Salmon Waldorf Salad Recipe

Prep produce and nuts

Wash and thoroughly dry the arugula and butter lettuce; spin in a salad spinner or pat dry. Core and dice the apple into 1/2" pieces and toss immediately with a light squeeze of yuzu or lemon (to prevent browning) if desired. Halve the grapes, thinly slice the celery on the bias, and set aside. Chop the toasted walnuts roughly.

Char the cucumber

Slice the cucumber lengthwise into quarters, then cut each quarter into 2" pieces. Heat a grill pan or heavy skillet over high heat until smoking lightly. Brush the cucumber pieces very lightly with a few drops of neutral oil. Place cucumbers cut-side down and press gently; char without moving for about 1–2 minutes until dark char marks form. Turn and char the adjacent sides for another 1 minute. Remove and let cool slightly, then cut into bite-sized pieces if needed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, yuzu juice, Dijon mustard, and honey until smooth. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Stir in minced dill, salt, and black pepper and taste; adjust acidity or sweetness with extra yuzu or honey as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Season and sear salmon

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Heat a nonstick or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat and add the neutral oil. When oil is shimmering, place the salmon skin-side down and press gently for 10 seconds to ensure contact. Sear skin-side down for 3–4 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is cooked about two-thirds of the way up the side. Flip and cook the top for 30–60 seconds for medium-rare to medium (cook longer if you prefer well done). Remove to a plate and let rest 3 minutes. Using a spoon, flake the salmon into large flakes, leaving some intact pieces for presentation.

Finish and garnish

Sprinkle the salmon with the yuzu zest and a little extra minced dill. Reserve a few dill sprigs for garnish.

In a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce/arugula mix, charred cucumber pieces, halved grapes, sliced celery, diced apple, and chopped toasted walnuts. Add about 3/4 of the yuzu-dill dressing and toss gently to coat (reserve dressing to adjust at the table). Fold in most of the flaked salmon, leaving some larger pieces aside for plating.

Divide the dressed salad among 4 plates or assemble on a single large platter. Top each portion with the reserved larger salmon pieces. Spoon any remaining dressing lightly over the salmon. Garnish with remaining chopped dill sprigs and a few extra walnut pieces for crunch. Finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a grind of black pepper.