Cajun Salmon Salad

Name: Cajun Salmon Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 240 g Salmon fillet; 1 tsp Garlic powder; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 1 tsp Paprika; 1 tsp Cumin; 0.5 tsp Sea salt; 0.5 tsp Cayenne pepper; 0.5 tsp Dried thyme; 0.5 tsp Onion powder; 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper; 80 g Couscous; 1 tsp Harissa; 160 g Salad leaves; 30 g Feta (crumbled); 2 tbsp Fresh dill (finely chopped); 0.5 Lemon ((juice only))

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Slightly spicy Cajun flavours coat this crispy salmon and it is served on a bed of greens with some couscous and creamy feta. This Cajun Salmon Salad is a nice way to bridge the gap between light summer food and comforting winter food. Although it is a salad, served with hot salmon on top means it is delicious all year round.

A bowl of Salmon Salad on a wooden surface.

It doesn't matter what the weather is, I am all about the salad. Salads don't have to be just for the summer months and by topping it with some warm salmon flakes, you have a much more comforting salad.

With the protein packed salmon and the couscous, this is actually a really filling salad, and easy to double or triple to serve up at a dinner party.

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Why you will love it
Ingredients needed
Step by step
Cajun spices
How to adapt it
FAQs
Extra tips
More salad recipes
Recipe
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Why you will love it

A warming salad
Just 419 calories a portion
Full of healthy fats
A filling salad
Easy to adapt

Ingredients needed

Two uncooked salmon fillets with a bowl of mixed spices

Salad greens - We used butterhead in this recipe, but, if you want to give it a bit more texture then use a mixture of kale, spinach and romaine.
Salmon - We used 2 boneless salmon fillets and that is enough for 2 people.
Cajun Seasoning - This is what gives the salmon all the flavour. We have provided the recipe for our homemade Cajun seasoning blend, however you could use a really good quality store bought one. You could also use a Mexican blend to mix things up.
Couscous - This is what makes the salad nice and filling. You could use pearl/giant couscous too. If that isn't your thing, you could use cooked rice mixed with harissa paste too.
Harissa - This adds a nice kick of spice to the couscous. If you don't like heat, then you could stir in some sun-dried tomato paste instead, or just leave it plain. It is easy to make your own Harissa Paste.
Feta - An easy way to add some creaminess, and it cools down the spice from the harissa and Cajun seasoning. Grilled sliced halloumi would work instead of feta too.
Dill - Fresh herbs really lighten the salad up. You could swap the dill for fresh chives, coriander or parsley though.
Lemon - There isn't a traditional dressing on the salad leaves in this recipe. Instead we just added a squeeze of lemon juice, and let the other flavours shine through.

A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

Step by step

One: Mix together the Cajun spice mix and sprinkle over the salmon fillets. Put them under the grill on a medium heat and cook for around 10 minutes, until cooked through and crispy.
Two: Put the couscous in a bowl with 100ml of boiling water, stir and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of harissa to the couscous and fluff up and stir with a fork.
Three: Divide the salad leaves between 2 bowls and squeeze the lemon juice on it and mix well. Top with the couscous.
Four: Add the salmon on top and then sprinkle on the feta and dill.

Four shot collage of spice mix, salmon fillets and then cooked and flaked salmon.

Cajun spices

You could buy a packet of Cajun spice, but it's really easy to make yourself. If you make a big batch of it, it will keep in an air-tight container for months. We add it to chicken breasts, homemade potato wedges and even roasted vegetables.

The spice mix is made up of garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne, thyme and onion. It has a bit of a kick from the chilli, but it is fairly mild and kids would like it too.

How to adapt it

The great thing about salads is that they are so easy to adapt. Here are some other ingredients that we think go really well with this salad:

Roasted bell peppers and courgette (zucchini)
Artichoke
Sun-dried tomatoes
Olives
Sunflower seeds
Crispy onions
Bacon bits
Chickpeas

Chopped celery
Grated carrot
Beetroot
Roasted sweet potato
Red onion
Corn
Boiled eggs
Hummus
Croutons

Grilled salmon pieces and feta cheese on top of salad leaves.

FAQs

What else can you do with Cajun salmon?

If you have leftovers of this Cajun salmon, then flake it up and it's really good on pasta, rice, pizza, but our favourite way is in this salad for an easy lunch.

How to store leftovers?

If you have leftovers of the whole salad, then it can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 days. The fish won't be safe to eat after that.

Extra tips

• Add some extra texture by using kale and spinach and in salad mix.
• Swap the couscous for rice and the feta for grilled halloumi to change things up a bit.
• Make extra Cajun seasoning and keep in an air-tight container. Use on chicken, potato wedges and vegetables.
• Leave the cayenne out if you don't want any spice.

More salad recipes

If you’ve tried this Cajun Salmon Salad, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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