Whether it is grilled, pan-fried, or served with pesto, salmon is rich in nutrients and flavor making it wholesome dish when paired with sides. Not only tasty, but it’s easy to prepare because it isn’t complicating.
From salmon burgers to patties for breakfast, salmon can be easily be transformed into delicious meal to serve for appetizer or main course with variety of ingredients and garnishes. However, always add health conscious or filling side dishes to enjoy the most.
What to eat with salmon? Regardless of cooking technique, salmon is best served with fresh chopped salad, baked bread, easy to melt cheese, sauces, vegetables, and rice side dishes.
These additions are essential to complement a sweet, salty, spice, and savory tastes that goes well with salmon.
One ought not get stumped with what to serve with salmon since it pairs perfectly with so many ingredients, including a glass of wine like oak-aged Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Champagne, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Nothing is sweeter than pan roasted salmon fillets, roasted veggies, and side of rice. Roasting salmon fillets in the oven gives you beautifully seared fish that requires less attention.
In this article, we focus on what to eat with salmon to make repeatable meals that everyone enjoys. Answered below are frequently asked questions about foods, drinks, sides and sauces to serve with salmon in a complementary way.
What flavors go well with salmon?
Salmon goes well with a variety of flavors including salty, spicy, sour, and sweet. These flavors can be originated by condiments and spices to harmonize the dish in a way that makes it more enjoyable.
Salty taste is easy to achieve with olives, miso, soy sauce, and capers. While the intense flavor from shallots, onion, and horseradish to make it spicy.
The sour and sweet flavor is generally added with squeeze of lemon, lime, grapefruit, vinegar, maple syrup, honey, and brown sugar.
Here are chef’s favorite flavor combinations that go well with salmon:
What is salmon usually served with?
A simple side is enough to compliment a salmon dish, and gives you ample time to prepare as the salmon cooks. However, it is important to makes sure not to outshine the fish’s flavor.
Salmon is commonly served with these items:
- Salads: chopped, Greek salad, arugula, romaine, kale salad
- Breads: bagels, english muffins, croissants, baguette, crostini, sourdough, flatbreads, white bread, pumpernickel, whole wheat
- Cheese: mozzarella, swiss, cheddar, blue, cream cheese, brie, goat, feta cheese
- Rice dishes: fried rice, garlic or lemon basmati rice, wild rice pilaf, saffron or lemon risotto
- Side dishes: grilled asparagus, brussels sprouts, sautéed snap peas or broccoli, grains, pasta
- Vegetables: broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, potatoes, snap peas, broccolini, green beans, arugula, fennel, shallots, chives
- Sauce: lemon herb butter, creamy dill, mustard, spicy teriyaki, lemon garlic sauce
- Wine: oak-aged Chardonnay, Viognier, Marsanne, white Rioja, white Burgundy, white Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Champagne, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Savennieres
What bread goes well with salmon?
Crispy and rustic bread goes well with salmon. Whether the salmon is grilled or smoked, make into quick sandwiches or serve it on the side.
For sandwiches, select mild and standard bread to enjoy every bite with cheese if you prefer.
Most popular breads to eat with salmon include:
- pumpernickel
- rye
- bagel
- ciabatta
- croissant
- white
- garlic bread
- baguette
- english muffins
- crostini
- sourdough
- whole grain
- flatbread
What vegetable to serve with salmon?
When it comes to healthy and nutritious sides to add-on salmon, consider serving a fresh salad or vegetables with salmon. These easy to prepare ingredients blend perfectly with the fish and complete the dish in a well balanced manner.
Chef’s favorite vegetables to serve with salmon are:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- asparagus
- brussels sprouts
- green beans
- sweet potatoes
- potatoes
- squash
- zucchini
- bell peppers
- onions
- bok choy
What sauce goes with salmon?
An accompaniment of salmon is greatly appreciated with the presence of sauces. In classic cuisine, you will see most salmon dishes are paired with creamy, sweet and sour, and salty sauces.
These sauces can be used as dipping sauce, mixed with pasta or drizzled over the fish.
- salmon + miso + pineapple + tomato + white wine
- salmon + lemon juice + dijon mustard
- salmon + cucumber + dill + horseradish
- salmon + sour cream + greek yogurt + herb
- salmon + soy sauce + sriracha + honey + ginger
Best salad to serve with salmon
If grilled, steamed, or roasted vegetables are not what you are looking for, simply serve salmon with salad.
Leafy greens, veggies, cheese, nuts, seeds, salad dressing and garnishments including olives, capers, and roasted peppers. All these ingredients are add to create salad loaded with flavor in every bite.
Especially for lunch, salmon seems incomplete without a salad.
Classic salads that are frequently served with salmon include:
- mixed greens with dried cranberries, pecans, feta cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette
- greek salad with romaine, kale, or baby spinach with lemon basil dressing
- caesar salad
- butter lettuce salad with lemon zest and tarragon leaves
- kale salad with mozzarella cheese
- arugula salmon salad with fresh strawberries
Eat With Salmon: Conclusion
There are various ways to prepare salmon including bake, braise, broil, grill, marinate, panfry, poach, raw, sauté, sear, and steam. With the right ingredients blended together, salmon pairs well with savory, sweet, spicy, and salty dishes.
Use these classic items to be creative and serve salmon with salad, bread, cheese, sauce, vegetables, rice sides, dipping sauce, and wine pairings.
Whether you are making a dipping sauce or simply marinating the salmon with herbs, the best herbs that perfectly compliment salmon are dill, parsley, rosemary, cilantro, fennel, sage, tarragon, bay leaves, basil and thyme.
Other dishes that one should consider adding to their salmon include Greek salad, arugula or kale salad. Serve smoked salmon with bagels, or build a sandwich or burger with leftover salmon pieces.
Depending on how salmon is prepared, consider fried rice, garlic lemon rice pilaf or creamy risotto with a side of grilled asparagus or steamed broccoli. Grains or pasta dishes are the perfect food to serve with salmon and side of vegetables.
Don’t forget to add a glass of wine, either Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, to make the meal even more enjoyable.
Never feel shy to try out new recipes since it’s through trying out unique combinations that we get to understand what the best food pairings for salmon truly are.