With summer here I’m always looking for new, cold recipes for lunch. My default lunch is a simple kale hash that’s always savory and delicious, but when it’s 80 degrees outside, hot eggs are a lot less appealing. Sometimes it’s nice to shake things up with a light, cold main course.

Bring in the Salmon Salad!

Of course, when I say “salmon salad”, I mean the type of salad that typically involves mayo and relish, not light greens with meat on top. It’s that cool, slightly crunchy filling that can be creamy, tangy, and oh-so satisfying.

I’ve never really liked tuna or salmon salads in the past; there’s something about a homogeneous mash of mayonnaise, fish, and questionable relish (and sometimes eggs!) that always sort of turned my stomach. The complicated, off-putting mixture of multiple, potentially unidentifiable flavors was something I couldn’t get my head around. But since I’ve started keeping greek yogurt around for sour cream substitute and occasional indian recipes, it occurred to me that yogurt might make a great substitute for mayo too!

So I figured that while I was replacing the mayonnaise, I might as well dumb down the rest of the recipe too (because if I like anything, it’s a simple recipe). So down with relish! Down with a plethora of spices! Down with eggs*! Back to basics, that’s what I told myself.

Three ingredients, super simple: salmon, greek yogurt, dill. Dill is an herb that I constantly forget about, usually to my own detriment (remember when I made spinach puffs? NEVER underestimate dill). I always have a bottle lurking in my cupboard, and I whipped it out again for this recipe. Less than a teaspoon makes this recipe delicious.

In an effort to keep it basic I didn’t bother tinkering with salt or black pepper (though in the future I might). These 3 ingredients are really all you need for a solid salmon salad base. Also, if you’re wondering, both fat-free and regular greek yogurt work in this recipe (I tried both), but naturally full fat is always more delicious.

Then there’s the veggies. Because I like the bite of a red onion I always dice up just a little bit to add to this recipe, and I always have a green pepper sitting around, so I’ll add the same amount of that as well. A little crunch, if you’re into that sort of thing, is always nice. This is a relatively small portion, so you don’t need a lot; I typically just take a single slice of each and dice it small.

You might be asking “But Mary, why are you making salmon salad instead of traditional tuna?” The easy answer is “I like salmon better.” You can get sealed bags of ready-to-eat salmon about as easily as tuna, so I will be a snob and eat salmon instead. I bet this would work with tuna though, too!

So go forth! Make some of this nice cold salmon salad and give yourself a break from turning on the stove or oven. Eat it on bread! Eat it on a tortilla! Eat it on an (actual) salad! Enjoy!

* Actually no I love eggs. Just down with eggs for this recipe.

Super Simple Salmon Salad

2 Medium-Small Servings or 1 Large Serving

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz shredded salmon
• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
• 1/8 cup diced onion
• 1/8 cup diced green onion
• 3/4 tsp dill

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Put on a tortilla, bread, lettuce, or EAT IT WITH A SPOON.
3. CONSUME!