Grilled Salmon Pasta Salad

Grilled Salmon Pasta Salad lets you serve grilled salmon and an incredibly light pasta salad all in one. You get all the protein benefits of the salmon and tons of veggies in a flavorful light pasta salad. The wonderful part about this recipe is that you can pretty much add any of your favorite veggies to make it your own!

Salmon is high in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. It is generally recommended that we should eat 2 servings of salmon per week. This recipe allows you to enjoy salmon in a bit of a non-traditional way. The veggies add a wonderfully delightful healthy note to this dish. Chances are your kid won’t even know they are eating healthy!

This dressing pairs perfectly with the grilled salmon and veggies. The tanginess of the red wine vinegar and the Dijon mustard make the flavors of the veggies really pop! The olives and capers add in the right punch because of their saltiness.

Olives and capers also marry perfectly with the salmon and capers are traditionally served with salmon, think of lox with capers and cream cheese! This salad though goes more to a Nicoise feel and takes it to the Mediterranean with its wonderful flavors. 

Preparing The Salmon

With everything going on flavor-wise in the salad you don’t need to season the salmon too heavily. Just a light sprinkling of salt and pepper is all you need because the salmon is so flavorful on its own. Cooking the salmon fillet is quick on a medium hot grill only takes a few minutes.

Placing your salmon on a hot grill skin side down I find works best. Close the lid and let the salmon cook though only on the one side. You don’t have to turn the salmon; it will cook perfectly no problem. If you try to turn it often the meaty part of the salmon will stick to the grill and break your fillet apart.

You will want to allow the salmon to cool while you prepare the pasta and the veggies. Once it is cooled you can easily remove the skin. We have 2 dogs and a cat here at the house. There is a great deal of attention from all 3 of them when the salmon skin is removed. Yes they all get a little taste!

Pasta & Veggies

While the salmon cools you can prepare everything else. Get the pasta cooked and chop the vegetables. I used a larger bow-tie pasta but you could use any type of pasta you like. I do prefer a larger style of noodle because it is then similar to the size of the veggies.

As a result, dicing your vegetables all to a similar size provides a uniform look to your salad, you will want this because it is not only eye-catching but easier to eat too.

Once the salmon is cooled break it into bite size chunks. Combine all your ingredients and toss with the dressing. There you have it, an easy, tasty, and healthy dish to serve to your family and friends!

Yield: 4 servings

Grilled Salmon Pasta Salad

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Grilled Salmon Pasta Salad combines the healthy benefits of grilled salmon with vegetables and pasta in a light dressing.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salad

• ¼ cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
• 3 tbsp capers, drained
• 2 stocks celery chopped
• ½ cup diced cucumber
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 8 oz large bow tie or other pasta (pre-cooked weight)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half length-wise
• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lb salmon fillets

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to medium high. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on your salmon fillets. 
2. Cook the salmon skin side down for 7-9 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from the grill and allow to cool and break into bite size pieces.
3. Cook the pasta as per the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
4.  While the pasta cooks, dice the vegetables and toss in a large bowl.
5. Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
6. Add the cooled pasta and salmon chunks to the vegetables and pour the dressing over top. Gentle toss the salad and the dressing until combine.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540 Total Fat: 32g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 25g Cholesterol: 75mg Sodium: 785mg Carbohydrates: 29g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Protein: 33g