancy!
Other Topping Options
You know I like to keep things simple, but if you want to get a little extra fancy with this Salmon and Kale Salad, or just happen to have some extra ingredients that need to be used up, here are some other ingredients that would match the flavor profile:
- Hard boiled egg
- Avocado
- Croutons or toasted pita
- Blistered tomatoes (see the technique in this Parsley Pesto Pasta recipe)
- Spinach in place of kale
- Pasta (orzo, couscous, bowtie) or quinoa
- Feta
- Tuna in place of the salmon
- Or skip the greens all together and make it just a salmon and bean salad, like this Tuna and White Bean Salad
How to Store This Lemon Dill Salmon and Kale Salad for Meal Prep
This salad is a natural for meal prep. Kale holds up super well in the fridge, as do beans, canned salmon, and this dressing. I think the entire salad assembled, minus the dressing, would hold up flawlessly in the refrigerator for four or five days. The only reason I suggest leaving the dressing separate is so that it doesn’t get absorbed by the beans and turn dry.
Why Canned Salmon?
I love using canned salmon because it’s shelf stable and doesn’t require any prep, so you can keep it on hand for last minute meals. That being said, you can use fresh cooked salmon, or even smoked salmon in this recipe as well.
Lemon Dill Salmon and Kale Salad
Servings 3Ingredients
Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp dried dill ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 cup tahini ($0.75)
- 1/4 cup warm water ($0.00)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.09)
Salad
- 6 oz. chopped kale (1/2 of a 12oz. bag) ($1.60)
- 1 15oz. can cannellini beans ($0.49)
- 1 6oz. can salmon ($3.59)
- 1/4 red onion ($0.11)
Instructions
- First, make the Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried parsley, salt, some freshly cracked pepper, tahini, warm water, and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk or stir until smooth.
- Wash and finely chop the kale. Rinse and drain the can of cannellini beans. Drain the canned salmon. Thinly slice the red onion. If red onion tends to be too strong for you, soak them for a few minutes in ice water to mellow them out.
- To build the salad, fill each bowl with a couple large handfuls of the chopped kale. Top with 1/3 of the cannellini beans, 1/3 of the canned salmon, and a few slices of red onion. Drizzle the Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing over top and enjoy!
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Nutrition
What about that leftover red onion? Make these quick pickled red onions! They’re great on sandwiches, nachos, tacos, salads, and more.
Step by Step Photos
Make the Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing first. In a bowl, stir together 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill), 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup warm water, and 3 Tbsp lemon juice. Stir until the dressing is smooth.
Wash and finely chop about 6 oz. of kale. I don’t expect anyone to weigh out their kale, and it’s a bit difficult to accurately measure the volume of something like kale. Instead I just estimated half of the 12oz. bag of kale that I had purchased. This ingredient is very flexible and the amount is not critical to the recipe, so if you’re still unsure about how much to use, just chop as much as you’d like to fill your bowl(s).
Thinly slice about 1/4 of a red onion. If red onion is a bit too strong for you, soaking it for about 5 minutes in ice water really helps mellow it out.
This is the canned salmon I’ve been using. Since canned salmon can be a bit pricier and it’s shelf stable, I stock up when it goes on sale!
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of cannellini beans and drain one 6oz. can of salmon. To build the salads, just fill your bowl with the desired amount of kale, add 1/3 of the beans, 1/3 of the salmon, and a few slices of red onion.
Drizzle the Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing over top and enjoy!
I mixed the beans with the salmon and put it on a ciabatta roll and then had the salad on the side!
super yum
Are there any other herbs you’d recommend besides dill for the dressing? I like dill but some in my family are averse to it. Love the salad! Made it as outlined but with spinach. Definitely going to make it again.
I don’t know about other herbs, but you’d probably like my plain lemon tahini dressing! It’s absolutely divine and so simple. I don’t have it posted by itself yet, but you can get the ingredients and instructions in this salad recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing.
Oooh! Another great use for tahini. Thank you!!
This was sooooo good. I am still craving the dressing 2 days after I finished eating my last batch of salad. I tweaked it a bit by adding some olive oil. Will definitely be making this again!
good in health
Made this recipe for work lunches this week, it’s delicious and so quick to throw together. I think next time I’ll add some feta for a salty bite! Thank you for the recipe.
Am I crazy or did you used to have a recipe for a baked creamy pesto pasta with bacon and tomatoes? I swear I remember seeing it here but now I can’t find it!
Yes, I used to have a recipe for that. I just emailed you a pdf of the recipe to the email you used to register this comment. :)
This looks so simple and delicious! I need to try this for lunch this week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I’m not a recipe guy. I look for inspiration. Your write-up is inspiring. I’m heading toward some of your recommended alternates: spinach v. kale, hard-cooked egg, feta. Probably try black beans v. cannelloni (not my favorite). Will use fresh garlic, onions, dill, and parsley in the sauce. Exactly the same only completely different. *grin* Four stars for inspiration, all failures accrue to me, all success to you. Thank you.
Love your variations–I’m using spinach, chickpeas, sliced cucumbers and radishes. I’ll skip the fish this time, but add some feta. The dressing is simply spectacular!