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Canned Salmon Salad

Name: Canned Salmon Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 (5 ounce) cans salmon (drained); 1/4 cup mayo; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon; 1 stick celery (chopped small); 1-2 tablespoons capers (drained & chopped ); 1-2 tablespoon red onion (chopped small); 1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped); Salt & pepper (to taste)

Published: Sep 6, 2020 / Updated: Aug 1, 2021 / 31 Comments

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This salmon salad is made with canned salmon and comes together quickly! It's similar to tuna salad, so it's great in sandwiches for easy lunches.

I think canned salmon is somewhat underrated. Tuna gets all the glory, so if you want to change things up a bit, give this a try. Canned salmon is healthy and fairly inexpensive, and it's something I like to include in my diet every now and then.

You may also like my Canned Salmon Pasta or this Easy Tuna Salad Recipe.

Can I use fresh salmon?

Yes! I recommend using about 1 pound of fresh salmon (you could definitely use leftover cooked salmon for this recipe). I would probably eat any leftovers faster than if using canned salmon, however (within a couple of days).

A note on canned salmon

You can buy canned salmon without skin/bones, but I usually buy it with. Why? Because it's more flavorful, contains extra vitamins/minerals, and you don't even notice when you mash it all up. I know the idea may not be super appealing to some people (or if you think too much about it haha), but give it a try if you're curious! My mom always bought canned salmon that way, and so I continued as an adult. I used canned sockeye salmon (Cloverleaf brand here in Canada).

Recipe notes & tips:

This salmon salad recipe is pretty flexible. Just like with tuna salad, feel free to add/omit ingredients based on what you've got on hand or prefer. I encourage you to taste and adjust ingredient quantities as needed!
I use my Microplane zester/grater to zest the lemon. I add lemon zest to many of my salmon recipes - it really adds a ton of freshness that pairs well with the fish.
If you can't get fresh dill, dried dill will work in a pinch (but I do prefer the flavor of the fresh stuff). I'd start with 1 teaspoon, taste it, and add more if needed.
I just included butter leaf lettuce in the sandwiches pictured, but feel free to add more stuff... tomatoes, arugula, cucumber, a different kind of lettuce, a slice of cheese... anything goes.

Give these similar recipes a try...

Let me know if you'll give these canned salmon salad sandwiches a go! Questions? Ask me in the comments below.