This Greek Salmon Salad is inspired by one of my favorite restaurants that I used to frequent! It’s a take on a mediterranean salmon salad served with feta, artichokes, pita bread and more.
It’s almost been a full year since we’ve moved back to Michigan from Pennsylvania. It feels crazy it’s been a year already. I’ve said it before but I was a complete mess this time last year. It was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve done–leaving a place you finally started to call home. I mean, moving out to PA right after college was hard. I still remember saying goodbye to my family with lots of tears, and our big one-way moving truck. But leaving another kind of family and knowing that your time there has come to an end, is also really hard. As Drew and I start to pack up our apartment I’ve found going away cards from my friends there. It makes me both sad and happy at the same time, you know? Like, “Wow, I really freaking miss them.” And then I feel so very fortunate that I was able to foster close relationships with people there for four years.
Pennsylvania was really good to us. I look back on our time there and we have so many good memories. There are plenty of things I miss there: our friends, the rolling hills (I didn’t know how flat Michigan was until we moved), the rail trails, our favorite restaurants…
Well one restaurant in particular for me: The Hershey Pantry. We lived in Lancaster County and Hershey (yes, like the chocolate) was only a 20 minute drive for us. More often than not we’d find ourselves at the Pantry for weekend brunch or even a weeknight dinner when we didn’t feel like cooking. I used to get their emails (oh, and also downloaded the app… total fan girl) so I would always see what the specials were. And would then beg Drew to go depending on what the fun daily specials were.
The Pantry is like one of those places that is small and quaint, and probably wouldn’t even be on your radar if it weren’t for social media or Yelp. Stepping in the cute little leopard carpeted restaurant, you may start to question your decision to dine there. But truly everything on their menu is delicious. I was a huge fan of their salads. My favorite was easily the Mediterranean Salmon Salad. I remember the first time I tried it and I could not get over how amazing it was. As weird as it may sound, I have never encountered another salmon salad quite like theirs.
So because I can’t have the Hershey Pantry salmon salad these days, I was inspired to create a version of my own to share with you. This actually isn’t the first time I’ve shared a “Pantry-inspired” meal. I also felt it was my duty to share these ridiculous fries that were on their seasonal menu for quite some time.
I’m telling you guys, if you make it to Hershey, PA get yourselves to The Hershey Pantry.
My Favorite Greek Salmon Salad
what you need
- wild caught salmon
- seasoning & dried herbs
- oil
- artichokes
- red onion
- black olives
- tomatoes
- feta
- pita bread
Part of what make this salmon salad so delicious at The Hershey Pantry is the herb crusted salmon. I’m not exactly sure how they get it so amazing, because I don’t think there is any breading on it, but I gave it my best shot and am pretty pleased with the results!
I *heavily* seasoned the salmon fillet with spices and herbs and started cooking the salmon skin side up to encrust the salmon with the seasoning, before flipping the salmon skin side down to fully cook. It only took about 6 minutes for the salmon to cook in my cast iron skillet. During that time I was prepping the veggies and getting the plates ready for serving. It really only took about 10 minutes to throw together!
This salmon salad is anything but boring thanks to all of the toppings. Feta must make an appearance. And the little pita bread side they served with it was always fun too… I think when you take the time to create well-plated meals at home, you can get them to taste almost like the restaurant original. But when you can’t get to your favorite restaurant (or if you’re just trying to save some cash) taking the extra time to make your plate look pretty is definitely worth it.
How to Make…
My Favorite Greek Salmon Salad
Prep the veggies and your salad plate while the salmon cooks and you’ll have this delicious salad meal ready in 10 minutes!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 10oz wild salmon fillet, cut in two
- 1 TBS greek seasoning*
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 TBS oil for cooking salmon
- 6 cups of greens
- 4 artichoke hearts, halved (I used canned)
- 1/4 cup thinly slice red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
- 1 pita bread round, sliced into triangles
- favorite Greek salad dressing
Instructions
- Make sure salmon fillets are patted dry with paper towel. Generously cover salmon fillets in Greek seasonings and herbs. Press the seasoning into the salmon, set aside.
- Heat cast iron skillet on stovetop and allow to warm for about one minute on medium-high heat. Add about one tablespoon of oil to skillet once heated.
- Once the skillet has heated, place seasoned salmon skin side up, seasoned side down. Cover pan with lid and cook the salmon this way for 3 minutes (I set a timer so I don’t forget) then gently flip the salmon with a spatula to cook skin side down, about another 3 minutes, covered. Watch here to make sure you don’t over-cook the salmon. The salmon will be done when easily flaked with fork. Also note: the thinner the salmon fillet, the faster it cooks. I used about 1″ thick fillets.
- Start plating your salad with about 3 cups of greens per plate, then the salmon fillet, and evenly distribute the rest of the toppings: artichokes, red onion, black olives, tomatoes, feta, and sliced pita bread. Serve with your favorite Greek dressing or homemade vinaigrette, enjoy!
Recipes Notes:
*You can use store-bought Greek seasoning, or a combination of spices using this recipe for reference.
Nutrition Information:
- Serving Size: 1/2
- Calories: 457
- Sugar: 7g
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 78mg
I hope you guys enjoy my favorite Greek salmon salad as much as I do!
Emily says
This looks like an incredible repeat of the Hershey Pantry salad; although I’ve never had this one; I could 100% see this on a restaurant’s menu.
kaci cheeseman says
Girl! This looks so good! I love that you included a link for homemade Greek seasoning!!
★★★★★
Britney // Savour & Shine says
This looks so tasty! I’ve been eating lots of salmon during my final exam season for that extra brain boost – can’t wait to try this recipe!
Niki says
Any specific greek dressing you recommend?
Ashley says
Hi Niki, Primal Kitchen has a Greek vinaigrette with a great ingredients list! If not dairy-free, I like Newman’s Own. And here is a link to a simple recipe if looking to make your own 🙂 Classic Greek Salad Dressing Hope that helps!