A Salmon and Cucumber Salad Dinner

to cool you off on a very hot day like today.

Hi friends. It’s hot. But you know that already. Let me tell you something you don’t know: you need some salmon salad for dinner. Full of cucumbers and capers and dressed with mustard, lemon, mayo, and lots of fresh chives and dill, this roast salmon salad works equally well tossed with your favorite lettuce as it does on top of toast or eaten on it’s own. I like it for dinner, but this recipe works equally well for lunch or breakfast too, and any leftovers are great to have in the fridge on a hot summer day like today.

I suppose you could make this salad with tinned (or jarred) salmon but in my experience it’s too fishy and dry. My gently roasted salmon is mild and moist and exactly how I like it. Try it—I think you will agree that it’s worth the extra step of cooking it yourself for this salad. It’s even been known to satisfy some of my favorite people who are, regrettably, fish skeptics. Bonus point for the skeptics: when served cold, as in this salad, it has zero fishy aroma! Bonus point for you: you can roast the salmon the day before or the morning before or half an hour before turning it into this salad. Roasting takes 15 minutes, then it just needs to cool to room temperature. Once that’s done, the salad comes together in ten minutes or less.

Salmon and Cucumber Salad

Serves 2 to 4

3/4 to 1 lb. salmon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. mayonaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. capers, drained

a generous handful chopped fresh dill and/or chives

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place salmon, skin-side down, on parchment. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Roast until salmon is opaque and the layers of flesh slide apart easily when pressed, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Once cool, use your hands to pull the skin off and discard it or save it to fry into a salty snack, then gently flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.

Toss cucumber slices with salt in a medium bowl. Let sit while you whisk together lemon juice, mayonnaise, and mustard in a small bowl, then pour dressing over cucumbers and toss to combine. Add flaked salmon, capers, and herbs and gently combine. Pile your salad on top of toast or greens or serve it on it’s own, and that’s dinner! Enjoy!

xoxo, A