Smoked Salmon Salad with Maple Chipotle Glaze

This salad comes in strong all across the board. We start with a salty and sweet marinade that brings a kick of heat. The salmon is moist and smoked to perfection in the Z Grills 700D3. Then finish strong with heaps of mixed greens, fresh veggies, tropical fruits, and a maple and lime vinaigrette that will transport your taste buds to the tropics.

Yes! You can save time by preparing ahead

We started by marinating the salmon for 3 hours. We made the marinade in the early afternoon – went for a hike – then came home ready for a delicious and healthy evening dinner.

When ready to make dinner, take the salmon out of the fridge and start preheating your pellet grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. While the grill is preheating, make a foil boat to hold the salmon filets and prepare the glaze. When the pellet grill reaches temperature, transfer a foil boat to the grill, and set a timer for 30-minutes. When you place the salmon on the grill, head inside and prepare the salmon glaze and dressing.

Cook to a safe minimum internal temperature

Check the internal temperature of the salmon every 30-minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Every time you check the temperature, coat the outside of the salmon with a layer of glaze.

The salmon took 1 hour and 15-minutes to reach my desired internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. We took the salmon off the grill to rest for 5-minutes and assembled the salad while the fish was resting. We poured the remainder of the glaze on the salmon while they were resting because We love the flavor of the chipotle maple glaze, and We wanted to bring in as much of that wonderful flavor as possible.

Tropical salmon salad with chipotle maple glazed

We used 4-large salad bowls for these tropical dinner salads and assembled the salads individually to control the ratios of ingredients on everyone’s plates.

Grab large salad bowls and divide your ingredients into 4-portions. Start with mixed greens on the bottom, then layer in chopped cucumber and pineapple with sliced cherry tomatoes and avocado. Drizzle maple and lime vinaigrette over the salad, then top with a filet of smoked salmon, chopped mint, and coarse finishing salt.

Let’s talk about finishing salt for a moment. If you have never used it, please pick some up on your next shopping trip. We put finishing salt on almost every dish because the large coarse salt crystals add texture and elevate the flavor of every savor dish. Just look at the salt crystals on my salmon—finishing salt is delicious!

How long can smoked salmon stay in the fridge?

According to the USDA, cooked fish can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days after cooking. Refrigerator does not stop bacterial growth, so be sure to store all food with time and temperature control and finish them as soon as possible.