Salmon and Couscous Salad With Cucumber-Feta Dressing
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3(6-ounce) skin-on (or skinless) salmon fillets
- 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2limes, 1 halved and 1 zested and juiced
- 1½cups pearl couscous
- 1½cups baby arugula
- 1cup thick, full-fat yogurt, such as Greek, Skyr or labneh
- ½cup crumbled feta
- ¼packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro or dill leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
- ¼packed cup fresh mint leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
- 1Persian cucumber, diced into ½-inch pieces (about ¾ cup)
- 2scallions, light green and white parts sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
699 calories; 30 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 853 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
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In the center of a sheet pan, place salmon skin-side down. Pat the salmon dry, then coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon turmeric. Coat 1 of the lime halves in some of the olive oil in the pan, then place cut-side up in the corner.
- Step 2
Roast the salmon on the center rack until opaque on the outside and light pink in the center, about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Step 3
While the salmon roasts, make the couscous: In a lidded pot over medium-high heat, toast the couscous, uncovered, stirring until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 cups water, season with salt, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain an active simmer, then cook until the couscous is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous in a colander, then drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Stir in the arugula, letting it wilt. Leave in the sink to cool slightly while you make the dressing.
- Step 4
Prepare the dressing: In a serving bowl, combine the yogurt with ¼ cup room temperature water and the zest and juice of 1 lime, then whisk until smooth. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon cumin, plus ¼ cup feta, most of the herbs (reserving some for garnish) and the cucumber. Stir to combine, then season to taste with salt. Set aside.
- Step 5
Add the cooked couscous and arugula to the yogurt mixture, tossing to combine. Remove the salmon from the skin, then flake with a fork. Add half the salmon to the couscous, mixing it together. Place the remaining salmon on top, squeeze the roasted lime half over the dish, then garnish with the scallions, remaining feta, parsley and mint. Quarter the remaining lime half and serve it on the side.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Ellen
Maybe it's a typo but 18 minutes for a fillet of salmon at 400 degrees sounds excessive. I cook mine for 8.
Nancy
Terrific dish. Next time I will make the dressing in advance to let the herbs become more intense in flavor. I opted to keep the fillets of salmon whole and placed each one on the salad.
Hannah O
Great dish. We made it “deconstructed” which turned out so well. This allowed for self portioning of sauce to taste and less soupy leftovers. We also added some sliced radish as garnish which gave a nice crunch!
GG
Loved this (so did my partner and toddler)!! I followed other reviewers and did not mix everything together but had us plate it ourselves right before eating and I’m so glad I did! There is a LOT of the yogurt mixture compared to couscous and salmon and it would have overpowered all the great flavors. 400 degrees for salmon makes it easy to overcook- I cooked the salmon at 275 degrees for 18 minutes and it was perfect. It also tastes delicious cold.
Christina
Made this after seeing the recipe today.. it’s delightful! I shredded my cucumber (not a fan of big pieces of cucumber). Seriously so light and delicious!
Sue in British Columbia.Don't eat out often
18 mins in the oven will ruin expensive fish and waste time. Pat spices onto the filets. Pan fry skin side down in a little regular olive oil for a couple off minutes. Add a good knob of unsalted butter and light beer or orange juice, begin spooning sauce over the filets. They stay moist and you can see how much you want them to cook. I am using BC or Alaskan Sockeye.I would not use wine with the spices in this recipe. Remove filets, boil down liquid until it’s syrupy and dribble over filets.
Gina
Easy and delicious - and adaptable. I used pearl barley because it’s what I had on hand, and I think it would work with quinoa, wild rice, orzo. I used lemons rather than limes as I had a bunch to use up. I didn’t make the dressing as directed, but rather mixed the liquid ingredients and then added the cucumber, mint, and scallions at the same time as the salmon. I should have used more mint. Overall very flavourful and flexible, one I will come back to many times, especially in summer months.
Juliet Jones
Why not? And also, I think one could use poached salmon instead of roasted. Quicker, less oily and less messy.
adri
Don’t wilt the arrugula. Let everything chill before mixing
Donna
make the dressing in advance to let the herbs become more intense in flavor. Don’t wilt the arrugula. Let everything chill before mixing. I followed other reviewers and did not mix everything together but had us plate it ourselves right before eating and I’m so glad I did! There is a LOT of the yogurt mixture compared to couscous and salmon and it would have overpowered all the great flavors. 400 degrees for salmon makes it easy to overcook- I cooked the salmon at 275 degrees for 18 minutes and
Laurie H
This better cold than warm
kendall
This looks good - hmmmm I wonder what it would be like with canned salmon???
Lisa
We made this last night. It was good but the flavor of the individual ingredients seem to be masked by the yogurt dressing. I’ll make it again but skip the yogurt and opt for olive oil and lime juice.
AMaw
I couldn’t find pearl couscous without an added flavor, so opted for acini de pepe pasta. Worked out just fine!
Susan
I thought the feta and yogurt seriously incompatible with the salmon, and the whole dish was mushy. I couldn’t even finish the leftovers.
thenitcherkitchen
This was such an easy and tasty summer meal! Costco has cans of Atlantic salmon that are surprisingly tasty, so I used two of those in place of cooking salmon. The dill and lime zest really shine through to create a tangy and refreshing salad.
danielle
Adding the arugula to the couscous after letting it cool *a bit* kept the arugula somewhat crunchy, such a good summer recipe
Alnoor
Swapped in quinoa for the coucous and added garlic to the dressing. This was magical.
kinda bland
My husband and I did not think this was good. Mushy and overwhelmingly tasted like yogurt. We felt it was a waste of good ingredients. Neither of us wanted to save the leftovers
JP
How could anyone not like this dish? I also serve the yogurt sauce on the side (and use whatever lettuce/herbs we happen to have in the fridge) and it's fantastic. You can also use any type of couscous or grain. The result is light and healthy but still filling. The cooking instruction is odd though; as others have noted, 10-12 minutes at 400 is probably more than enough (depending on how the filets are cut.)
CC in DC
Liked this simple, nutritious meal but found the dressing a little wet. Will tweak the dressing and add all the herbs next time. Def will make again!
Amy S., Santa Monica
I made the recipe as described--should have read comments first. I'd say it took me an hour or more to make it and the result was ok but not as good as its parts separated. I did watch the salmon baking, and took it out early but agree that low temp baking would have improved it. Too much of the yogurt dressing. Agree probably better not to wilt the arugula as people mentioned. And even more herbs might have improved this.
Elaine
I always opt for high quality hot smoked salmon when making this dish. Delicious balance of flavours and halves the cook time, so yum!
Carol S
This was very good and came together easily. It was a bit tart to my taste but hubs thought it was fine, so add lime to your taste. I can see switching out the salmon for shrimp (bay or prawns) or good quality can tuna.
marilyn
Was a little weird for me. I didn’t really like the mint in it and I think my lime was a little off. I would try this again with a different balance of herbs/acid. Did not have arugula so I served over romaine. The salmon didn’t need to cook that long for sure.
Petra
I added a garlic clove to the dressing, which added a good amount of flavor.
Maria
This was OK but I don't know why everybody is so excited about it. Tangy but not quite tangy enough. Kind of just flat. Even after reading all of these notes that are described as helpful I could not figure out what to add to it to make it better. Also, keep in mind that if you make this as the recipe is written, you will have enough salmon salad for at least six people. And being as it is fish, it is not going to make great leftovers for more than a day or two.
Christy
Added skinless, boneless cubed chicken thighs and a handful of spinach.
Stacy in Portland
This was delicious! I agree with the other commenters that this should be served deconstructed. I served this is big bowls; fresh arugula, Israeli couscous, a few dollops of the dressing (used Greek yogurt, skipped the water and added all the herbs) freshly smoked salmon, thinly sliced green onions. Total winner. Might add some fresh tomatoes if I make it in the summer.
Franklin
Outside of being a little soupy (I'll cut back on the water in the dressing next time), it turned out excellent. And as many others have pointed out, we only did 16 minutes in the oven and we like our fish a little more totally cooked through.
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