Best Canned Salmon Salad
on May 22, 2025, Updated Jun 27, 2025
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Make this creamy canned salmon salad in minutes with mayo, lemon, herbs, and celery – a healthy, high-protein lunch or light dinner using pantry staples.
Many of us have a few cans of tinned salmon in our pantries and forget about them. Here’s how to make an easy lunch with canned salmon, a super quick, super easy canned salmon salad recipe that takes about 10 minutes to make! It will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container in the fridge, so it’s a great make-ahead lunch salad.
You can make canned salmon salad with mayo into a satisfying sandwich on many different types of bread. Sliced bread — sourdough, country white, and whole wheat- are good options, toasted or not. Buns are great, and pita bread works beautifully. Add some crunchy lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, and juicy slices of ripe tomato. Or put salmon salad in lettuce wraps, or pile a generous spoonful on a green lettuce salad for a high-protein, low-carb lunch. You can also serve this salad in a bowl with pita triangles or crackers for scooping.
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Serve with old-fashioned potato salad, cole slaw, or macaroni salad on the side.
What's In This Post?
Kitchen Smarts
If you want to use fresh salmon instead of canned salmon, this will take on a whole other level of luxuriousness. Try poached salmon, air fryer salmon, grilled salmon, or baked salmon.
Ingredients
- Canned salmon – See above for more info! This recipe calls for two 6-ounce tins, but you can also use four 3 1/2-ounce tins or whatever gets you to the equivalent of about 12 ounces of canned salmon.
- Mayonnaise – This is the main binder, and I prefer using full-fat mayo, but you can use any mayo you like. Olive oil mayo, low-fat mayo, and avocado mayo — they all work.
- Fresh parsley – I prefer flat-leaf parsley over curly. It has a better texture and flavor. Mince it fairly well so it blends into the salad.
- Onion – Adds a sharp, crunchy bite.
- Celery – This is optional, but I love the fresh crunch it provides.
- Lemon juice – Use fresh if at all possible. The acidic tartness creates a sweet relish and adds a little more texture and a sweet-tangy flavor note.
- Dijon mustard – Just a touch elevates all of the flavors, with some acidity and sharpness.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Be generous with the pepper, and see how salty your salmon is before adding the salt.
How to Make Canned Salmon Salad
- Make the salad: Mix the salmon, mayonnaise, parsley, onion, celery, lemon juice, relish, and mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Add the salt and pepper and blend well.
- Serve: Serve on a lettuce salad, in a sandwich, or with crackers.
Variations
- Try fresh dill instead of the parsley.
- Use whole-fat plain Greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise.
- Add some drained and rinsed capers.
- Use vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
What to Serve With Canned Salmon Salad
I don’t think anyone would object to a handful or two of crunchy potato chips on the side (or tuck them right into the sandwich!). You could also serve the salmon salad with…
I also think making a salmon salad melt would be amazing — just like a tuna salad melt, but with salmon.
If you want to make a lunch sandwich salad-themed buffet, consider offering a selection, including Best Egg Salad, Italian Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad with Grapes, and Best Chicken Salad. And, for something similar yet different, try Salmon Spread made with fresh salmon and smoked salmon combined!
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Quick & Easy Canned Salmon Salad (High Protein Lunch)
Ingredients
- 2 (6-ounce) cans salmon (drained, any extra bits of skin and bones removed)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped celery (optional)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Mix the salmon, mayonnaise, parsley, onion, celery, lemon juice, relish, and mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Add the salt and pepper and blend well.
- Serve on a lettuce salad, in a sandwich, or with crackers.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Know About Salmon Salad
You can use any canned salmon brand you like. Remove any extraneous bones and skin from the salmon before mixing it with the other ingredients. Even if the label says boneless and skinless, there might still be some residual bits in there that you’ll want to toss before blending the fish into this salad.
You can, but because it has mayonnaise, it might become a bit watery when defrosted, and the texture of the fish can become a little mushy. However, if you have leftover salad and can’t use it up within 4 days, freezing is an easy way to preserve extra salmon salad.
Store for up to 3 months in a freezer-proof zipper-top bag with any excess air pressed out of the bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Canned salmon has a high level of Omega-3 fatty acids and is also high in vitamin D and calcium. One 5-ounce can of salmon provides between 19 and 23 grams of protein. Wild-caught canned salmon is a terrific, sustainable choice and has a richer flavor than traditional tinned salmon.
More Salmon Recipes
- Get tips for cooking perfectly grilled salmon.
- Put that favorite small appliance to work and enjoy Air Fryer Salmon — quick and simple.
- The Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
- Use the Simple Asian Salmon recipe when you want a different flavor profile.
- Dedie’s Herbed Salmon will always remain a favorite recipe. Once you try it, you’ll know why!
Love a good no-cook lunch, and this hit the spot.