5-Minute Salmon Salad

All you need is 5 minutes of your time and 5 ingredients to make this flavorful and satisfying Salmon Salad. It’s the perfect recipe when you’re in need of a quick lunch and even makes for a tasty afternoon snack. It can be served in a variety of different ways – as a sandwich, a lettuce wrap, on top of cucumber slices, or on a bed of greens. This recipe can be made with canned salmon, leftover cooked salmon, or even canned tuna. Use what you have on hand, what’s on sale or what sounds best to you.

This 5-Minute Salmon Salad is here to save the day! A new go-to recipe for when life just gets busy.

People are busy but that doesn’t mean we can’t live a healthy life and eat wholesome and real foods. We’re here to bring you healthy recipes that can be made in a pinch like this 5-Minute Salmon Salad. This salad is Whole30 friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free and provides a great source of protein as well as healthy fats which makes for a satisfying addition to a meal.

I almost always have canned salmon or tuna in my pantry. It’s an easy source of protein and there are countless ways you can add pizzaz to both canned salmon and canned tuna. In addition to this 5-Minute Salmon Salad recipe, you’ll also find me making Salmon Burgers or Tuna Cakes. Both are easy to make and oh-so-delicious!

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Ingredients for 5-Minutes Salmon Salad

• Canned salmon – boneless and skinless canned salmon. For canned salmon, I like Wild Planet or Safe Catch. You could also use leftover cooked salmon or canned tuna.
• Mayonnaise – I recommend an avocado oil mayo or homemade. While I like the taste of mayo best for this recipe, you could also use plain greek or regular yogurt. For egg-free, choose a vegan mayo or make with yogurt.
• Celery – adds a nice crunch. You could also use carrots or peppers.
• Onion – any kind of onion will work. Red, yellow, sweet, or green.
• Dill – fresh or dried.
• Black pepper
• Lemon juice  – optional but recommended.

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How to make 5-Minute Salmon Salad

• Step 1: drain the salmon and chop the onions and celery.
• Step 2: in a bowl, combine the ingredients and mix well. Add additional mayo to reach your desired creaminess.
• Step 3: Serve however you please.

Can I use fresh salmon instead of canned salmon? How about canned tuna?

Absolutely. All of the above work great! Canned salmon and canned tuna make for great pantry staples. I almost always have one or both on hand. So if you have canned tuna but no canned salmon, feel free to use the tuna. I also like to make Salmon Salad with leftover grilled, baked, or broiled salmon. Just use what you have on hand.

How to serve 5-Minutes Salmon Salad

There are several ways you can serve salmon salad so it’s really however you prefer.

• Serve it in a traditional way as a salmon salad sandwich with your favorite bread.
• Serve it in your favorite tortilla wrap such as our grain-free tortillas or corn tortillas.
• Wrap it in a lettuce leaf (I like to add a sprinkle of feta cheese!).
• Serve it on top of crackers or cucumber slices
• Serve it on top of a bed of green.

Looking for guidance with meal planning? Check out Real Plans, a highly customizable online meal planning service that includes over 300 of our very own recipes.

What is the best canned salmon?

This is a great question! When choosing a high-quality salmon I recommend you look for the following:

• Sustainably caught
• Tested for mercury
• No additives
• BPA-Free cans
• Nothing added – only ingredients being salmon and possibly salt

Two reputable brands for their quality and taste are Safe Catch and Wild Planet.

For more info, check out this post on how to choose the safest seafood.

Other quick and easy lunch recipes to try

• Chicken Waldorf Salad
• Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad
• Buffalo Ranch Egg Salad
• Blueberry Chicken Salad with Rosemary

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