Salmon gets grilled to perfection in a smoky savory spice rub while you whip up an easy creamy yogurt ranch and crunchy cabbage slaw. If you’ve never had ranch and pickles with salmon, don’t skip this one. Dad will love this with a side of this week’s Grilled Pepper Potato Salad!
Ingredient Highlight
Salmon! the fish we all love because it’s flaky, fatty and a lot harder to overcook/mess up than other fish. It also happens to be packed with more nutrients than I have space to talk about here. It’s one of the most nutritious fish because of it’s super high omega-3 fat content (DHA and EPA). It’s also a great source of protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 4 (4-6 oz) filets wild salmon (center cut)*
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Dill pickle rounds or pickled red onions** (recipe)
- 4 burger buns
For the slaw:
- 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 tbsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the yogurt ranch:
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried dill AKA dill weed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ cup chopped chives, scallions, or dill (optional)
- *The salmon is going on a burger bun, so a nice thick center cut works best.
- **If using dill pickles, slice them into ¼-inch thick rounds. Both are delicious!
- No grill? Just bake the salmon and in a 400 oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Instructions
- Heat your grill on high for at least 10 minutes. Once the grill is heated up, reduce the heat to medium-high.
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Pat the salmon filets dry. With the salmon skin-side down, sprinkle the 1 teaspoon salt all over the filets and drizzle the 1 tablespoon oil over the filets. Divide the spice mixture between the filets and rub it in to coat the flesh in the spices and oil.
- Place the salmon on the grill skin-side down for 6-8 minutes, covered, or until the salmon is mostly cooked through (you may want to turn the heat down a bit, depending on your grill). Flip the salmon and cook for about 2 more minutes on the flesh side, or until the salmon has nice grill marks and is cooked through (easily flakes with a fork). I like to add my buns to the grill towards the end to toast them a bit. Remove the skin from the salmon (it should peel off easily or you could also leave it on if you like the skin).
- While the salmon is grilling, in a medium bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.
- In a separate small/medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the yogurt ranch. Taste and season with salt or anything else you think it needs more of.
- You can decide the order in which to place things, but here’s how I like to do it. Place the slaw on the bottom bun and top with pickle rounds or pickled onions. Place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with the yogurt ranch. Put the top bun on and devour! Highly recommend adding a scoop of the yogurt ranch to your plate for dipping!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make Yogurt Ranch
- Thinly slice 3 cups cabbage
- Make cabbage slaw
- Pickle a red onion (or thinly slice dill pickles)
- Mix together the spice mixture
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, try substituting the salmon with portobello mushroom tossed in the same oil and spices. You could also use a thick slab of tofu, cooking however you like it (roasted, grilled, pan-fried).
- To make vegan, use vegan yogurt alternative and see above for salmon sub.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Grilled salmon: up to 3 days in the fridge
- Slaw: up to 6 days in the fridge
- Yogurt ranch: up to 6 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- If you have leftover everything, make the sandwich again! Just warm up the salmon and toast your bun before assembling.
- Make it a grilled salmon ranch bowl! Use any grain (or lettuce) as a base and top with the salmon, slaw, yogurt ranch, and pickled things!
- Turn it into a grilled salmon ranch taco!
Servings 4 Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 4 (4-6 oz) filets wild salmon (center cut)*
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Dill pickle rounds or pickled red onions** (recipe)
- 4 burger buns
For the slaw:
- 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 tbsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the yogurt ranch:
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried dill AKA dill weed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ cup chopped chives, scallions, or dill (optional)
- *The salmon is going on a burger bun, so a nice thick center cut works best.
- **If using dill pickles, slice them into ¼-inch thick rounds. Both are delicious!
- No grill? Just bake the salmon and in a 400 oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Instructions
- Heat your grill on high for at least 10 minutes. Once the grill is heated up, reduce the heat to medium-high.
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Pat the salmon filets dry. With the salmon skin-side down, sprinkle the 1 teaspoon salt all over the filets and drizzle the 1 tablespoon oil over the filets. Divide the spice mixture between the filets and rub it in to coat the flesh in the spices and oil.
- Place the salmon on the grill skin-side down for 6-8 minutes, covered, or until the salmon is mostly cooked through (you may want to turn the heat down a bit, depending on your grill). Flip the salmon and cook for about 2 more minutes on the flesh side, or until the salmon has nice grill marks and is cooked through (easily flakes with a fork). I like to add my buns to the grill towards the end to toast them a bit. Remove the skin from the salmon (it should peel off easily or you could also leave it on if you like the skin).
- While the salmon is grilling, in a medium bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.
- In a separate small/medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the yogurt ranch. Taste and season with salt or anything else you think it needs more of.
- You can decide the order in which to place things, but here’s how I like to do it. Place the slaw on the bottom bun and top with pickle rounds or pickled onions. Place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with the yogurt ranch. Put the top bun on and devour! Highly recommend adding a scoop of the yogurt ranch to your plate for dipping!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make Yogurt Ranch
- Thinly slice 3 cups cabbage
- Make cabbage slaw
- Pickle a red onion (or thinly slice dill pickles)
- Mix together the spice mixture
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, try substituting the salmon with portobello mushroom tossed in the same oil and spices. You could also use a thick slab of tofu, cooking however you like it (roasted, grilled, pan-fried).
- To make vegan, use vegan yogurt alternative and see above for salmon sub.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Grilled salmon: up to 3 days in the fridge
- Slaw: up to 6 days in the fridge
- Yogurt ranch: up to 6 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- If you have leftover everything, make the sandwich again! Just warm up the salmon and toast your bun before assembling.
- Make it a grilled salmon ranch bowl! Use any grain (or lettuce) as a base and top with the salmon, slaw, yogurt ranch, and pickled things!
- Turn it into a grilled salmon ranch taco!
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