This salmon caesar salad takes a classic caesar salad to the next level by adding delicious homemade croutons and flavorful blackened salmon.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This great recipe will result in a delicious meal made with simple ingredients. We hope it becomes one of your favorite salad recipes!
- Incorporating this easy salmon recipe with a classic caesar salad turns a simple salad into a more complete meal.
- The easy blackened seasoning adds the best flavor and requires a few spices you likely already have on hand.
- We provide instructions to create your own crispy and flavorful croutons at home, but if you are looking for a time saving step you can always buy them at the store.
Ingredient Notes
For the salmon
- You will need to make one recipe of this blackened salmon. This will require 4 salmon filets and a few seasonings to make your own blackened seasoning at home: paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and brown sugar. Including a filet of salmon is a favorite way to add healthy fats to a meal to make it more satisfying. The omega 3 fatty acids that are in salmon are known to promote heart health and brain function.
Homemade croutons
- Sourdough bread - sourdough bread is the perfect choice for these homemade croutons! It is a bread that has great structure and toasts up perfectly to create the crunchy croutons you want as a topping on a caesar salad.
- Olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning - the olive oil will help create crispy croutons and the spices create the perfect blend of flavors for tasty garlic croutons.
For the salad
- Romaine lettuce - we recommend using romaine lettuce for this salad as this is the type of lettuce traditionally used with a caesar salad. It can also hold up to a creamier/heavier dressing better than something like butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, or spinach. You will need about 2 heads of romaine lettuce or romaine hearts.
For the caesar dressing
- You can't have a caesar salad recipe without the caesar dressing! For ease, we like to buy a caesar dressing from the store. We think the best caesar dressing options are Bolthouse Farms Caesar, Lighthouse Caesar, or Primal Kitchen Caesar if you need a dairy free option. To make a vegan caesar salad, you can try making your own tahini caesar dressing. A homemade dressing is also a great option. If you have a recipe for a creamy homemade caesar dressing that you love, feel free to make your own at home!
Optional toppings
- Grape tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cutting board and knife
- Baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A large bowl for the lettuce
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, cut the sourdough bread into 1 inch cubes and place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the cubed bread and then sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning evenly. Toss the croutons with your hands or a spatula until the croutons are evenly covered. Bake the croutons for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
While the croutons are baking, prepare the salmon filets. Add all of the blackening spices to a small bowl and combine well. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel. Liberally coat each salmon filet with the blackened seasoning. If you find that the seasoning is having a hard time sticking to the flesh side of the salmon, you can spray or brush with a little olive oil or avocado oil.
When the croutons are done, remove them from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side down. Bake the salmon for about 12-16 minutes, or until the temperature reaches 140-145 degrees. You can also broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to create a crispy crust. Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes and remove the salmon skin if needed.
While the salmon is cooking, wash and chop the lettuce.
Assemble the salads. Top the lettuce with croutons, dressing, and one of the salmon filets (and any other optional toppings). Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Another fun variation for this classic salad is to make a caesar pasta salad by adding some of your favorite pasta!
- Feel free to cook the salmon filet according to your preferred baking method. We also love to cook our salmon in the air fryer. Grilling would also be a great option to create a grilled salmon caesar salad!
- If you're not a fan of the flavors found in the blackened seasoning, you can always use lemon pepper seasoning for your salmon as another delicious option that would pair well with a caesar salad.
FAQ
We recommend storing the leftover lettuce in an airtight container or ziploc bag with a paper towel to help absorb extra moisture. Let any leftover salmon come to room temperature before serving in a separate airtight container.
If you prefer another cooking method for the salmon, that is totally fine! Whether you prefer to grill salmon, make pan-seared salmon, or cook it in the air fryer, all would be great options to cook the blackened salmon. Follow the same steps as above to prepare the salmon (make sure to sprinkle salmon liberally with the blackened seasoning!).
This easy dinner can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread to make croutons or by buying pre-made gluten-free croutons. It can also be dairy-free, simply by choosing a dairy-free caesar dressing such as the brand from Primal Kitchen.
A homemade caesar salad dressing usually isn't too complicated to make and may require dressing ingredients such as lemon juice, parmesan cheese, anchovy paste, garlic clove, dijon mustard, mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, etc. Some traditional caesar dressings call for egg yolk to act as an emulsifier, but if you want to avoid raw egg, mayonnaise can be a good substitute for the emulsifier and you will still get a creamy dressing.
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If you make this salmon caesar salad, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Salmon Caesar Salad With Easy Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 8 cups romaine lettuce (about 2 heads)
- 4 blackened salmon filets (recipe here)
- Caesar dressing of choice (we like Bolthouse Farms and Primal Kitchen options)
For the homemade croutons
- 3 cups sourdough bread (cut into about 1" cubes)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
Optional toppings
- Grape tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, cut the sourdough bread into 1 inch cubes and place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the cubed bread and then sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning evenly. Toss the croutons with your hands or a spatula until the croutons are evenly covered. Bake the croutons for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
- While the croutons are baking, prepare the salmon filets. Add all of the blackening spices to a small bowl and combine well. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel. Liberally coat each salmon filet with the blackened seasoning. If you find that the seasoning is having a hard time sticking to the flesh side of the salmon, you can spray or brush with a little olive oil or avocado oil.
- When the croutons are done, remove them from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side down. Bake the salmon for about 12-16 minutes, or until the temperature reaches 140-145 degrees. You can also broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to create a crispy crust. Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes and remove the salmon skin if needed.
- While the salmon is cooking, wash and chop the lettuce.
- Assemble the salads. Top the lettuce with croutons, dressing, and one of the salmon filets (and any other optional toppings). Enjoy!
Notes
- This easy dinner can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread to make croutons or by buying pre-made gluten-free croutons. It can also be dairy-free, simply by choosing a dairy-free caesar dressing such as the brand from Primal Kitchen.
Find the recipe on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Salmon Caesar Salad."
Nutrition calculated using 2 tbsp of Bolthouse Farms Caesar dressing per serving.
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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