Ginger-Miso Glazed Salmon Salad in a Jar

Layers of ginger-miso glazed salmon, edamame and peanuts give this salmon salad in a jar tons of flavor and texture. Make them on Sunday and you’ll be prepared for lunch all week!

Back this past fall, Shawn and I discovered a new-to us salad place and quickly fell in love with it. Within a month, they knew our standard order: chopped Cobb with no tomato for him; ginger-glazed salmon salad for me.

I found some salmon filets while I was cleaning out the freezer last week and immediately knew what I was going to make with them: ginger-miso glazed salmon salad. In a jar, for easy transport to the office. It only took me a few minutes to pack up four salads for my lunches that week.

I was a little late to the whole salad-in-a-jar trend. At first, I just didn’t get it. They seemed like they would be hard to eat, so why not just use a wider, flatter container? Then I realized that you don’t actually eat the salad out of the jar – you dump it onto a plate – and my life was changed.

Gone were the days of juggling a container for my salad and a second one for the dressing. Plus, the upright nature of a mason jar means it’s easy to slip this salmon salad in a jar into my purse top-side-up, virtually eliminating the risk of it leaking. If you layer the ingredients well to create a barrier between the dressing and the greens, you can even make a whole week’s worth at once, without any fear of soggy salad. I keep a plate and a fork at my desk, and I’m good to go!

When making a salad in a jar, start by adding some dressing to the empty jar. Then layer in the rest of your ingredients, starting with harder ones that won’t wilt from moisture. For my first layer, I like to add nuts, beans, or meat as well as harder vegetables. For these salmon salads, I start with peanuts, edamame, shredded carrots, and salmon. Then, I add some cucumbers. You’ll want this layer to rise up above the salad dressing – it will serve as a barrier between the dressing and the lettuce. I fill my jars just about halfway with toppings. It won’t look like there’s much room left for the lettuce, but you’ll be surprised how much you can pack in!

Top serve, give the jar a few good shakes, then turn the jar over onto a plate. If you’re not in the mood for a salad, you salmon salad in a jar is also delicious in a whole grain wrap.

More salmon salad recipes to try: Crunch Salmon Salad with Sriracha Dressing // Miso-Roasted Salmon Salads

Ginger-Miso Glazed Salmon Salad in a Jar

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Tip: To save time, you can also use prepared canned salmon in this recipe instead of broiling your own.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons white miso paste
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 pound salmon filet
• 1/2 cup edamame (ready to eat)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 8 cups chopped romaine hearts, or other crispy salad greens

Instructions

1. Heat your broiler.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the miso paste, brown sugar, and soy sauce until smooth. Place the salmon skin-side down on broiler safe pan. Spread half of the miso-mixture over the salmon. Broil for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Let cool, then break the salmon into large flakes.
3. To make the dressing, whisk the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil into the remaining miso glaze. Taste and add additional vinegar, if desired.
4. Divide the dressing between 4 32-ounce mason jars. Add 1/4 of the edamame, peanuts, carrots, and salmon to each jar. Top with cucumber, making sure that the cucumber layer rises above the dressing. Pack each jar full of lettuce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.