Dinner or lunch in less than 15 minutes! This light salmon melt recipe has all of the flavor of the original with a fraction of the calories. 172 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Light Salmon Melt Recipe
This light salmon melt recipe comes to the rescue when meal planning falls by the wayside, and operating a can opener plus toasting bread are the only cooking skills I can muster when dinnertime rolls around. Pathetic, I know! But we all need to give ourselves a break once in awhile. That’s where this sub-15 minute recipe comes into play.
More often than not, I’m low on cans of tuna for making easy tuna melts, but almost always have canned salmon on hand. This lightened-up version boasts a good dose of veggies, lean protein, fiber and plenty of flavor.
How to lighten up salmon salad:
- When it comes to pasta salads, I veer away from mayo-based dressings, opting for vinaigrettes instead. But I’m not opposed to using a bit of mayo in chicken, tuna or salmon salad.
- Instead of using mayonnaise exclusively, use a half and half mixture of mayo and plain Greek yogurt, which lower the calorie count and adds a bit of tang to the mixture.
- Add additional moisture by relying on vegetables. In this recipe, I mixed diced celery and red bell pepper with the salmon, and topped each melt with a slice of tomato.
Tips for making this salmon melt recipe:
- Start with whole wheat English muffins and split them in half crosswise. Lightly toast them under the broiler. Watch them carefully because they will burn in a flash! It should take no more than 1 minute.
- Drain the canned salmon and break it up with a fork in a bowl. Add the yogurt, mayo, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
- The extra pop of flavor? Capers, of course! To be honest, I can’t eat salmon salad without these briny little morsels. My mum has always added capers to salmon salad, and I see no reason to fix what isn’t broken! 🙂
- Layer some of the salmon mixture, sliced tomato and sharp white Cheddar cheese on each English muffin half. If you don’t have white Cheddar cheese, regular Cheddar, Gruyere or pepper Jack will work.
- Pop them under the broiler and melt the cheese. Two minutes or so should do the trick.
- Serve with a green salad or cup of vegetable soup to round out the meal.
Other 15-minute dinner recipes:
15-Minute Wonton Soup with Mushrooms & Chard {Cookin’ Canuck}
Quick Curry Salmon Recipe {Cookin’ Canuck}
15-Minute Light Taco Soup {The Creative Bite}
Easy 15-Minute Lo Mein {Ahead of Thyme}
Light Salmon Melt Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 whole wheat English muffins (I used Orowheat), split in half
- 6 ounces canned salmon in water, drained
- 2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 large celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 6 slices tomato (large)
- 2 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set the rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat. Place the English muffin halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Cook under the broiler until toasted, about 1 minute. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the salmon, yogurt, mayonnaise, bell pepper, celery, capers, pepper and salt.
- Divide the salmon mixture between the 6 English muffin halves. Top with the tomato slices and Cheddar cheese slices.
- Broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so that the cheese doesn’t burn.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ann says
WOW! I’ve never tried these! That’s right up my alley. Super easy to make and good for lunch (especially when you’re hungry and don’t wanna spend time cooking). I have a hunch that these sandwiches are gonna be something my kids will be constantly craving. Dying to give it a go. Really in the mood for something like this. Thank you for this treasure Dara! I’m so lucky to have come across your blog.