Seared Salmon Salad with Baked Crispy Chickpeas & Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe

For national show The List, we featured three recipes based on the very popular MIND Diet, which aims to improve brain function and prevent dementia. For that segment, we created healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner options using MIND Diet ingredients. This Seared Salmon Salad with Baked Crispy Chickpeas & Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe was our featured lunch!

I encourage you to play with this recipe! Use a base of any dark, leafy salad greens, like arugula, kale or baby spinach. And then add in your favorite salad vegetables. 

Why This Seared Salmon Salad with Baked Crispy Chickpeas & Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe Works: 

• It’s delicious and its ingredients have be shown to improve cognition and preventing Alzheimer’s!
• The crispy chickpeas are SO easy to make and really give this salad a nice crunch!
• The fresh strawberry vinaigrette adds a slight sweetness, and you’ll rest assured knowing nothing but fresh ingredients are going into this dressing!

Ingredients for this Seared Salmon Salad with Baked Crispy Chickpeas & Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe

• 4 (4oz) skin-on wild salmon filets (about ¾” thick)
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 ounces dark, leafy greens, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• Baked Crispy Chickpeas
  • 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
• Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette
  • 8 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries, tops removed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

How to Make this Seared Salmon Salad with Baked Crispy Chickpeas & Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe

1. Cook the salmon: Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Swirl olive oil into a large, nonstick skillet (do not turn on heat yet). Place the salmon filets, skin side down. Turn the heat to medium-high and let salmon cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes, until the skin is crispy and golden brown, and the bottom ¼” of the salmon turns opaque.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Flip the salmon and continue to cook for an additional 4 minutes (depending on thickness), until the salmon is cooked to your linking (or thickest part registers 125F). Transfer salmon to a plate lined with paper towels to rest for 3 minutes to finish cooking.
   
3. Assemble the salad: Toss the salad greens, cucumber and tomato together. Lay on a piece of salmon. Drizzle on the strawberry vinaigrette and top with crispy chickpeas.

For the Chickpeas:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Drain the can of garbanzo beans in a strainer and rinse with water for a few seconds to clean off the beans. Shake and tap the strainer to rid of excess water. Lay paper towel on a baking sheet, and spread the beans over. Use another paper towel to gently press and absorb the water on the beans. Roll the beans around with the paper towel to also remove the thin skin from any of the beans. Discard the skins and the paper towels.

For the Strawberry Vinaigrette

1. If using fresh strawberries, give them a rough chop. If using frozen strawberries, defrost first. In a blender, add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in a mason jar in refrigerator.

FAQs 

What salad greens do you use?

 Personally, I use baby spinach and chopped kale for this healthy salad!

What if I don’t have salmon?

See what your local fishmonger has fresh. Albacore tuna and arctic char are also great sustainable, healthy choices.

I can’t seem to find chickpeas.

Take a look for garbanzo beans, as these are the same as chickpeas. 

Can I use store-bought salad dressing?

You can, but store-bought salad dressings contain quite a bit of sugar and sodium. To keep this salad MIND Diet-friendly, stick to the fresh strawberry vinaigrette. It whizzes up in 2 minutes!

More MIND Diet Recipes

• Overnight Oats with Berries & Nuts Recipe
• Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf with Honey Mustard Chicken