Salmon Caesar Salad

Grilled salmon is a great addition to many salads and when added to this Salmon Caesar Salad we have a big winner!  We mixed chilled chunks of grilled salmon with crisp romaine lettuce and crunchy homemade sourdough croutons. The salad is tossed with a freshly-made Caesar salad dressing with large shards of Parmesan cheese topping it off.

Summer is here and we finally have some sunshine! This Salmon Caesar Salad is the perfect full-meal entrée salad for lunch or dinner for these warm, balmy days.

The next time you fire up the grill for a salmon feast why not toss on a couple extra salmon fillets for a salmon Caesar salad? This is an easy way to pre plan another meal.

Do I have to use grilled salmon for this Salmon Caesar Salad?

You can use any cooked salmon. It is a great use of left-over salmon from a whole salmon or even a large side fillet of salmon.  Although you can use hot or warm salmon, for this Caesar salad, chilled salmon works best.

What goes in this Salmon Caesar Salad:

There are three components to this salad, the croutons, dressing and the salad. We published recipes for the Sourdough Croutons and the creamy Caesar Salad Dressing that you can print out separately but here they are all in one recipe! 

Sure, you can take a short cut and buy pre-made croutons and bottled Caesar dressing but I promise, this scratch-made version tastes better! 

Here is the list of ingredients you will need:

• Sourdough bread
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• salt/pepper
• garlic
• egg yolk
• lemon juice
• anchovies
• Dijon mustard Worcestershire sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Romaine lettuce
• Cooked chilled salmon

Yes, we do use a raw egg yolk in our salad dressing as in the original Caesar dressing. If you have concerns about using uncooked eggs, you will be happy to learn that safe pasteurized eggs are available in most grocery stores. We like to use Davidson’s Safest Choice® eggs. They will have a distinguishing red ‘P’ inside a circle on each egg. This is the manufacturers’ identifying stamp of pasteurized eggs.

You could also check out our Caesar salad dressing that does not use a raw egg.

Let’s put this Salmon Caesar Salad Together:

This salad recipe is a full-meal salad for four servings. You will not be using all the homemade croutons and Caesar dressing. The remaining dressing will keep for one week in a covered jar in the refrigerator.  Store any remaining croutons in a sealed container for serval weeks in the pantry. 

Here are the highlights to prepare the salad, please scroll to the bottom of the page for the full recipe, instructions and some helpful notes:

Sourdough Croutons:

1. Slice and cut the bread into cubes.
2. drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden and very crisp.

We recommend lining your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Caesar Dressing:

1. Add all the ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese and the salt, to a wide-mouth pint jar or a blender.
2. Use a stick blender (or the standard blender) to process the mixture until thick and creamy.
3. Stir in the and shredded Parmesan, then blend again.
4. Taste the dressing and add salt according to your taste preference.

We recommend adding the salt last because the Parmesan cheese already has salt in it. Taste the dressing and add only as much as you like. That way the dressing will not be too salty.

Mix The Salad: 

1. Rinse the romaine and tear into bite-sized pieces.
2. Spin-dry the lettuce in a salad spinner and place in a large salad bowl. If you don’t have a salad spinner then pat the lettuce dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.  
3. Break the salmon into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl with the croutons.
4. Drizzle the salad with several tablespoons of the dressing and toss to combine.
5. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin shards of Parmesan cheese over the top.

Serve this salmon Caesar salad with large shards of Parmesan cheese on the top.   Another option is to divide the salad onto salad plates and add the shaved cheese to each serving.

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Salmon Caesar Salad

This Salmon Caesar Salad is loaded up with crisp romaine lettuce, chunks of cold grilled salmon and crunchy homemade sourdough croutons. The salad is tossed with a freshly-made Caesar salad dressing and large shards of Parmesan cheese. Serve this salad as a full-meal entrée for lunch or dinner.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Sourdough Croutons:

• 1 loaf 24 oz. sourdough bread
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

For the Caesar Dressing:

• 3 cloves garlic grated or minced
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
• 2-3 anchovies
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste

For the Caesar Salad:

• 1 large head of romaine lettuce
• 12 ounces salmon grilled and chilled
• 6 ounces 3/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
• 2 cups salad croutons
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

For the Sourdough Croutons:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
• Cut the bread into 3/4-inch thick slices and remove the crusts.  Cut the slices into cubes and place in a large bowl.  
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil along the inside edge of the bowl and toss the bread cubes.  Continue drizzling the oil, one tablespoon at a time and tossing with the bread until the bread cubes are evenly coated with olive oil.
• Spread the oiled bread cubes onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder, seasoning salt and the pepper.  
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring at the half-way time, until the croutons are crisp and golden brown.  
• Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet.

For the Caesar Salad Dressing:

• Add all the ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese and the salt, to a wide-mouth pint jar, add the stick blender and process, lifting the blender with an up/down motion until thick.  
• Remove the stick blender and add the shredded Parmesan, then process until thick and creamy.  Taste the dressing and add salt according to your taste preference.  
• Add the lid to the Caesar salad dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Salmon Caesar Salad:

• Rinse the romaine under cold water, tear into bite-sized pieces, spin dry in a salad spinner and place in a large salad bowl.   
• Break or cut the salmon into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl with the croutons.  Drizzle with enough of the Caesar salad dressing to lightly coat the lettuce and gently toss to combine.  
• Using a vegetable peeler, shave large shards of Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad and serve immediately.

Notes

• For herb seasoned croutons, sprinkle them with your favorite dried herbs or a mixture such as Italian seasoning.

• For cheesy croutons, after the croutons have baked for 10 minutes, sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese and continue baking until crisp and crunchy. 

• Croutons will keep for several weeks in an sealed container.  If they are not sealed tightly and loose their crunchiness, place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 250°F oven for 5-10 minutes to re-crisp them.
• The anchovies are intended to balance and enhance the flavors of the dressing and should not be a dominate taste.
• When preparing the romaine lettuce, if a salad spinner is not available, pat the leaves dry with paper towels to remove moisture, then tear into pieces and place in the bowl.
• Any remaining salad dressing will keep for 1 week in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

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