Salmon Caesar salad is a hearty main dish salad for dinner everyone loves! It’s irresistible drizzled with a creamy homemade dressing.

In summer, we crave all the main dish salads for dinner. Here’s one that’s basic but satisfies every time: Salmon Caesar Salad! Imagine: tender, perfectly seasoned chunks of salmon nestled with bursts of crunchy romaine, juicy cherry tomatoes and crunchy croutons. It’s all covered in a creamy homemade Caesar dressing that makes each bite absolutely sublime. This one is a smash hit every time we serve it (and our kiddo loves a deconstructed version with the Caesar as a dipping sauce!).

Elements in this salmon Caesar salad

You barely need a recipe for salmon Caesar salad: just cook salmon and add it to a bed of romaine with Caesar dressing. But making a big plate of this at home requires homemade dressing, in our opinion! We’ve also got a few adders that take it to the next level. Here’s what you’ll need for salmon Caesar salad:

• Fresh salmon, canned or smoked salmon
• Croutons (try them homemade!)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Romaine hearts
• Parmesan cheese shavings
• For the dressing: mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce or anchovy paste, salt and pepper
• Optional: capers, dill sprigs

How to cook the salmon

This salmon Caesar salad works with a variety of different types and methods of cooking salmon. In fact, there are a few ways to make this salad without cooking the fish at all! It’s also a great way to use leftover salmon. Here are our top methods for cooking the salmon:

• Pan Seared: Whip out a pan and cook it up on the stovetop.
• Baked: Baked salmon is a simple, no fail method (though you do have to wait for the preheating).
• Broiled: Faster than baked and just as good!
• Blackened: Use the pan-seared method and coat the fish in a mix of Cajun seasonings. This makes a killer Caesar salad!
• Grilled: If it’s the season, grilled salmon is ideal for this summery main dish.
• Poached: Poaching is one of the fastest ways to cook salmon and what we used here! It’s melt-in-your-mouth tender.
• Canned: Don’t have time to cook? Use canned salmon and mix it with olive oil, salt and pepper before adding to the salad.
• Smoked: Another no cook method! Tear off pieces of smoked salmon for a quick fix salad.

For Caesar dressing

The star of this salmon Caesar salad is the fresh, creamy homemade Caesar dressing. It’s a go-to we’ve been making for years. Using Greek yogurt lightens it up and reduces the calories from a standard Caesar. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Greek yogurt: Yogurt replaces some of the standard mayonnaise in this dressing: it reduces calories while staying irresistibly creamy.
• Mayonnaise: You’ll still need a bit of mayo for richness and to help the dressing cling to the greens.
• Lemon juice: Fresh juice brings a pop of acidity.
• Parmesan cheese: Cheese adds a savory saltiness.
• Anchovy paste or Worcestershire sauce: Anchovies are traditional, or substitute Worcestershire sauce for vegetarian.
• Garlic & Dijon mustard: These round out the savory flavor.

Serving tips

And that’s it! Mix up the creamy dressing, compose the salad and douse it all in Caesar. A few other notes on serving:

• Capers add a nice briny pop. We love adding a handful of drained capers to a Caesar salad.
• Add other veggies if you like. A traditional Caesar doesn’t have tomatoes, but we added them to make this into more of a main dish salad for dinner. Feel free to add other veggies of your choice!
• Serve as a decomposed salad for kids. Our son loved this separated out with salmon, “lettuce chips,” cherry tomatoes, croutons, and a small cup of Caesar dipping sauce.

More salmon recipes

Salmon is a dinnertime standby over here! Here are a few more easy salmon recipes to work into your repertoire: