Orange Salmon Salad with Ginger Hot Honey Vinaigrette
Total Time
40 mins
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(4)
Ingredients
3-4 servings
- 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound salmon filets
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 10 ounces Romaine hearts, chopped
- 1 large avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 large navel orange, zested (for the vinaigrette), peeled and thinly sliced
- half of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
- half of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 to 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- orange zest (from the orange used in the salad above)
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Preparation
Step 1
Make the vinaigrette. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Reduce heat to low. Add the honey, vinegar, orange zest, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and whisk to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to lightly foam, then turn off the heat. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
Step 2
Toast the almonds. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook, tossing occasionally, until toasted and lightly golden. Transfer the almonds to a separate bowl to save for later.
Step 3
Cook the salmon. Season the salmon filets generously with salt and pepper. Return the sauté pan to the heat. Add the oil, then add the salmon filets flesh-side-down. Cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook the other side for about 2-4 more minutes, until the salmon reaches your desired level of doneness and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.) Transfer salmon to a clean plate, flake into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
Step 4
Assemble the salad. Combine the Romaine, avocado, orange, cucumber, red onion, cooked salmon, and half of the toasted almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle evenly with the hot vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Step 5
Serve. Serve warm, garnished with the remaining toasted almonds and extra sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Step 6
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Chef's notes
Get a good sear on the salmon. Be sure that the oil is nice and hot before you add the salmon to the pan — it should sizzle once it hits the oil! Then let the salmon rest undisturbed while cooking on each side so that it can develop a perfectly-seared, crispy, flavorful crust.
Adjust the heat of the dressing to taste. I would consider this ginger hot honey vinaigrette recipe to be fairly mild, as written. But if you would like to amp up the heat, just add more crushed red chili flakes. Or you can always drizzle some hot sauce or chili crisp to the finished salad just before serving.
Assemble *just* before serving. In order to avoid wilting the crisp Romaine, it’s best to combine all of the salad ingredients and toss with the vinaigrette immediately before serving.
