Smoked Salmon Arugula Quinoa Salad

This Smoked Salmon Arugula Quinoa Salad is healthy and flavorful! It's tossed with asparagus, almonds, and Parmesan vinaigrette dressing.

This Arugula Quinoa Salad is bursting with fresh ingredients. It's hearty and perfect served for lunch or as a side dish during the spring and summer months.

Quinoa is such a great ingredient to add to salads because it bulks them up and makes them into more of a meal. It's also acts as sort of a blank canvas and tends to absorb whatever flavors are added to it.

That is definitely the case with this quinoa salad. It's tossed with blanched asparagus, fresh arugula, smoked salmon, slivered almonds, and a homemade Parmesan vinaigrette.

This salad is bright, tangy, earthy, nutty, and a little smoky from the salmon. It can be served on its own for lunch or topped a poached or fried egg for dinner.

This is the type of salad you might order at a bistro because it feels a little special, but in reality is super easy to prepare. It makes a great side dish for a BBQ or potluck during the summer months and can even be served for brunch.

Jump to:

• How To Add Flavor To Quinoa
• Ingredients For Arugula Quinoa Salad
• What Vegetables Pair Well With Quinoa?
• How To Blanch Asparagus
• Does Smoked Salmon Need To Be Cooked?
• Where To Find Smoked Salmon?
• How To Make Parmesan Vinaigrette
• How To Make Arugula Quinoa Salad
• What To Serve With Smoked Salmon Quinoa Salad
• How Long Does Quinoa Salad Last In The Fridge?
• Can It Be Frozen?
• Smoked Salmon Arugula Quinoa Salad

How To Add Flavor To Quinoa

Quinoa itself doesn't have a ton of flavor, but it does tend to absorb the flavor of whatever is added to it.

For this reason, quinoa is an incredibly versatile ingredient that lends itself to any number of cuisines. Quinoa can be added to soups, salads, chili, and casseroles. It can be flavored with everything from curry powder to cumin to Italian seasoning.

It's delicious paired with a variety of spices and fresh herbs, raw or cooked vegetables, fresh or dried fruits, grilled or roasted meats, nuts, cheeses, oils and vinegars. There is literally no wrong way to utilize quinoa.

It's important that the quinoa used to make this salad is cooled before adding the rest of the ingredients, so it's best to allow enough time for it to cool when making it.

For the best results, allow the quinoa to cool for at least 15 minutes, but ideally for 30 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients For Arugula Quinoa Salad

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 1 cup Quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 lb. Asparagus
• 2-3 packed cups Arugula
• ⅓ cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp. Honey (or maple syrup)
• ½ tsp. Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• ½ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated) (can sub Asiago or Romano cheese)
• 3-4 oz. Smoked Salmon
• ½ cup Slivered Almonds (or sliced almonds)
• 1-2 Lemons (zest and juice)

What Vegetables Pair Well With Quinoa?

Quinoa has a naturally earthy and nutty flavor that lends itself perfectly to vegetables of all kinds. It's great with raw, roasted, grilled, or sautéed vegetables.

It pairs nicely with all varieties of fresh greens. Arugula, kale, Swiss chard, and spinach are all great additions to cooked quinoa. Hearty green vegetables like asparagus, green beans, broccoli, and peas are tasty options.

Quinoa also works well with sweeter veggies like beets, carrots, and cauliflower in addition to tomatoes, eggplant, and avocadoes.

For this recipe, I wanted to focus on spring and summer vegetables, so I chose asparagus and arugula.

You can sub green beans for the asparagus and spinach or any variety of hearty greens for the arugula if you prefer.

How To Blanch Asparagus

When adding hearty vegetables like asparagus or green beans to a salad, I love to blanch them first.

Blanching is a simple cooking technique that involves cooking the vegetables for 2-3 minutes in boiling water and then transferring them to a bowl of ice water to help stop the cooking process.

The process of blanching vegetables allows them to retain their tender, but crisp texture and brings out their bright natural colors. I find that it helps to get rid of the 'raw' vegetable taste and sweetens them up a bit.

The asparagus can be blanched while the quinoa is cooking on the stove top or in the process of cooling.

1. To blanch the asparagus, start by washing and drying 1 lb. of asparagus.
2. Trim the dry, woody ends of the asparagus and discard.
3. Cut the asparagus spears into halves or thirds, depending on your preference.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the chopped asparagus and boil for 2-3 minutes.
5. After 2-3 minutes, transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water using a metal strainer or slotted spoon. Allow the asparagus to cool completely.
6. Place the blanched asparagus in a colander and allow to drain.

Love asparagus? Check out this Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus Frittata, Asparagus Broccoli Soup, and Prosciutto Roasted Asparagus!

Does Smoked Salmon Need To Be Cooked?

Smoked salmon is a great shortcut ingredient, because it's already cooked. It's salmon that has been brined or cured in salt and then either hot-smoked or cold-smoked. The brining and smoking process 'cooks' the salmon, so it's safe to consume.

Smoked salmon also boasts a lot of flavor. It's naturally smoky, salty, and briny. I find the flavor to be reminiscent of bacon. Smoked salmon is perfect for the summer months, because there is no need to turn on the oven for further cooking.

Where To Find Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon has become widely available in recent years and can be found in the deli section or specialty foods section of your local grocery store. I purchased a package of cold smoked salmon from my local ALDI store to make this salad.

You can definitely grab some smoked salmon from a local smokehouse if you live in an area where salmon are abundant.

1. To prepare the smoked salmon, all you need to do is dice 3-4 oz. of smoked salmon.
2. For the best results, try to make sure all of the smoked salmon is relatively even in size so that it distributes nicely in the salad.

Love smoked salmon? Check out this Smoked Salmon Dill Crostini and Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl!

How To Make Parmesan Vinaigrette

A hearty salad like this one requires a dressing with bold flavors that not only stand up to but allow the ingredients to shine.

This Arugula Quinoa Salad is tossed in a homemade Parmesan vinaigrette. It's easy to prepare using a small food processor and gives the salad a zesty bite.

You can also use a regular food processor to make this salad dressing. Alternately, you can place all of the ingredients into a mason jar, seal it with the lid, and shake the dressing vigorously (make sure to mince the garlic first if using this method).

1. To make the dressing, start by chopping 2 cloves of garlic in half (mince the garlic cloves if using a mason jar).
2. Grate a heaping ½ cup of Parmesan cheese (can sub Asiago or Romano cheese).
3. In a small food processor, add 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar), 2 chopped cloves garlic, 1 tsp. honey (or maple syrup), ½ tsp. each Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper, and the heaping ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Pulse all of these ingredients a few times.
5. Slowly add ⅓ cup of olive oil to the food processor, pureeing the dressing at the same time. The oil will emulsify as its added to the food processor, creating a smooth texture and all of the ingredients should be evenly incorporated.

How To Make Arugula Quinoa Salad

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled, the asparagus blanched and drained, the smoked salmon chopped, and the dressing prepared, all that's needed is to assemble the salad.

I find that it works best to combine all of the elements in a large mixing bowl and add the salad dressing a bit at a time, stirring until everything is evenly incorporated.

1. Start by placing the cooked and cooled quinoa in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the blanched and drained asparagus to the quinoa.
3. Add 2-3 packed cups of arugula to the bowl.
4. Place the chopped smoked salmon into the bowl along with ½ cup of slivered (or sliced) almonds.
5. Pour a bit of the dressing into the salad at a time, making sure to stir all of the ingredients each time.
6. Continue with the remainder of the salad dressing and stir until all of the ingredients are completely coated in the dressing and evenly distributed.
7. Using a Microplane zester, add the zest of 1 lemon on top of the salad and then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the salad (making sure not to get any of the seeds in the salad).

What To Serve With Smoked Salmon Quinoa Salad

Once the salad is assembled, it's ready to serve!

Feel free to garnish this quinoa salad with some extra slivered almonds, Parmesan cheese, and extra lemon zest or lemon juice if you'd like to brighten it up even more.

This salad is hearty enough to enjoy on its own and is great for lunch or a light dinner. Or, you can top it with a poached egg or fried eggs to make it more of a meal.

It's perfect served at a summer BBQ or potluck alongside grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, grilled beef kebabs, burgers, or steak.

It can be paired with other summer side dishes and salads such as this Mediterranean potato salad, healthy pea mint salad, pickled beet salad, or marinated green bean salad.

How Long Does Quinoa Salad Last In The Fridge?

Any leftover salad may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

This salad may also be made the day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge before serving.

Can It Be Frozen?

I do not recommend freezing this quinoa salad, as it is best enjoyed right away or within a few days.

Love arugula? Check out this Mushroom Arugula Pizza and Arugula Pesto Tomato Pizza!

Looking for more salads? Check out these recipes!

• Italian Quinoa Salad
• Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
• Marinated Tomato Salad
• Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
• Kohlrabi Slaw
• Blue Cheese Coleslaw

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