Classic panzanella salad transforms into a dinner salad with the addition of perfectly cooked salmon. Tons of veggies and even more flavor make this a summertime favorite! 377 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
This salmon panzanella salad recipe highlights sweet-as-candy summertime tomatoes in a traditional Italian bread salad that gets turned on its head with the addition of cooked salmon. I've always been a sucker for a great salmon chopped salad and often turn to my list of healthy salmon recipes when dinnertime rolls around. Easy to cook and rich with healthy fats, salmon is a great addition to your meals, whether you're pulling together a quick weeknight meal or you're entertaining friends on the weekend.
While this Italian salad recipe strays from the traditional panzanella recipes that are usually served as a side dish or a light lunch, this version adds a good dose of protein, which means that it can be served as an entrée. I don't know about you guys, but I am always game for a great dinner salad!
Tips for making a panzanella salad:
- Panzanella salads traditionally start with day-old bread, which produces bread cubes that are hearty and dry enough to stand up to the dressing. However, if you don't have day-old bread on hand or want the bread to be a little firmer, toast it in the oven according to my directions in the recipe below.
- There are many schools of thought when it comes to incorporating the bread into the salad. Some traditional recipes call for soaking the firm bread cubes in water, then squeezing out the water before adding the bread to the salad. In less traditional recipes, the bread is added straight into the salad and tossed with the dressing. I choose an in-between route...
- When researching panzanella salads, I came across a tip that I thought was genius. Instead of soaking the bread cubes in water, they are tossed with the liquid from the drained tomatoes, putting those juices to good use! Cut the tomatoes into wedges, then place them in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl, salt them and let them rest for about 20 minutes while the juices accumulate in the bowl.
- Most traditional panzanella recipes that I found included either capers or a mash of capers and anchovies. I opted for capers only, which pair well with the salmon.
- The dressing is a simple 4-ingredient mixture of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic (grated on a microplane) and salt. Because the ingredients list is so simple, be sure to use good quality olive and red wine vinegar to add as much flavor as possible.
Other ways to use summer tomatoes:
- When summertime tomatoes are at their peak, I barely make it through a meal without incorporating at least one Roma or beefsteak tomatoes, or a handful of cherry tomatoes. Here are some of my favorite ways to use them...
- Roast the tomatoes and incorporate them into a salad, pasta dish or appetizer. Some of my favorite examples, which include direction for roasting the tomatoes are Arugula Salad with Roasted Tomatoes & Pasta and Roasted Tomato & Avocado Crostini.
- Partially hollow out larger tomatoes and fill them with a variety of ingredients. This Greek Quinoa & Hummus Stuffed Tomatoes recipe is one of my favorites, but I also love stuffing the tomatoes with a bay shrimp, chicken salad or egg salad.
- One of my go-to summer side dishes is this Baked Tomato Recipe with Parmesan & Herbs. Super simple and flavorful!
- Slice the tomatoes and use them as a pizza topping.
- Make any number of caprese salad-inspired recipes, such as baked eggs or spaghetti squash.
Other healthy salmon recipes:
Caprese Potato Salmon Packets {Cookin' Canuck}
Baked Salmon Meatballs with Creamy Avocado Sauce {Cookin' Canuck]
Creamy Pan Seared Tuscan Salmon {Joyful Healthy Eats}
Lemon Garlic Baked Salmon {Paleo Leap}
Printable Recipe
Salmon Panzanella Salad Recipe
Ingredients
The salad:
- 1 pound salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 cups ciabatta bread cubes (1-inch each)
- 2 cups tomato wedges
- ½ cup diced (½ inch) English cucumber
- 1 ½ tablespons capers, drained
- 1 cup arugula
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
- 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced
The dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
The salad:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the salmon fillets, skin side down, on the foil. Rub the salmon with the olive oil and season with ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- Bake the salmon until just cooked through, about 15 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets).*
- Allow the salmon to cool while putting together the rest of the salad. Remove and discard the skin, and break the salmon into bite-sized pieces.
- Increase the oven heat to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until the bread is toasted, but still slightly soft on the inside.
- While the salmon is baking, place the tomato wedges in a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt and let the tomatoes rest for about 20 minutes. The tomato juices will accumulate in the bowl. Do not discard!
- Place the toasted bread in the bowl with the tomato juices and toss to coat.
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, bread cubes, salmon, cucumber, capers, arugula, parsley and tomato. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Serve.
The dressing:
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt.
Notes
Nutrition
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