Summer Salad with Barbecue Salmon
You won’t see me making any fall recipes until at least September 1st because I am never ready to let go of summer flavors like the ones in this summer kale salad with barbecue salmon! This salad is PERFECT for a summer night—it’s light but still very filling and substantial, PLUS you get to use my homemade barbecue sauce. But don’t worry, you can use your own bbq sauce if you’d like!
Summer Salad with Barbecue Salmon
4
servings20
minutes10
minutesYou won’t see me making any fall recipes until at least September 1st because I am never ready to let go of summer flavors like the ones in this summer kale salad with barbecue salmon! This salad is PERFECT for a summer night—it’s light but still very filling and substantial, PLUS you get to use my homemade barbecue sauce. But don’t worry, you can use your own bbq sauce if you’d like!
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Ingredients
- For the Barbecue Sauce (yields about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup coconut aminos (can substitute reduced-sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce)
3 ounces tomato paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- For the Barbecue Salmon
neutral oil spray
four six-ounce Atlantic salmon filets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (recipe above)
- For the Summer Salad
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 ounces finely chopped curly kale
6 ounces shredded carrots
15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn (frozen and thawed, 15-ounce can, or 2 ears of corn)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves, additional for topping
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, for drizzling (recipe above)
Directions
- Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven (as close to the broiler as possible) and heat to high broil. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and grease with oil spray. Note: You can use your air fryer for this, too!
- Make the barbecue sauce: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the coconut aminos, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Transfer half (about 1/4 cup) into a separate small bowl and set aside.
- Broil the salmon: Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel and place on the prepared sheet pan, skin side down. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce over each filet, covering the top and sides. Broil until crisp and charred in some spots, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on your desired cook (closer to 10 minutes for fully cooked through).
- While the salmon cooks, make the salad: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt until combined. Add the kale and use clean hands or tongs to massage the dressing into it. Add the carrots, black beans, corn, and cilantro and toss to combine. Gently mix in the diced avocado.
- To assemble: Evenly divide the salad among four bowls. Top with the broiled salmon filet and drizzle the remaining barbecue sauce on top of each. If desired, sprinkle with additional cilantro leaves.
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate the salad and salmon in separate sealed containers. The salad can be stored for up to 4 days; the salmon can be stored for up to 3 days. The barbecue sauce alone can be refrigerated for up to 7 days.
- Reheating: Microwave the salmon until warm, about 2 minutes. Or, air fry at 350F until warm, about 5 minutes.
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This recipe is truly phenomenal! Made as written but used Japanese BBQ sauce. How delicious! I’ll enjoy through the summer!
Can the salmon be grilled? This looks delicious. Thank you!
This is on repeat in my house in the summer! It’s one of those salads that improves the longer it sits in the fridge. This week I made it with air-fried BBQ chicken because I had chicken breasts on hand, and it was just as yummy!