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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Main Dishes

    Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad

    Published: Mar 8, 2016 Β· Last Modified: Jun 16, 2021 by Beyond Mere Sustenance with 16 CommentsΒ· This post may contain affiliate links Β· This blog generates income via ads Β·

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    This Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad is a healthy, quick salad featuring baby spinach, mangoes, avocados, red onion, and cashews, and dressed with a lovely ginger-lime vinaigrette... It's topped with a delicious ginger chutney glaze with a hint of Indian flavor.

    Seared salmon and spinach salad with mango, avocado, and cashews on 2 square 
plates.
    Jump to:
    • πŸ‘©πŸ»β€πŸ³ Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration
    • πŸ“‹ Ingredients You'll Need
    • πŸ”ͺ Instructions
    • πŸ’­ Tips
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • 🐟 More Healthy Fish Recipes
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    She turned to the sunlight

    And shook her yellow head,

    And whispered to her neighbor:

    "Winter is dead."

    ~~A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

    👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration

    With conflicting emotions, we've bid adieu to winter in the Rio Grande Valley. I still long for the hearty soups and stews of winter, but for now I will embrace the lighter fare of summer.

    The original inspiration for Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad With Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette came when faced with how to use an abundance of leftover tandoori chicken from a recent dinner party. I have a mental block with just heating up last night's meal, so I set my mind to coming up with a light, healthy salad that would complement the flavorful Indian tandoori chicken.

    This salad definitely "fit the bill." Taking a delicious salad from a side dish to a filling main dish is simple with the addition of your choice of protein. This is a common strategy during the summer months in my kitchen!

    I have been known to wax poetic about the benefit of using flavor profiles to come up with new dishes. I am not exaggerating.  🙂 Authentic Indian food doesn't include a lot of green salads. I wanted a green salad that would complement an Indian main dish (the tandoori); a quick Google search turned up a couple of cucumber salad recipes... not quite what I was looking for.

    Our local markets' bins are brimming with mangoes and avocados. While avocado isn't typically associated with Indian cuisine, mangoes are used in everything from chutney to dal and curry. Cashews, spinach, and thinly-sliced red onion round out this healthy salad.

    The seared salmon fillet cooks on a very hot pan (we used our gas camp stove!), and brushed with a glaze of a lovely ginger-mango relish, lime juice, and olive oil.

    To illustrate the speed and simplicity of this dish, let me say I made this the day I took the photos while we were enjoying the last of "winter" at Falcon Lake State Park with our camping trailer. I'm being a bit facetious when I say "winter," as we really don't have that season in the Rio Grande Valley. It would pass as spring or fall in northern climates.  🙂

    After March, the weather is hot enough to keep people indoors most of the time, hence the "winter is dead" quote. Our camping trailer will probably remain in storage for the next 6 months... That being said, we downsized to a 14' Aliner (tiny) trailer, and the kitchen is exceptionally small. We bought an "outfitter" gas camp stove with high BTU.

    A close up bird's eye view of the ginger-glazed salmon atop the spinach salad with mango, avocado, cashews, red onion, and lime wedges.

    📋 Ingredients You'll Need

    Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

    Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

    Ginger-Lime Dressing

    • shallot
    • ginger mango relish, or similar
    • limes
    • vinegar - I like white wine or champagne for this recipe.
    • olive oil
    • dijon mustard

    Seared Salmon

    • ginger-mango relish, or similar
    • lime
    • olive oil
    • salmon - I have used both steaks and fillets.

    Salad

    • greens - I like baby spinach, but baby kale or mixed young greens are great as well!
    • mangoes
    • avocados
    • roasted cashews
    • onion - I like red onion for this spinach salad recipe. The choice is yours.

    🔪 Instructions

    1. Make the salad dressing - Combine all of the salad dressing ingredients in a personal blender or small food processor. Pulse until smooth. Taste. If it's too acidic, add more olive oil. Season as desired. Set aside.
    2. Make the spinach salad - Add greens to a large salad bowl. Toss with enough dressing to very lightly coat the greens. Top each with ¼th of the mango, ¼th of the avocado and red onion, and ¼th of the cashews. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
    3. Cook the salmon - Whisk the ginger-mango relish, lime juice and zest, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a small prep bowl. Prepare a heavy pan (with a cover) with cooking spray, then get it very hot. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared pan (skin side down if they have skin). Brush the glaze on top of each fish fillet. Cover and cook until flesh is desired doneness - about 4 minutes per ½" thickness. Mine were about 1" thick, and took 8 minutes.
    4. Serve - Top each of the salads with a salmon fillet. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve additional dressing on the side. Enjoy!

    💭 Tips

    I use Shan's Ginger-Mango Relish. This relish is heavy on the ginger, and isn't very sweet. If you can't find it, you can substitute mango chutney (widely available), and add about a teaspoon of finely minced or grated ginger.

    What other kinds of fish can I use? If you don't care for salmon, substitute a firm fish like halibut, swordfish, shark, tuna, and mahi mahi (aka dorado) are good options.

    I prepped the salad, seared those salmon fillets, and had this lovely meal on the table for photos in under 30 minutes - as the sun was setting in the campground. If I can make this dish under less-than-ideal kitchen conditions in 30 minutes, you most certainly can do it in your own!

    Signature in red and green with chiles and limes. Healthyish Latin cuisine.

    πŸ“– Recipe

    Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad With Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette

    Tamara Andersen
    A healthy, quick salad featuring baby spinach, mangoes, avocados, red onion, and cashews, and dressed with a lovely ginger-lime vinaigrette... On your table in 30 minutes or less!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 8 mins
    Total Time 28 mins
    Course Main Dish/Salad
    Cuisine American, Eclectic, Indian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 579 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Salad Dressing

    • 1 shallot
    • 1 tablespoon ginger mango relish or similar*
    • juice of 2 and zest of 1 lime
    • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • several grinds black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

    Salad

    • 8 cups greens baby spinach, baby kale, mixed young greens
    • 2 mangoes peeled, seed removed, cubed
    • 2 avocados peeled, seed removed, cubed
    • ¼ cup roasted cashews
    • ½ red onion very thinly sliced

    Seared Salmon

    • 4 tablespoons ginger-mango relish such as Shan's*
    • juice and zest of 1 lime
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • several grinds pepper
    • 4 salmon fillets or steaks*
    • salt and pepper
    • * See Notes

    Instructions

    • Make the salad dressing. Combine all of the salad dressing ingredients in a personal blender or small food processor. Pulse until smooth. Taste. If it's too acidic, add more olive oil. Season as desired. Set aside.
    • Add greens to a large salad bowl. Toss with enough dressing to very lightly coat the greens. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
    • Whisk the ginger-mango relish, lime juice and zest, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a small prep bowl
    • Prepare a heavy pan (with a cover) with cooking spray, then get it very hot. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared pan (skin side down if they have skin). Brush the glaze on top of each fish fillet. Cover and cook until flesh is desired doneness - about 4 minutes per Β½" thickness. Mine were about 1" thick, and took 8 minutes.

    To Serve

    • Divide the lightly dressed greens among 4 large plates. Top each with ΒΌth of the mango, ΒΌth of the avocado and red onion, and ΒΌth of the cashews.
    • Top each of the salads with a salmon fillet. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve additional dressing on the side.
    • Enjoy!
    • * See Notes

    Notes

    I used Shan's Ginger-Mango Relish. This relish is heavy on the ginger, and isn't very sweet. If you can't find it, you can substitute mango chutney (widely available), and add about a teaspoon of finely minced or grated ginger.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 41g

    NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

    🐟 More Healthy Fish Recipes

    • Tuscan Fish with Cannelini Beans, Tomatoes, and Spinach
    • Speckled Trout Veracruz
    • Baked Mediterranean Fish with Lemony Orzo
    • Easy Chamoy Glazed Salmon
    • Salmon in Quick Green Mole Sauce

    Our Weekend At Falcon Lake State Park

    • Tamara standing at the Roma Bluffs World Birding Center with bright flowers.
      At Roma Bluffs World Birding Center... A great place to learn about the local birds and have a picnic!
    • Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad / www.beyondmeresustenance.com
      My husband Mark at the Roma Bluffs overlook at the Rio Grande River... Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico is in the background.
    • Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad
      A green jay at the Saleneno birding area... One of our favorite local birds!
    • Seared Salmon and Spinach Salad
      Our afternoon visitor in our campsite... A javelina (known to be quite vicious)!
    • Falcon Lake State Park
    • Roma Bluffs World Birding Center

    More Main Dishes

    • Mexican Green Chile and Shrimp Pizza
    • Miso Tuna and Grilled Asparagus Soba Salad
    • Grilled Lamb Chops With Compound Butter
    • Seared Scallop With Mushroom Risotto

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says

      May 23, 2016 at 3:35 pm

      Yum! Personally I'm THRILLED that winter is over, and have been eating as many light vegetable-heavy dishes as possible! This salmon salad looks amazing- I love salmon!!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        May 23, 2016 at 4:21 pm

        I'm not sure summer ever ends here in south Texas, so this is great year round... I hope you'll give it a try!

        Reply
    2. Sam | Ahead of Thyme says

      March 08, 2016 at 10:17 pm

      This sounds amazing! I can't wait to try this maybe tomorrow!! Thanks for the recipe πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 09, 2016 at 7:18 am

        Thank you Sam πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. Jenn says

      March 08, 2016 at 8:13 pm

      It's beautiful! That dressing sounds divine!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 09, 2016 at 7:17 am

        Thanks Jenn! I make all of my salad dressings... I can't bear the list of ingredients in bottled dressings!

        Reply
    4. mjskitchen says

      March 08, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      Healthy, hearty, and absolutely scrumptious! Wonderful, wonderful salad! Can't wait for warmer weather and salmon season.

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 09, 2016 at 7:15 am

        The warm weather does seem lovely now... I'm an outdoors girl, though, and I've been told people stay inside all summer!

        Reply
    5. Peter @ Feed Your Soul Too says

      March 08, 2016 at 6:40 pm

      Love salmon on top of a salad. Lots of great ingredients in this salad.

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 08, 2016 at 6:47 pm

        Thanks Peter!

        Reply
    6. Sarah says

      March 08, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      What a delicious sounding dish! I'll have to try it soon - I'm sure it'll be just perfect for the warmer weather! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 08, 2016 at 6:47 pm

        I'm sure that wherever you live, Jane, the warmer weather doesn't come as early as it does to McAllen, Texas... Lol. It really is a lovely summer salad!

        Reply
    7. Laura | Wandercooks says

      March 08, 2016 at 5:13 pm

      Yum this sounds so incredible I can almost taste it now! What an amazing mix of flavours - and two of my favourites in the salad (mango and avocado) too. Hope you enjoyed your camping, we just came back from a weekend at a shack on the river, so nice to escape the city with family for a dose of fishing, reading and relaxing!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 08, 2016 at 6:46 pm

        Camping keeps us sane - most of the time! We love to fish, read and relax too! Yes, it was an awesome weekend πŸ™‚

        Reply
    8. Bobbi from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen says

      March 08, 2016 at 12:28 pm

      Oh yes!! Salmon is my fave and this looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        March 08, 2016 at 1:05 pm

        Thanks Bobbi! It's been a favorite of mine since my husband was in grad school at the U of Washington in Seattle - 30 years ago!

        Reply

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