Last Updated on November 5, 2025 by Sabrina Currie
A delicious and easy lunch or dinner or a luxe side dish, simple hot smoked salmon salad bowls with avocado and berries have a tasty contrast of flavors and textures. Done in just 15 minutes, it is a nourishing salad that is super satisfying and crave-worthy.
Maple syrup naturally sweetens the salad dressing and using a fruit vinegar plays up the sweet pop of the berries and the smoky, salty flavor of the salmon. Got lots of smoked salmon? Enjoy it on this smoked salmon, cream cheese and cracker platter and for more great salads, check out the 30+ Best Avocado Salad Recipes.
Jump to:
Dad's Smoked Salmon Is The Best
I grew up eating home smoked salmon that my dad would make and it is one of my all-time favourite ingredients to use. Great as a snack with cream cheese and crackers or stirred into creamy pasta studded with capers for a comforting and elegant dinner.
I love big chunks of hot smoked and thinly sliced cold smoked salmon, but this recipe works particularly well with hot smoked salmon fillets. You can use a little or a lot, depending on how hearty you want to make the salad. When buying smoked salmon, I personally prefer wild smoked salmon. Bright red sockeye, larger chum salmon or even smaller pink salmon are all great choices.
Ingredients
This is a great salmon recipe when you want an easy meal or in the summer when you want a no-cook lunch or dinner. Hot-smoked salmon salad can be served in bowls like I've shown, family-style on a large platter or dished up on individual plates. This makes 4 full servings or 8 appetizer/side salad servings.
- Smoked Salmon - Hot smoked salmon has a lovely flaky texture and sweet, smoky flavors. I've used ½ pound (225 grams or 8 oz) but you can double that if you like. You can purchase it fresh at a fish monger or most grocery stores or buy shelf stable foil packs (see below) that are handy to keep on hand. I love using this salmon in smoked salmon dip and salmon sandwiches, too, and a little goes a long way.
- Avocado - Fresh avocado adds the perfect creaminess, complimenting this crisp simple salad.
- Capers - Briny, salty capers add the perfect pop of flavor that adds more excitement to this salmon salad.
- Raspberries - While fresh raspberries (or other fresh berries like blueberries or blackberries) are important for the salad, frozen raspberries can be used for the dressing with great results.
Substitutions And Variations
- Salad Vegetables - Swap out the peas for tender, blanched asparagus tips or green beans.
- Add An Egg - Top this tasty smoked salmon salad with sliced hard boiled egg or fried runny eggs for a great brunch salad or a heartier lunch.
- Syrup Swap - If you don't have maple syrup, honey is a great alternative.
- Salmon - No hot smoked salmon? Substitute smoked trout, tuna, cold smoked salmon (lox) or leftover grilled or baked salmon. You can even use well-drained canned salmon flaked apart into bite-sized pieces for a budget-friendly weeknight meal.
- Add Cheese - Feta cheese or small balls of bocconcini are a yummy addition. Use about ⅔ of a cup of cheese and add it when you add the salmon just before the final toss or arrange it around the salad after it's plated. If you're adding cheese, you can use the dill or switch it out for the Mediterranean flavor of fresh basil.
- Herbs - Not a fan of dill? Parsley, chives or basil make tasty substitutions.
Step By Step Instructions
A quick and easy berry vinaigrette tops this flavorful hot smoked salmon salad that takes less than 15 minutes! Dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before using.
Step 1. Add raspberries to your measuring cup or small bowl.
Step 2. Mash them well until they are a juicy puree.
Step 3. Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
Step 4. Whisk it well (or shake in a lidded jar).
Step 5. Toss greens, raspberries, peas, radishes and half of the herbs with some of the dressing and pile equally into 4 bowls. Arrange each bowl with an equal amount of sliced avocado and chunks of smoked salmon. Drizzle remaining dressing over each bowl and then top with the leftover sprigs of dill
More Delicious + Healthy Salad Recipes
I love a good salad, one with lots of flavorful ingredients that is sometimes a starter and sometimes the main course. Try one of these next time!
- Easy Arugula Burrata Salad With Oven Roasted Grapes
- Greek Spinach Salad With Feta + Fresh Lemon Dressing
- Thai Prawn Salad With Mango And Spot Prawns
- Fresh Fig Salad
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Hot Smoked Salmon Salad Bowl With Avocado And Berries
Ingredients
- ½ lb Hot smoked salmon or more, broken into small pieces (about a half side of salmon)
- 6 c Butter lettuce or mixed greens
- 1 c Raspberries
- ½ c Radishes thinly sliced
- 1 c Snap peas sliced in half diagonally if too large for one bite
- 1 Avocado sliced
- ¼ c Fresh dill chopped or pulled apart into small sprigs, tough stems discarded
Salad Dressing
- ¼ c Raspberries
- 4 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Capers
- ¼ teaspoon each: Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
Dressing
- Add ¼ cup of raspberries to a small bowl or measuring cup. Mash them well into a paste. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk well to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired and set aside.
Assemble The Salad Bowls
- In a large bowl, combine lettuce or greens, raspberries, radishes, peas and ½ the dill. Drizzle ⅔ of the dressing over top and toss gently.
- Divide tossed salad between 4 bowls, then top each with an equal amount of sliced avocado and chunks of smoked salmon. Drizzle remaining dressing over each bowl and then top with the leftover sprigs of dill.
BERNADETTE says
This recipe looks amazing Sabrina. It would make a good brunch dish.