I’m always trying to find easy ways to eat more salmon, and this salmon salad sandwich absolutely wins. You start out with tinned salmon, so there’s no grilling or pan-searing necessary (but I’ve included a recipe note in case you’re using fresh). But you end up with a sandwich that looks and tastes nothing like it’s ever been anywhere near a can.
A few things that make this one my favorite salmon salad sandwich:
- Perfect texture: Its technique results in a nice textural variety, something most salmon salads are lacking in. It’s as easy as being careful not to over-work your salmon while mixing.
- Fresh flavor: It includes a few fresh ingredients, keeping it easy while adding some crunch to contrast our tinned salmon.
- Precise layering: I specify exactly how to layer it so it remains structurally sound.
- Versatility: It works with any kind of canned salmon you might have. Just check the notes at the end of the recipe for details.
Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on for more details.
Salmon salad sandwich suggestions
Here are a few tips for using the recipe in this post:
1. Get fancy if you feel like it!
This recipe works with inexpensive canned salmon, but it’s also a fun opportunity to use an expensive tin. I recently used a $10 tin of wild-caught salmon to make these ($5/sandwich! 🤑), and it was totally worth it as a treat.
2. Use the right amount of drained salmon.
The particular salmon I used to develop this recipe was simply 100% fish. It was not packed in water or oil, so it lost very little weight after draining. If yours is water-packed or oil-packed, that’s okay:
Just make sure that your drained weight is about 6 oz (170g). The drained weight is often printed alongside the net weight on the package.
If you have a smaller can of salmon, you might want to make a half recipe (just 1 sandwich). Or you can use a couple cans. You don’t need to be particularly precise with this recipe—you just want to make sure the proportions are about correct.
3. Use less mayo with oil-packed salmon.
Mayo is mostly oil. So if you’re using oil-packed, you should cut back on the mayo a bit. If you don’t, your sandwich will taste heavy and oily.
4. Layer in order!
Sandwiches are vastly underestimated. There is a real art to building a good sandwich, and if you think making a sandwich is an unskilled task, then I’d venture to bet your sandwiches are not living up to their potential.
I’ve got a whole post with my philosophy of sandwich building. But if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, you can always just follow the order of ingredients in the recipe in this post. It won’t steer you wrong!
Behind-the-scenes
A quick note on the photos in this post for anyone who wants a bit more behind-the-scenes context:
It’s really hard to get good sandwich photos without using skewers or toothpicks to hold everything together. In these photos, I used 2 skewers, the tips of which I edited out in Lightroom, but otherwise styled these without any tricks. I know it’s just a sandwich, but I’m just noting this in the interest of transparency.
My husband and I ate the batch from this photoshoot (he said it was the best salmon salad sandwich he’d ever had). You can see me making them in the video at the end of the recipe card below. I shot the photos and video in one take, so that’s the exact same sandwich as the one in the photos.
PrintSalmon Salad Sandwich
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bread
- One 7.5 oz [212g] can of salmon*
- 1 Tbsp mayo
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 Tbsp thinly sliced celery
- 2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Garlic powder (optional)
- Toppings: 4 leaves of lettuce, red onion slices (optional), tomato slices
Instructions
- Toast the bread.
- Drain the can of salmon very well. Move to a small mixing bowl. Add the mayo, lemon, mustard, celery, green onion, black pepper, salt and garlic powder to taste (if using). Mix together until distributed, breaking the salmon up into smaller pieces as you go. Don’t over-work the salmon.
- Stack your sandwich: toast, lettuce, red onion (if using), salmon, tomato (with a little salt), lettuce, toast.
- Cut in half and enjoy right away.
Notes
* I used a very tightly-packed canned salmon, which has a drain weight very similar to its canned weight. If you have the kind of salmon that is flaked and packed in a lot of oil or water, you’ll need more. The important thing is to use 6 oz/170g of drained salmon. The drained weight is often printed next to the net weight on the outside of the can.
If you’re using oil-packed, you may want to use less mayo.
For fresh salmon, you should use 2 small fillets, which you can grill, roast, or pan-sear.
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