Cowboy Caviar
Margaux Laskey
3060 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
3,060
15 minutes, plus 2 hours’ chilling
Grilled Salmon Salad With Lime, Chiles and Herbs
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2limes
- 2small fresh red or green chiles or 1 large one, thinly sliced, seeds removed if you like
- 1shallot (or 2 scallions, or 2 tablespoons red onion), thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons fish sauce
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of granulated sugar
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil, plus more for brushing
- 1¼pounds salmon fillet, preferably 1 large center-cut piece
- 8cups salad greens, such as Little Gem, bibb or Boston lettuce
- 1cup mixed soft herbs (such as cilantro, mint and basil), leaves and tender stems
- 1cup thinly sliced radishes, cucumbers or both (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
495 calories; 34 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 888 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Light the grill for indirect heat, or heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Step 2
As the grill or oven heat up, make the dressing: Halve 1 lime, and squeeze its juice into a small bowl. Add the chile slices, half of the sliced shallot (save the rest for serving), the fish sauce and a pinch each salt and sugar. Let sit for 1 minute to dissolve the salt, then whisk in the olive oil. It won’t emulsify, so mix again before using.
- Step 3
Brush the salmon with oil, and place it in a grilling basket if you have one. Cook over the indirect (unlit) side of the grill, for 2 to 5 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is and how thick the salmon is. Note that individual fillets will cook faster than a single large piece. Check the salmon often. (Alternatively, roast the salmon on a baking sheet in the oven, until just cooked to taste, 7 to 12 minutes; you don't have to flip it.)
- Step 4
As the salmon cooks, halve the other lime. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and grill, cut-side down, over direct heat until charred, about 1 minute. If using the oven, throw the halves, cut-side up, on the roasting pan with the salmon. They won’t char, but they will cook and mellow in flavor, which is the aim.
- Step 5
When the salmon is cooked, transfer it to a plate and spoon some dressing over it. Let it cool slightly, then break up the fish into large chunks.
- Step 6
Place greens, remaining shallots, herbs, and radishes or cucumber, if using, in a large shallow bowl or on a platter, and add a little more of the dressing. Squeeze some of the juice from a charred lime half over it and drizzle with a little olive oil. Toss and taste, adding lime juice, olive oil or salt as needed.
- Step 7
Top with the salmon chunks and drizzle with more (or all) of the dressing. Serve with the remaining charred lime half on the side for squeezing.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Richard Rodier
Except for those of us who like the crispy salmon skin. Anyway, my method, which is over charcoal is.......take straight out of the fridge and put on direct hot fire. Turn once. Because it was cold when started, it gets crispy on the Outside but remain rare on the inside. Oh....make sure you have lots of wine handy while cooking!
Mary Zins
My husband is expert with salmon on the grill, but we prefer a steak of about 1 lb. He uses two oiled wire cake racks to sandwich the steak making it easy to flip and eliminating the sticking to the grill. When he brings it in we use a fork to run along the wires to free the steak, place a plate on it and flip it. Repeat with the fork to free the second cake rack.
Allen
Sticking to the grill is actually a good thing when you cook a fillet with the skin on. The skin sticks to the grill but you lift the flesh off and leave the skin behind. Works beautifully.
Scot
I love the skin!
Jane H
Added grilled corn to the salad which was a delicious addition!
Hart
We’re not fans of fish sauce, but we loved this recipe. I used half of a large poblano in the dressing and was generous with the lime juice. After the salmon rested I poured the juices into the dressing before I poured it over the salad. That really toned down the fish sauce. Will make this again.
jean
Ok, no grill, nice canned salmon, lots of fresh herbs; a delicious Summer salad when cooking is the last thing you feel like doing.
Nora
Holy smokes! This is the most delicious salad I've put in my pie hole in a long time. Prepared just as a good Melissa Clark follower should. I will definitely use the dressing recipe in the future as a light and bright salad topper. I'm going to try it on chicken next.
Eileen
Terrific. Substituted soy sauce for fish sauce. Would increase the scallions next time, and maybe hold back some chiles out of the dressing, so they stay sharper. We used bread to mop up every drop of the dressing from our plates.
Andrea
I add a couple squirts of Guochichang to the dressing on the fish, and it really spiced it up nicely and added sweetness to the tartness.
john ferejohn
why not make it "unilateral" on the grill. place the (oiled and salted) salmon skin side down on a hot pre-heated grill. if it is thick you can cover for a minute. I put a probe in and take it off at 115 more or less and place it cut side down on a plate with the crispy grilled skin on top. let it sit for a few minutes for the juices to redistribute.
Cheryl
Cooked in oven at 425 for 10 minutes. Used two fillets
katy lesser
one of the best things i've cooked recently. many layers of flavor and textures. the mint and cilantro are beautiful additions. i will make this many times!
deanna
This is the closest I’ve gotten to an authentic larb dressing. We served it like a larb gai (but with salmon) alongside some sticky rice.
Dean
Delish. So simple. We added a layer of rice between greens and fish. When we grill salmon - brush with oil. Grill skin side down medium direct heat. It releases from grill when done - about 7 mins. Flip to skin down about 2 mins - until your spatula easily slips between skin and meat. Lift meat off skin. Our dog loves the skin.
ghummon
Soooooooo good. Add chopped peanuts at the end!
BARBARA J
This is the perfect hot evening dinner Fresh and light and a great use for my summer herbs..particularly the mint!
Rachel
Very yummy! The bites with mint were my favorite. We air fried the salmon and used cucumbers from our garden.
Good But A Bit Bitter
Made this as instructed. Tasted very fresh and the salmon was cooked perfectly at 7 minutes (my fillet was a bit on the thin side at just an inch thick in the center). However the dressing was too bitter and too much oil. Next time, I'll start with half the oil for the dressing, skip roasting the lime (the fresh lime tasted much sweeter but the roasted one was bitter), and add more sugar to the dressing since my fish sauce is very pungent and didn't have added sugar (Red Boat)
Cindy
Can you make the dressing a day ahead?
donna
Loved it all. Next time would double the dressing.
Karen S from SoCal
This was fabulous! Without a grill for now so oven roasted at 450 for 8 min. (then 425 for about 6 min.). Used basil, mint, cilantro; shallots & scallions. I didn’t really measure so probably used a lot more of those. Upped the chiles a bit (1 jalapeño 1 poblano). Added both cucumber & radish. This is really just WOW. Not as spicy as one might think if upping the chiles. Tossed in a few quartered grape tomatoes looking on from the sidelines. Can’t wait to eat this again!
Alison
this is delicious, absolutely, although we made it with shrimp that were browned quickly in a skillet with salt and pepper. As others have noted, you could make this with a variety of proteins but I like the idea of seafood best.
eric
Nice dressing
Ellen
This was an amazing salad. The nuoc cham sauce is the most authentic I've tasted since visitnVietnam. The added salt is not needed. I find that it is really worth buying a quality fish sauce. I used to buy the cheapest one in the grocery store. Now I use Red Boat, and it really make a difference! This dish reminded me of one I had in Vietnam with pulled chicken instead of salmon and served with the puffy rice crackers shaped like big contact lenses! I'm going to try that at home with this sauce.
Judy786
Wow! Perfect for this heat wave. Brushed the salmon with oil and cube before cooking in the oven and it came our Perfectly crust to give that crunch. I will certainly make again this was AWESOME!!!!
Linda B.
Used grilled chicken breast, tamari instead of fish sauce, and added grilled corn. Delicious!
Maria
Add a crunchy texture And avocado
Bill
There are many varieties of chiles, including serrano. jalapeno, and poblano. Some added description would be useful.
Appetips
Made this for the two of us, but made dressing for four servings. Really great flavors!
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