Seared Salmon Asian Salad
This is one of my go-to dishes when it’s warm out and I don’t want anything heavy. Salmon seared hard and fast so the outside gets a bit of colour while the middle stays medium-rare, tossed through a pile of crunchy raw veg and a sharp ginger lime dressing. No cooking the vegetables, no faffing around — it all comes together in about half an hour.
The trick with the salmon is getting the pan properly hot before it goes anywhere near the fish. You want a good two and a half minutes on the first side so it actually sears rather than steams, then flip it for another two. Let it rest for the full ten minutes after — it keeps cooking a little on the way, and if you break it apart too early all the good juices end up on the chopping board instead of in the salad.
Julienne everything as finely and evenly as you can be bothered with. It sounds fussy but it’s the difference between a salad that just sits there and one where every forkful picks up dressing properly. Great on its own, or as a side if you’re feeding a few people something bigger.
Seared Salmon Asian Salad
SEAFOOD · SALAD · EASY
Fresh, Fast, and Packed With Crunch
The salmon only needs about four and a half minutes total in the pan, so this is a proper weeknight option even though it looks like it took more effort than it did. Everything else is just knife work and a quick shake of a dressing.
Nothing in the salad is cooked, so you get real crunch from the daikon, carrot and snow peas instead of everything going soft and sad under a warm dressing. The lime and ginger cut through the richness of the salmon nicely too.
It's light enough to eat on its own in summer but still filling thanks to the salmon, so it works as a lunch, a dinner, or a side for a bigger spread if you're having people over.
Seared Salmon Asian Salad
Ingredients
Salmon
- 800 g Salmon Fillets Skinless
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Salad
- 1 Chinese Radish (Daikon) Peeled & Julienned
- 2 Carrots Julienned
- 5 Red Radishes Sliced
- 100 g Snow Peas Julienned
- 50 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- 15 g Thai Basil Torn
- 15 g Fresh Mint Torn
- 1 Long Red Chilli Sliced
- 15 g Black Or White Sesame Seeds
Sesame Ginger Lime Dressing
- 2 Limes Zest & Juice
- 30 g Ginger Peeled & Grated
- 5 ml Sesame Oil
- 30 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Method
- Place the daikon, carrots, radishes, snow peas, coriander, chilli and sesame seeds into a large mixing bowl, and mix to combine.
- Combine the lime zest, lime juice and ginger in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in both the sesame and extra virgin olive oil while whisking. Season to taste and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Pour the olive oil over the salmon fillets, season to taste, and rub to coat. Place a large pan over high heat and allow it to get smoking hot. Gently place the salmon fillets in and sear for 2 ½ minutes, flip, and sear for a further 2 minutes (this is cooked medium-rare). Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Break the salmon up into bite-sized pieces.
- Pour the dressing into the salad mix, add the seared salmon pieces, and mix until everything is well combined. Transfer the salmon salad into serving bowls and garnish with picked mint, Thai basil and sesame seeds. Dig in.
