Winter Salmon Salad is made with grilled salmon, baby spinach, apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans all tossed in a Cinnamon Vinaigrette.
I can’t recall where I first tasted a salad dressing that had cinnamon as one of the ingredients but I do recall it was a delicious taste that I hadn’t had in a salad dressing before. So off to my kitchen I went to recreate it and I am very pleased with the results of the Winter Salmon Salad with the special Cinnamon Vinaigrette.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how well the warm cinnamon marries with the salmon, apples, cranberries, and pecans. The warm spice makes it the perfect vinegarette for a winter salad that is a full meal.
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Winter Salmon Salad
Winter Salmon Salad is made with grilled salmon, baby spinach, apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans all tossed in a cinnamon vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Fish, Salad
- Method: Easy Recipe
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 apple, diced (I used honey crisp)
- 4–5 heaping TBS dried cranberries
- 4–5 TBS heaping TBS toasted walnuts
- 1 pat butter
- 1 TBS maple syrup
- 1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (substitution: black pepper)
- 4–5 oz. of fresh baby spinach (substitution: arugula)
FOR THE SALMON
- 2 salmon steaks cut about the same size
- 1 TBS sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1TBS extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Salad
- In a small stove-top skillet, melt 1 pat of butter.
- Mix in maple syrup.
- Add pecans and toast on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- When the pecans are toasted, transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool.
- Dice the apple into small pieces and set aside.
- In a small dish, whisk together the vinegar, cinnamon, olive oil, and pepper. (I like to add all my salad dressing ingredients into a small mason jar and shake it until mixed.)
- In a large bowl, add baby spinach and apples.
- Toss dressing lightly with apples and spinach(I use a TBS at a time to make sure the salad does not have too much dressing as you want the dressing to be a light flavor.)
- Top with dried cranberries and pecans
For the Salmon
- Pat salmon dry on both sides with a paper towel; set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder.
- Rub spice mix on both sides of the salmon.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet on the stove top for 1-2 minutes; reduce heat to medium-high and add olive oil.
- Add salmon and let them sear, without moving them, until you see the cook line reach the middle of the fish.
- Turn the salmon and cook until finished.
Assemble the salad
- Place the tossed salad on a plate and top each with a salmon steak.
I was inspired to create this blog by my daughter during her Christmas visit. I have spent the last few years photographing my food creations and sharing recipes so she suggested I take the plunge into full-out blogging – so here I go! 
A beautifully matched combination of flavors. Its difficult to find recipes that look sophisticated but are actually easy to make so thank you for sharing this recipe. I might try out adding some textures and flavors with some raisins and nuts.
Thanks so much! I like adding apple slices too. Hope you enjoy!