Salmon Salad with Dill
This Salmon Salad with Dill is perfect to make with leftover salmon, or cook a few pieces of salmon just to make this tasty salad! And this low-carb salad with salmon is so delicious and extra easy to make!
PIN the salmon salad recipe to try it later!
Is it possible to take some leftover salmon, add celery and green onions and a lemony dressing, and create a salad you’ll absolutely drool over? I’m happy to report it is, and this Salmon Salad with Dill is perfect for anyone who has ever wondered what to do with leftover salmon.
Or if you’re scratching your head and saying, “Who has leftover salmon?” I’ll give you instructions in the recipe for quickly cooking a few pieces of salmon to make this tasty salmon salad recipe! If you have some fresh dill that will only improve this delicious salad, but even with dried dill weed in the dressing anyone who likes salmon and dill is going to love this salad.
This recipe was back in the archives of my blog for quite a few years, and when I decided to update the recipe to make more servings and upgrade the photos, my taste testers didn’t prefer the original dressing that used Greek Yogurt to replace some of the mayo. But if you’re not a mayo fan, feel free to make that switch.
And this salad will benefit from about 30 minutes chilling time, but when we tested the new version of the recipe we devoured some immediately after we took these photos and it was very tasty!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- leftover cooked salmon (or see instructions for how to quickly cook salmon)
- celery
- green onion
- mayo
- Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), or other low-sugar vinaigrette
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Celery Seed (affiliate link)
- Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link)
- dried dill weed (affiliate link) or chopped fresh dill
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper
More About Dill:
Dill is an annual herb, and it’s relatively easy to grow. Luckily, if you let the plant go to seed at the end of the season, it will drop enough seeds to come up again the following year so it’s perfect for herb gardens. Dill is used in three ways, with the fresh leaves being called dill, the dried leaves called dill weed, and the seeds called dill seed.
Leftover salmon to make the Salmon Salad:
I cook salmon often, but I realize it’s probably a bit of a splurge for most food budgets. But cooking it at home is certainly cheaper than having salmon in a restaurant, and salmon is easy to cook well! If you want to make a salmon recipe where leftovers will be good used in this salad, check out Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard Herb Sauce, Roasted Salmon with Avocado Salsa, Roasted Salmon and Brussels Sprouts Sheet Pan Meal, Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce, Salmon with Tomato-Olive Relish, or Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal.
Cooking Salmon to make this Salmon Salad:
- If you don’t have leftover salmon, thaw frozen salmon fillets in the fridge, then drain and pat dry.
- Rub salmon on both sides with olive oil and Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) or your favorite fish rub.
- Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a hot frying pan, then add salmon pieces and cook about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Salmon is done when it’s firm but not hard to the touch when you press down with a finger.
- Let salmon cool and use in the recipe.
How to make Salmon Salad with Dill:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- At my house leftover salmon will have been seasoned with Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) so I recommend adding about 1/2 teaspoon of that to the dressing if your salmon isn’t seasoned.
- Flake the salmon apart with a fork.
- Put chunks of salmon into a bowl.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients, using 2 teaspoons dried dill weed or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, whichever you have.
- Wash and dry celery, then cut into slices.
- Wash and dry green onions, then slice.
- Add sliced celery and green onions to the flaked salmon in the bowl and stir to mix ingredients.
- Add dressing and gently combine.
- Chill salad for 30 minutes if you can, or longer chilling time is fine.
More Tasty Recipes with Salmon:
- Slow Cooked Salmon with Butter, Garlic, Capers, and Lemon
- Salmon and Asparagus Salad
- Roasted Asian Salmon and Green Beans Sheet Pan Meal
- Baked Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes
- Roasted Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Salmon Salad with Dill
This Salmon Salad with Dill is one of the best things I've ever made with leftover salmon, and I'll give you tips for quickly cooking the salmon to make the recipe if you don't have leftovers.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. leftover cooked salmon, or slightly more (see instructions for how to cook salmon if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups celery, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 T Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (see notes)
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- 1/2 tsp. Beau Monde seasoning
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- At my house leftover salmon will have been seasoned with Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) so I highly recommend adding about 1/2 teaspoon of that to the dressing if your salmon isn't seasoned with it.
- Start by flaking the salmon apart with a fork. You want rather largish chunks, since it will get broken up a bit more when you're mixing it.
- Put chunks of salmon into a bowl that's large enough to hold all the salad ingredients.
- Whisk together mayo, Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (or other low-sugar vinaigrette), fresh lemon juice, celery seed, Beau Monde seasoning, 2 teaspoons dried dill weed or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste to make the dressing.
- Wash and dry celery, then cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick.
- Wash and dry green onions, then slice into thin slices.
- Add sliced celery and green onions to the flaked salmon in the bowl and stir gently to mix.
- Add dressing and gently combine with salad ingredients.
- Chill salad for 30 minutes if you can, or longer chilling time is fine.
How to Quickly Cook the Salmon if you don't have leftover Salmon:
If you don't have leftover salmon, thaw frozen salmon fillets in the fridge, then drain and pat dry. Rub salmon on both sides with olive oil and Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) or your favorite fish rub. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a hot frying pan, then add salmon pieces and cook about 3-4 minutes per side, or until salmon is firm but not hard to the touch when you press down with a finger. Let salmon cool and use in the recipe.
Notes
Use any low-sugar vinaigrette you prefer if you don't have Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link). I like sour flavors; you may prefer a bit less lemon juice.
If you have fresh dill, skip the dried dill weed and use 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill.
Recipe created by Kalyn when she had leftover salmon and fresh dill in the garden.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 477Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 658mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This salmon salad recipe is a wonderful meal for low-carb eating plans, including Keto. Personally I would eat this for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, but if you’re following the letter of the law for South Beach this salad would be a bit high in fat, even if you use light mayo.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one.Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Salmon Salad with Dill was first posted in 2008 as a one-serving salad that I made with some leftover salmon. It was updated in 2021 with a greatly-improved recipe to make four servings, better photos, and more information about how to make the salad and the ingredients. The recipe was last updated in 2023.
29 Comments on “Salmon Salad with Dill”
Marie, thanks; so glad you liked it!
Made a version of this today because I had some salmon leftover from last night's dinner. Didn't have any fresh dill, no celery…so I put dill weed in with the dressing, and tossed it all with some salmon and green onions. And still – wow. It was delicious! Can't wait to try it with fresh herbs. As always, GREAT recipe, Kalyn!
Thanks for the feedback; I hadn't tried it wth canned salmon but good to know it will work.
I tried it with canned salmon (with bones) for dinner today and it was excellent…washed it down with a glass of Pinot Noir. I put the salad in the fridge for 1/2 hour before eating it. It was a bit heavy with the Yoghurt. Plan to try it without Yoghurt next time as I typically have Greek Yoghurt in the mornings anyway.
But I can see how this salad could impress a date as I can use fish but not worry about my entire place smelling of fish 😉
Kristin, glad you liked it! Good idea to transform it into pasta salad too. Funny you just commented, because earlier today I was thinking I need to make this.
This was really good! I was searching for something to do with leftover grilled salmon, and came across this recipe. We decided to take it one step further, and made it into a pasta salad by making up a 1/2 package of noodles, and then adding them to the dressing and salmon mixtures, and then chilled them all together. It was perfect for a main dish on this hot summer evening. Thanks!
Tasha, so glad you liked it. I’m growing dill again this year, just so I can make this salad!
I love to have salmon for dinner, but I like to have leftovers for lunch, instead of making a separate, often boring, salad. But I never thought I could have leftover salmon. I literally just finished eating this, and I can’t wait to have leftovers again! This recipe is so delicious! I think I might add some cucumber next time. Thanks 🙂
Anonymous, glad to hear you liked it. Very good idea to mix first for that amount of salad too!
I made this for the 4th of July potluck, and it was a great hit. I made it with 1.5 pounds salmon. And I doubled the recipe. I also mixed all the ingrediants First before adding the chunks of Salmon last.
If only all my leftovers looked as good as this…
Graziana, thanks for sharing your variation. I like the sound of that version!
I prepared it with grilled tuna instead of salmon… it was great too!
thank you!
I don’t know why, but I have never even thought of doing a salmon salad!! What a great way to use up your leftovers, and I am a huge dill fan. I’m disappointed that I didn’t plant any this year…
What a great way to recycle leftover salmon! It looks really delicious! A great summer dish!
This salad looks yummy! And I thought that dill is only used for seasoning seafoods. Now, I will try to look for dill in the nursery and start growing this herb myself so I can have this anytime with my salads. Thank you for a wonderful idea!
Your beautiful dill is making me green with envy — my own plants are about 2 inches tall! I do have some roast salmon left over from dinner tonight, and now I know what to do with it.
What a great way to use some leftover salmon. It would be worth it to make the salmon for this.
Very nice. My dill is getting ready to be harvested, so I like to have ideas about how to use it.
Yummy! I make a very similar recipe from Ina Garten. Sometimes when I make Salmon I deliberately cook extra in fact…
This is really a great way to use up the left over salmon – or even make fresh salmon just for the salad. I am not a huge celery fan but I can substitute with other crunchy veggies. So good Kalyn!
YUM!! I’ve always just crumbled leftover salmon over a large green salad with fixin’s, but this puts a whole new twist on it! Thank You once again for your inventive ideas! Keeps dinner interesting!!! 🙂
Divine! This looks absolutely divine!
That sounds lovely! I want to make salmon just so I can have leftovers.
I am happy that people are liking the sound of this salad. I liked it so much, I’ll probably even try it with canned salmon (even though I know it won’t be quite as good, I bet it’s still pretty good.)
Natashya, I haven’t heard from Astrid about the recap, so I’m wondering if she’s having some internet issues. People actually have until Monday (or even Tuesday) to post the recap, but I thought she would have done it by now. I’m sure it’s coming though. It’s a huge job and sometimes people underestimate how long it really does take.
Salmon and dill is a winning combo. Sounds yum!
Looks yummy, I have found that I have not planted enough dill this year for my appetite. Back to the nursery for me.
On another note – did I miss the WHB round up for the 15th? I did not see it up at paulchens, did it get moved? I was planning on linking to the round up and doing some visiting. Sorry to be a bother,
Love, Natashya.
This looks so good, Kalyn! The perfect thing for a hot summer’s night!
And lucky you, that your garden dill has flourished. Dill really is fabulous with salmon, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, I transplanted my dill too soon and several below 10C nights did it in. (I gather that dill doesn’t like to be transplanted.) Naturally, I haven’t been able to find any so late in the season AND the seeds I sowed haven’t sprouted yet. (But I haven’t given up hope….)
-Elizabeth
P.S. Have you tried mayonnaise with green peppercorns (green peppercorns that have been packed in salt water) with grilled salmon? It’s also great.
Oh YUM!!
That sounds awesome. I know what I’m going to have for dinner tonight!!!
Thanks Kalyn!