- by Miriam Thom
Rainbow Salad with Lemon-Bay Poached King Salmon
- by Miriam Thom
From the Seatopia kitchen In-house
Recipe by Miriam Thom
Culinary Education at Seatopia — she develops the recipes that ship with the boxes and teaches the member cooking classes
Serves 4 · about 30 minutes · warm or chilled
A crunchy, colorful bowl built around king salmon, gently poached with lemon, bay leaf and salt so it stays buttery and rich.
Serve the salmon warm over the salad, or chill it and flake it on top for a cold lunch that packs well.
At a glance
About 30 minutes
Fifteen minutes of chopping while the salmon poaches for 8–12, plus a 5-minute rest. Add 20 minutes to serve it cold.
Serves 4
Two fillets of our King Salmon, flaked over four bowls of salad.
One pan
A wide pan for the salmon. The salad and dressing need only a bowl and a whisk.
Barely shivering
Small bubbles, never a boil. Keep the poaching liquid just below a simmer.
How it comes together
Poach, rest, flake.
Get the salmon into the pan first. Everything else happens while it poaches.
Build the poaching liquid 5 minutes
Step 1Water, lemon rounds, bay leaves and salt in a wide pan, brought to a gentle simmer, then turned down until it barely shivers.
Poach the salmon 8–12 minutes
Step 2Patted dry and slid in skin-side down, fully covered. Pull it at 120–125°F for a silky, medium center, when it just flakes at the thickest part.
Rest and flake 5 minutes
Step 3Onto a plate to rest, skin peeled off, then broken into large flakes. Serve warm, or chill for 20 minutes.
Chop the salad 10 minutes
Step 4Romaine chopped, carrots and cabbage shredded, onion sliced, cucumber and tomato diced, all into one big bowl.
Dress and serve 2 minutes
Step 5Most of the dressing tossed through the vegetables, salmon and eggs on top, the rest drizzled over.
Fillets vary in thickness, so go by the thickest part: it should just flake when you press it.
Rainbow Salad with Lemon-Bay Poached King Salmon
Miriam Thom
15 minutes
15 minutes
A crunchy, colorful salad topped with king salmon gently poached with lemon, bay leaf and salt. Serve it warm, or chill it and flake it over the salad. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Poached Salmon
- 2 fillets Seatopia King Salmon, thawed in the fridge overnight
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp salt (Miriam uses pink Himalayan)
- About 6 cups cold water, enough to cover the fish by ½ inch
Salad
- 1 head romaine, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cucumber, diced
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved (optional)
Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- 1. Build the poaching liquid. In a wide pan, combine the water, lemon slices, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat until it barely shivers. You should see small bubbles, not a boil.
- 2. Poach the salmon. Pat the salmon dry and slide it in skin-side down, making sure it's fully covered. Keep the liquid just below a simmer for 8–12 minutes, depending on thickness. Pull it at 120–125°F for a silky, medium center, when it just flakes at the thickest part. For fully cooked fish, the FDA suggests 145°F.
- 3. Rest and flake. Lift the salmon onto a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes. Peel off the skin and break the fish into large flakes. Serve it warm, or chill it for 20 minutes for a cold salad.
- 4. Prep the vegetables. Chop the romaine and shred the carrots and cabbage. Slice the onion, then dice the cucumber and tomato. Toss everything in a large bowl.
- 5. Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic with salt and pepper.
- 6. Bring it together. Toss the vegetables with most of the dressing and divide among 4 bowls. Top each with salmon flakes and egg halves, if using. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.
Everything on this plate
Two fillets of our King Salmon are the only thing from the freezer. Alpine King Salmon is the swap. The rest is romaine, carrots, purple cabbage, a red onion, a cucumber, a Roma tomato, two eggs if you like, and for the poaching liquid and dressing, lemons, bay leaves, olive oil, garlic and salt.
$26.17
/serving
Unapologetically rich and velvety—Ōra King salmon, the gold standard for celebratory seafood
$25.75
/serving
All hail the mountain king salmon—royally perfect, raw or roasted
$19.83
/serving
Rich flavor carrying oceanic depth and gentle sweetness across the palate. Contains a selection of King, Atlantic, and Steelhead.
The dressing
Lemon, garlic and olive oil.
A simple lemon dressing that lets the salmon lead. Whisk it while the salmon rests.
1
Whisk it
3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove, with salt and pepper to taste.
2
Toss with most of it
Toss the vegetables with most of the dressing and divide among 4 bowls.
3
Finish with the rest
Salmon flakes and egg halves on top, then a drizzle of the remaining dressing.
Swaps that work
Miriam’s salad is a starting point. Swap in whatever you have.
| As written | Easy swap | What changes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The salmon | King Salmon | Alpine King Salmon | Leaner and a little milder; start checking at 8 minutes |
| The greens | Romaine | Little gem or butter lettuce | Softer and sweeter; dress just before serving |
| The crunch | Purple cabbage | Shaved fennel | Lighter, with a mild anise note |
| The lemon | Fresh lemon juice | Red wine vinegar | Sharper; use a little less |
| The eggs | Hard-boiled eggs | Leave them out | Lighter; the salmon carries the bowl |
| The salt | Pink Himalayan salt | Kosher salt | Same amount in the poaching liquid |
Poach once, eat all week
Poach the salmon up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it whole, then flake it just before serving. Chop the vegetables and keep the dressing in its own jar, so the greens stay crisp for lunches on the go.
Thaw the fillets in the fridge overnight, and pat them dry before they go into the pan.
King Salmon, tested and published
Our King Salmon comes from Ōra King in New Zealand, in skin-on 8.5 oz portions.
Our King Salmon tested at 1,140 mg EPA and 2,290 mg DHA, about 3,430 mg of marine omega-3s, plus 64 mcg selenium, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Low mercury, tested to a tenth of the FDA action level. Every supplier is third-party tested for nutrition, mercury and microplastics, then randomly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the Seatopia Standard. Farms named, panels published.
Poached salmon salad, answered
How do I thaw the salmon?
Move the fillets to the fridge the night before. Take them out of the packaging and pat them dry just before they go into the pan.
Is 120–125°F done?
It gives the silky, medium center Miriam pulls her salmon at, when it just flakes at the thickest part. The FDA conservatively suggests cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F, so poach it a few minutes longer if you prefer it cooked through. Eating raw or undercooked seafood may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially with certain medical conditions.
Why keep it below a simmer?
A rolling boil tightens the outside before the center is ready. Small bubbles, the water barely shivering, cook it gently and evenly.
Can I make it ahead?
Poach the salmon up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it whole, then flake it just before serving. Keep the dressing separate until you eat, so the greens stay crisp.
Warm or cold?
Either. Flake it straight onto the salad while it is warm, or chill it for 20 minutes for a cold salad.
Do I need the eggs?
No. They are optional, and the bowl works without them.
More seafood to cook this week
Recipes from our kitchen and from the people who cook with us.
