Chopped Kale & Salmon Salad with Sesame Ginger Miso Dressing

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Oct 13, 2023 2 comments »

This entree-sized kale salmon salad is a healthy lunch or dinner idea that is packed with flavor and nutrition. The chopped kale salad is crunchy and crisp, with shredded carrots, purple cabbage, edamame, and avocado. It’s dressed in the tastiest homemade sesame ginger miso dressing. Top your salad with a piece of fresh salmon that has been marinated in the same dressing, then broiled in the oven until crispy and blackened.

salmon kale salad in a bowl with a silver fork

As a Registered Dietitian, you can count on me for kale salad recipes – I have a whole collection of them!

This kale salmon salad has quickly risen to the top of my favorites list.

It’s a meal-sized salad packed with important nutrients like dietary fiber and protein to keep you full for hours.

You’re going to LOVE the flavorful sesame ginger miso dressing – you’ll use it both as a salad dressing and to marinate the salmon.

Speaking of the salmon, it’s broiled in the oven until blackened on top. Broiling salmon results in a crispy outside and moist and flaky inside.

Try some of my other favorite kale salads next: kale slaw with apples, kale salad with beets, farro and delicata squash, kale caesar salad, or simple kale and romaine salad.

Ingredients

Here is everything you’ll need to make this kale salad with salmon:

Fresh salmon: Salmon is rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Read more about the nutrition benefits of salmon, below. You’ll marinate individual pieces of salmon in sesame ginger miso dressing, then broil it in the oven for this recipe.
Kale: There are a few different types of kale available in grocery stores. For this recipe, I recommend using curly kale or lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale. I do not recommend using baby kale, because the leaves are too tender.
Purple cabbage: Shredded purple cabbage adds color and crunch to this salad. purple cabbage is rich in nutrients, including antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Shredded carrots: You can buy pre-shredded carrots, or just shred large carrots yourself using a box grater.
Edamame: Edamame are immature green soybeans with tons of nutrition benefits. One cup of edamame has 17 grams of plant-based protein, 8 grams of fiber, and nearly 20% of your daily potassium needs. Edamame is sold pre-cooked in the produce section of your grocery store, or frozen. If buying frozen edamame, look for shelled edamame (not in the pod).
Scallions: Scallions add a zippy, oniony flavor to this salad that is more mild than if we used raw onion.
Sesame seeds, optional
Sesame ginger miso dressing: toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso paste, fresh ginger, maple syrup, and tahini

Before you make this recipe, check out this post on how to prepare kale to learn how to properly wash kale and remove kale stems.

Kitchen equipment needed

Cutting board
Chef’s knife, 6 or 8 inch
Tin foil
Baking sheet
Small whisk or fork
Small mixing bowl
Large mixing bowl
Salad spoons
Measuring cups and spoons
Pastry brush (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

3 pieces of salmon with miso sesame ginger dressing on a light blue plate — 1. Make the sesame ginger miso dressing and separate about 1/4 cup into a separate dish. Coat the salmon in the dressing with a pastry brush or spoon, only dipping the brush in the separated dressing.

3 pieces of salmon on a foil lined baking sheet — 2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Transfer the salmon filets to the baking sheet, skin side down.

3 pieces of blacked broiled salmon on a light blue plate — 3. Broil salmon in the oven until crispy and blackened on the outside.

Chopped kale on a teal cutting board — 4. Prepare the kale by washing it and removing the tough stems. Finely chop the kale leaves.

Kale salad before being mixed up in a white mixing bowl — 5. Combine the chopped kale with the other salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl: shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, edamame, diced avocado, scallions, and sesame seeds.

kale salad tossed together in a white mixing bowl — 6. Add the remaining dressing to the salad and toss it all together to combine.

two kale salads in low bowls topped with blackened salmon with silver spoons — 7. Portion salads into bowls and top each salad with a salmon filet.

Tips for broiling salmon

Your oven broiler may have multiple broil settings, or just one.

If you have more than one setting for broil, select “high”. This should heat the oven to a temperature between 500° and 550° F.
When broiling salmon, use an oven rack in the center of the oven.
Salmon filets (3-6 ounce pieces) are best for broiling, NOT a large filet, because the salmon cooks so quickly.
Broil the salmon for 6-8 minutes then use a fork to check if the salmon is cooked through. It will be ready when it flakes easily and is opaque in the middle.
If your salmon is blackened but not fully cooked, turn off the broiler and bake the salmon at 350°F for 1-3 minutes to finish cooking.

Can I prepare kale salmon salad in advance?

Kale salads are one of the few types of salad that keep well in the fridge.

Kale, cabbage, and carrots are hardy vegetables, so they won’t get soggy as they sit in the dressing.

You can prep this salad ahead of time and eat it within 3 days, for best results.

Reheat the salmon in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute until heated through. Or, enjoy it cold!

Salmon nutrition benefits

Salmon is one of the best dietary sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA.

Because our bodies can’t make omega-3s, we need to get them from our diet.

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fatty fish like salmon per week for heart health benefits.

In addition to healthy fats, salmon provides several other nutrients! Three ounces of Atlantic salmon provides:

17 grams of protein
172 mg phosphorus (17% of your daily needs)
422 mg potassium (12% of your daily needs)
31.4 mcg selenium (45% of your daily needs)

Kale nutrition benefits

Kale is truely a nutrition powerhouse! One cup of raw kale provides:

2.8 grams of dietary fiber (10% of your daily needs)
2 grams of plant-based protein
170 mg calcium (13% of your daily needs)
1.1 mg iron (6% of your daily needs)
161.47 mcg Vitamin A (18% of your daily needs)
62.6 mg Vitamin C (134% of your daily needs)
261.3 mcg Vitamin K (218% of your daily needs)
0.616 mg manganese (27% of your daily needs)

Kale is also an excellent source of antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds that fight inflammation and keep our cells healthy.

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