Salmon Salad With Peas & Avocado

If there’s one thing Intermittent Fasting and Family Cooking has taught me, it’s making creative, satisfying meals from the leftovers we’ve got. This Salmon Salad is always a crowd pleaser, easily customizable and PCOS friendly! By using the leftover Salmon from our Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe, and pairing it with tasty staples I always have in my fridge (stored in these food safe containers to extend freshness and longevity!!), what I’ve got is a great weeknight dinner or easy to-go lunch for me and Brian. For the kids, they get a bento box version, with this salad presented in a more deconstructed way…amp up the eggs, salmon, avocado and peas and serve it with a side of crackers for their school lunches. And for baby, a la carte items are served up in bite size portions. Healthy brain food for the ones I love!

Ingredients

• Greens…here we use arugula. Anything really goes for this…bibb or endives would be delightful as well.

• Salmon…leftovers from our Sheet Pan Salmon

• Peas

• Avocado Slices

• Eggs…a 10 minute boiled egg shown here. If making to eat right away a 6 minute egg, with its delightfully gooey center is next level!

• Lemon Wedges

• Cheese…feta shown here. Goat cheese would be delish!

• Additional Roasted Vegetables…asparagus, brussel sprouts, red onion…again, leftovers from our Sheet Pan Salmon

• Dressing…we keep it light with olive oil and lemon…but dress this thing however you please…a buttermilk, green goddess or vinaigrette would be a welcome treat.

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To assemble :

Take your greens and pile your toppings on mile high. This salad is great for meals at home or on the go. I make a couple of these ahead of time and store them in these containers for lunches on the go. Enjoy!

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Salmon Cakes

Being from the Lowcountry, I take my seafood cakes (crab cakes and in this case salmon cakes ) very seriously. The perfect use for leftover seafood. Truth be told, sometimes I skip the main course and go straight to these instead. The key to really amazing seafood cakes is to keep the ingredients minimal and allow the seafood to speak for itself. And the real insider tip…skip the bread crumbs all together and go straight to your pantry for crackers! For the classic, crowd pleasing varieties…these simple buttery club crackers are where it’s at. For a slightly elevated, gourmet version that pairs beautifully over salad, these rosemary crackers are my favorite of all time (and my husband’s too, because when I first made these, purely by accident and purely because rosemary crackers were all I had at the time, we both agreed there was no other way to make a crab cake, or salmon cake again!)

Ingredients

• Leftover Salmon…our from this Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe

• Crackers

• Mayonnaise

• Dijon or Ground Mustard

• Lemon

• Pepper

• Worcestershire (not a game changer if you don’t have it)

• Parsley

• Egg

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To Make :

I debated giving you a real, solid, strict recipe, but a) we’re talking leftovers here so your available salmon will vary and b) the best seafood cakes I always make begin with this simple base.

In a bowl, mix a heaping spoonful of mayonnaise, 1/2 a spoonful of dijon or ground mustard, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of pepper. Here’s the trick to making YOUR favorite seafood cakes…this base. Give it a little try and customize accordingly, too mustard-y for your taste? Add a bit more mayonnaise. Looking for more of a kick? Ramp up on the Dijon. Same with the lemon and pepper. Obviously if you have a lot of salmon and you plan to make these for a crowd…scale up the ingredient sizes.

Ok, got your base! Add a splash of Worcestershire (only if you like and have it on hand…skipping it isn’t totally detrimental). Again, to your taste. Take your leftover Salmon and break it into pieces. Then take about half or a third the amount of salmon in crackers (have 1 cup of salmon, use 1/2 or 1/3 cup in crackers…the less crackers to salmon the better). Then using your hands, break up the crackers…I prefer texture to my cakes and larger cracker bits mixed in are fine by me.

Mix in your salmon and crackers into your base. You want things coated well, but not too soggy. If things are extremely dry add more base items. Once things look to the consistency of the photo below, add in an egg.

Ideally, you’d put this mixture in the fridge for an hour prior to cooking, sometimes this is ideal for me, but mostly it’s not. So right into the skillet they go…and it’s not a huge deal.

Over medium high heat, heat olive oil & a little bit of butter (because life’s worth living!). Shape your cakes and put in the pan for about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Flipping when golden.

Plate and Enjoy hot!!! Or let cool and pack in these food safe containers for the perfect next day lunch!

Salmon Bento Box

Who doesn’t love a Bento Box?! Originally from Japenese culture, these healthy alternatives to the weekday lunchable is always a happy and welcomed bag lunch! Easily customizable, I love how in one fell swoop, I’m able to create happy little lunches for the big and small people in my life. The best part…these Bento Boxes are one of the most satisfying and most practical uses for the leftovers we’ve got. This Salmon Bento Box is easily assembled by using the leftover salmon from our Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe, and pairing it with tasty staples I always have in my fridge (stored in these food safe containers to extend freshness and longevity!!) For the kids, I amp up the eggs, salmon and peas and serve it with a side of crackers for their school lunches. And for baby, a la carte items are served up in bite size portions. Healthy, satisfying brain food for the ones I love!

Ingredients

• Salmon…leftovers from our Sheet Pan Salmon

• Corn…add frozen for a practical ice pack…it’ll melt by lunch

• Quinoa or Cous Cous

• Greens…any will do, arugula shown here

• Peas

• Eggs…a 10 minute boiled egg shown here.

• Lemon Wedges

• Additional Roasted Vegetables…asparagus, brussel sprouts, red onion…again, leftovers from our Sheet Pan Salmon

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To Assemble

I think one of the delights of a bento box is in its presentation. Keeping like ingredients together allows the recipient to see exactly what they’re getting. And who doesn’t love a pretty plate?! Layer all ingredients from left to right. Easy & Done! I make a couple of these ahead of time and store them in these containers for lunches on the go. Enjoy!