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Why I Love This Salmon Salad
The idea of a meal that needs to be composed of a meat and three sides, all separated on one plate, is no more! We eat differently from previous generations, craving new foods, and we need meals to fit into our schedule. Whether you have a large family or are single and want a wholesome meal after work, the basic need is all the same: a healthy, filling meal full of flavor and excitement. A salad can check all of those boxes and leave you satisfied. This roasted winter root vegetable salad topped with salmon will do just that!
My salads change with the seasons, based on what is growing in the garden. By no means do I expect everyone to want to grow the food I do. Living by the seasons doesn’t mean you need to grow it all on your own, but instead, buy what’s in season.
Winter root vegetables are harvested in the fall and stored for use during the winter. In years past, this was out of pure necessity, especially in areas like Iowa, where the winters are cold and long, and at one time, fresh produce was not readily available to buy.
Storing the vegetables is also important for the flavor. After they’re picked, they go through self-preservation stages that condense their sugars and bring out more flavor. In short, if you can buy and use local, you’re getting better quality and more flavor. Shop local!
For this salad, I’m using vegetables full of nutrients, and more importantly, flavor. To make this meal easy without compromising the taste, I use these foundations:
- All vegetables are cut to the same size, ensuring they roast at the same time.
- Fat carries flavor. Olive oil is essential in roasting any vegetable to bring out its flavor.
- Miso adds a depth of flavor and complements the rich flavors of root vegetables.
- Salmon filets are packed full of essential omegas and roast quickly.
The miso paste is a surprising boost in the salad. Miso is a mixture of rice, barley, or soybeans, and salt. After some fermentation, it’s an amazing flavor that can be used in so many ways.
To complement the miso, the dressing has roasted sesame oil that, when tossed with the greens, vegetables, and salmon, rounds out and truly finishes the entire dish.
More Salad Recipes
- Grilled sweet corn salad
- Tabbouleh
- Tex-Mex coleslaw
- Butternut squash salad with apple cider vinegar dressing
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Roasted Vegetable and Salmon Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 parsnips peeled and sliced
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
- 1 lb sweet potato diced into bite-size pieces
- 1 red beet diced into bite-size pieces
- 2 5-oz salmon filets
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp yellow miso paste
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1 bunch or head romaine lettuce
For the dressing
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp champagne or rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame seed oil
Instructions
For the salad
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, miso, salt, and Dijon mustard. Stir together until well combined and set aside.3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp yellow miso paste, ½ tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Make sure all vegetables are cut and diced to roughly the same size, about ½ inch to ¾ inch. Combine the vegetables on one large sheet pan and the salmon on one small sheet pan. Pour 4 tbsp of the miso mixture over the vegetables and stir until all the vegetables are well coated. Rub the remaining miso mixture on the salmon filets.2 parsnips, 1 large carrot, 1 lb sweet potato, 1 red beet, 2 5-oz salmon filets
- Place both the vegetables and the salmon in the preheated oven. Roast the salmon until firm, 6-8 minutes. The USDA recommends cooking to 145°F. Remove from the oven and continue to roast vegetables until they are crisp-tender, 30-40 minutes in total. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing salad.
- To serve the salad, place greens on a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the dressing (instructions below) over greens and stir to coat. Add prepared vegetables. Flake salmon filets with a fork and add over vegetables. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and remaining dressing to taste.1 bunch or head romaine lettuce, ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
For the dressing
- In a dressing jar or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all the ingredients. Shake until the dressing is emulsified, 1 minute. Set aside until ready to use.2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp champagne or rice vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame seed oil
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
I cannot use Miso due to its high sodium. What can I use instead?
This is by far one of my favorite salads and is definitely been placed on rotation by unanimous decision. I wouldn’t have ever considered using miso for a marinade. Wow! Now I have to think of other recipes to use it with to use it up. ha ha . Thanks, Kaleb! This one is a keeper!
Made this salad for my book club supper this weekend. I did all the prep ahead and just did the final assembly as the first readers arrived. So easy, everything cleaned up ahead and not much left over! Will definitely make again. Thanks!
Delicious inspiration! Made it with what I had – 3 large golden beets, carrots & packaged pepper-corn smoked salmon. Amazing!
I’ll be making a lot of your recipes starting with the ginger snap ice box czke
Keep them coming
Janet
I usually love your recipes, not sure what I did wrong but the dressing was very bitter, I added a bit more maple syrup which helped, perhaps it was the EVOO I used. Also, the veggies burnt horribly, I am likely throwing out the baking sheet. Had my oven at 425, and 20 minutes it they were very charred on the bottom. Oh well, they can’t all be perfect!
Why would you give the recipe a low rating? Burned veggies is not Kaleb’s fault. Anyone who cooks knows there are always unspoken variables like climate, elevation from sea level, etc. The size you diced your veggies plays a huge part in the outcome. Smaller dice, shorter cooking time, for instance. “It may have been the evoo that you used?” Was it rancid? That’s not recipe creators fault either. I’m not trying to defend Kaleb, because he’s a big boy and can take care of himself. This reply is for all those who kill someone’s ratings for things that were not their responsibility. Peace, love and light… I’m out.
What a flavorful salad with some veggies I don’t normally care much for. When you combine the roasted veggies with the salmon and dressing it provides such a wonder flavor combination. Nice change from the normal winter stews and roasts.
I have actually tried a few recipes and have not responded yet…but I will! This “Roasted Vegetable Salmon” was SO good that I had to say something. My spouse who is a picky eater LOVED it!!! The only change I made was for parsnips I used a rutabaga since the market didn’t have any parsnips. Regardless, it was still delicious and filling yet light and SO full of flavor! Bravo and thank you!
Wow! This was perfect in every way. The taste and texture was amazing. There was no need to change a thing. Thank-you Caleb, this will be made many more times especially with your squash soup. A perfect meal for guests. ❤️
Excellent recipe! Visually so cheerful. I made it for my family. They loved it. I didn’t have miso paste, so I used soy sauce (as a substitute). But the champagne vinegar was intriguing.
What would you suggest for my vegetarian friends? I was thinking of substituting salmon with fresh mozzarella or goat cheese. Or nothing? Just lettuce and roasted veges and sunflower seeds?
Your videos are concise and clear and I look forward to more recipes. Thank you!