Salmon Spinach Salad with Avocado and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Salmon Spinach Salad is a fresh, filling plate of pan-fried salmon, baby spinach, creamy avocado, sweet cranberries and toasted almond flakes. It takes under 10 minutes and needs one skillet.

Salmon Spinach Salad starts with a salmon fillet fried on parchment paper, which stops it sticking to the pan and keeps it in one piece. The warm fish is flaked over baby spinach that has been tossed in homemade balsamic vinaigrette, then topped with cubed avocado, dried cranberries and toasted almonds. One fillet feeds two people, so it stays cheap for a weeknight. It also works with leftover cooked salmon, which makes it a good way to use up what's in the fridge.

Ingredients for Salmon Spinach Salad

One salmon fillet and one bag of baby spinach feed two people. Double both for four.

• Salmon fillet – rich in omega-3 and savoury enough to carry the salad.
• Fresh baby spinach – tender, mild leaves that hold the dressing without collapsing.
• Avocado – creamy and soft against the sharp dressing.
• Dried cranberries – small bursts of sweetness and a bit of chew.
• Toasted almond flakes – crunch and a nutty, toasty flavour.
• Balsamic vinaigrette – acidity that cuts through the oily fish.

I buy skin-on fillets when I can, because the skin crisps up and adds texture, but skinless is easier to flake and works fine. If you don't have almonds, use toasted walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds instead.

How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette for Salmon Spinach Salad

Balsamic vinaigrette is one part balsamic vinegar to three parts extra virgin olive oil, with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Buy decent vinegar and decent oil, because with four ingredients you taste both.

Put everything in a small jar, screw the lid on tightly and shake hard until it goes glossy and smooth. That's it. I make a big jar at a time and keep it in the fridge, where it lasts three to four weeks and gets used on every salad that week. The oil and vinegar separate as it sits, so shake it again before you use it on your Salmon Spinach Salad.

How to Make Salmon Spinach Salad

1. Step 1: Heat your skillet over medium-high heat and lay a piece of parchment paper in it, then spray the paper lightly with oil. Drizzle the salmon fillet with 1 spoon of balsamic vinaigrette and put it in the skillet, skin-side down if it has skin. Fry for 3–4 minutes, then flip and fry for another 2–3 minutes. Move it to a plate, let it rest and cool slightly, then flake it into fork-sized chunks.

2. Step 2: Tip the baby spinach into a large bowl and add 1 spoon of the vinaigrette. Mix well, so the leaves are lightly coated but not soggy.

3. Step 3: Plate the spinach, then layer on the cubed avocado, the dried cranberries and the cooked salmon.

4. Step 4: Finish with the toasted almond flakes and another small drizzle of vinaigrette if you want it. Your Salmon Spinach Salad is done, and it took less than 10 minutes.

I cook salmon on parchment paper for two reasons. It's faster than roasting it in the oven and it saves on the electricity bill. It also solves the problem I had for years, which was salmon welding itself to the pan so that I had to scrape it off the bottom and ruin the fillet. With parchment paper the fillet flips cleanly every time and comes out golden. On timings, I do 3 minutes a side for medium, and 4–5 minutes a side for well done.

How to Serve and Store Salmon Spinach Salad

I serve Salmon Spinach Salad straight after assembling it, while the salmon is still slightly warm and the spinach has just been dressed. It's enough on its own for lunch or a light dinner. It also works as a starter, or as a full meal with crusty sourdough on the side.

To make it ahead, keep the parts separate. Store the spinach and the vinaigrette apart until you serve, or the leaves go limp. Cooked salmon keeps in the fridge for two days. Avocado browns quickly, so cube it fresh at the last minute. An assembled Salmon Spinach Salad is still fine within 24 hours if it's covered and chilled, but it's best on the day. Keep that big jar of dressing in the fridge door and the rest of the week's salads take five minutes.

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What Salmon Spinach Salad Costs Around the World

Salmon is the only expensive part of this salad, so the total depends on where you buy the fish.

• In the UK I pay about £6.00 for the whole dish, which is £3.00 a serving, with fillets from Tesco, Aldi or Lidl.
• In Ireland it comes to around €8.00 in total, or €4.00 a serving, buying salmon from Tesco Ireland, Dunnes or the SuperValu fish counter.
• In the USA the whole salad costs roughly $8.50, so $4.25 a serving, and the best value fillets come from Costco, Trader Joe's or the frozen aisle at Kroger.
• Australia and Canada are dearer. In Australia the dish runs to about A$12.50, or A$6.25 a serving, with Tasmanian salmon from Coles, Woolworths or a local fishmonger. In Canada it's around C$12.00 in total, so C$6.00 a serving, with fillets from Loblaws, No Frills or a Costco multipack.

Wherever you shop, buy salmon on offer and freeze it in single fillets, and this Salmon Spinach Salad stays far cheaper than the same plate in a café. All prices are approximate and change with the season and the offers.

Tips and Notes for the Best Salmon Spinach Salad

• Use parchment paper in the pan, not oil alone. Cut a piece roughly the size of the base, press it flat and give it a light spray. The salmon will not stick, and you can flip it with one hand. It also means far less scrubbing afterwards.
• Take the salmon out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you cook it and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Cold fish cooks unevenly, so the outside is overdone before the middle is warm. Wet fish steams instead of browning. Both fixes take seconds and change the result.
• Cook by thickness, not by the clock. A thin tail piece can be ready in two minutes a side, and a thick centre cut can need five. Press the top gently with your finger, and if it's firm at the edges and still slightly soft in the middle, it's done. Salmon carries on cooking off the heat, so take it out just before you think it's ready.
• Toast the almond flakes yourself even if the packet says they're toasted. Put them in a dry pan over medium heat and shake it for two or three minutes until they're golden. Don't walk away, because they burn in seconds. Tip them onto a cold plate straight away so they stop cooking.
• Use a bowl that's much bigger than you need for dressing the spinach. Leaves need room to move if they're all going to get coated. Add the vinaigrette a little at a time and turn the leaves with your hands. You can always add more, but you can't take it back out.
• Season the fish lightly and season it late. The dressing and the cranberries already bring a lot of flavour, so a heavy hand with salt tips the whole plate over. A pinch of salt and pepper just before frying is enough. Salt sitting on raw fish draws out water, which is the opposite of what you want for a crust.
• Let the salmon cool for a minute or two before it goes on the leaves. Very hot fish wilts spinach on contact. Warm salmon on cool spinach is what you're after. The rest also firms the fillet up, so it flakes into proper chunks instead of crumbs.
• Taste the vinaigrette before you use it. Balsamic vinegars differ a lot in sweetness, so a sharp one may want a little more oil and a syrupy one can take more vinegar. If yours keeps splitting, add half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and shake again. Taste it on a leaf rather than off a spoon, because it reads differently on its own.

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Salmon Spinach Salad

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Salmon Spinach Salad is a fresh, wholesome dish of flaky pan-fried salmon, crisp baby spinach, creamy avocado and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Dried cranberries and toasted almond flakes finish it off. It's a restaurant-quality plate ready in under 10 minutes.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 11 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet, approx. 130g (4½ oz) – serves 2
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette, divided
• 1 pack fresh baby spinach, 180g (6 oz) – 1 pack = 2 portions
• 1 avocado, cubed
• Handful dried cranberries, approx. 30g (1 oz)
• Handful toasted almond flakes, approx. 20g (¾ oz)
• Cooking oil spray, for the parchment paper
• For the balsamic vinaigrette: 1 part balsamic vinegar to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the balsamic vinaigrette. Add the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to a jar, close the lid and shake until well combined and smooth.
2. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and lay a piece of parchment paper in the base. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Drizzle the salmon with 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinaigrette, then place the fillet in the skillet, skin-side down if it has skin. Fry for 3–4 minutes without moving it, then flip and fry for another 2–3 minutes. Cook longer if you prefer well-done salmon. Transfer to a plate, let it cool slightly, then flake into bite-sized pieces.
3. Toss the baby spinach in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinaigrette, mixing until the leaves are lightly coated. Spread the spinach over a large plate.
4. Top the spinach with the cubed avocado, the dried cranberries and the cooked salmon.
5. Finish with the toasted almond flakes and drizzle with a little more vinaigrette if you like. Serve immediately.

Notes

Let the salmon rest for a minute or two before flaking, so it keeps its juices and breaks into neat chunks rather than crumbs.

Toast the almond flakes in a dry pan for two to three minutes, shaking constantly, for much better flavour and crunch.

Use a ripe but firm avocado so the cubes keep their shape instead of mashing into the leaves.

Shake the vinaigrette again just before dressing the spinach, because the oil and vinegar separate as the jar sits.

Don't overdress the leaves. Add the vinaigrette gradually and mix with your hands, since overdressed spinach turns soggy within minutes.