Parmesan-Crusted Salmon Caesar Salad

By Jerrelle Guy

Published Sept. 11, 2024

Parmesan-Crusted Salmon Caesar Salad
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(532)
Notes
Read community notes

This fast weeknight recipe uses your favorite store-bought mayonnaise and bottled fish sauce in an easy Caesar dressing. And then, in an even more resourceful move, it uses that same dressing to coat salmon fillets, to help prevent overcooking, and to adhere a Parmesan crust. As the fillets broil, the layer of cheese bubbles and caramelizes to form a crispy, salty coating, a texture that only enhances the crisp lettuce. (For a vegetarian version, you can also use this method on avocado halves.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1small baguette
  • 2teaspoons garlic powder
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
  • ¾cup mayonnaise
  • 2tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2teaspoons coarse-ground Dijon mustard
  • 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2teaspoons fish sauce
  • ½cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more as needed
  • 4(3- to 4-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
  • 1large head romaine lettuce (about 1 pound), quartered through the center and chopped into bite-size pieces
  • ½small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

829 calories; 60 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 25 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 1177 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and arrange a rack 8 inches from the top broiler.

  2. Step 2

    Tear the bread into rough 1-inch chunks and add them to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, season with salt and a good amount of pepper, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss everything to coat, then spread bread evenly on the pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until bread is golden brown on the outside but still slightly chewy in the center. Remove the croutons from the oven, dump them into a large bowl, and wipe the crumbs from the sheet pan.

  3. Step 3

    Turn on the broiler. To a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, fish sauce, the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and whisk to combine, adjusting the seasoning, if desired. Remove ¼ cup dressing, and place it in a small mixing bowl along with ¼ cup grated Parmesan. Mix to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, liberally coat the fillets all over with the reserved Parmesan dressing. Place on the baking sheet, top fillets with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan, and place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the salmon is browned on the surface and cooked through. If it starts to smoke, move the pan to a lower rack to finish cooking.

  5. Step 5

    Remove the salmon from the oven, and allow a few minutes to cool slightly.

  6. Step 6

    To a large bowl, add the lettuce, croutons and sliced onion. Drizzle in some of the dressing, and using tongs, toss to evenly coat the leaves. Divide across salad bowls and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Top each salad with a fillet and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
532 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Jimbo

This was a big hit at my house. I baked the salmon at 400 degrees for 12 minutes instead of broiling. Next time I will reduce the mayo to 1/2 cup.

JJ

@Lee I use Red Boat 40° North fish sauce. It’s recommended by bon appétit because it is simply anchovies and salt with no sugar or other additives.

RPR

@Kris I use a temperature probe and cook salmon to 125 degrees, not to time. Fish thickness varies too much to make time useful.

Kris

Is anyone actually able to get salmon to fully cook under a broiler for 3-5 minutes? I did mine for over 5 and it's completely raw on the inside, so I just switched to a normal bake to get it done. I find that online cook times for salmon are never accurate?

JillC

Made this for dinner last night and it was excellent--especially for coming together in such a short amount of time. Recommend aluminum foil under fish as my dressing and cheese spread and made a huge burnt puddle next to the fish. I may just bake next time instead of broil.

Alex

I think it's *with* the parmesan because it says "reserved Parmesan dressing" not "reserved Caesar dressing"...but agreed it is confusingly written.

Janet

Red Boat Fish Sauce - probably best found at Asian Market or on-line, and Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce, commonly found in your local grocery store in the International foods aisle.

Em

Loved this one! Used anchovy paste in place of the fish sauce and shallots instead of red onions since that’s what I had on hand. Also chopped several handfuls of arugula and tossed with the romaine for a bit more variety in the greens. Very harmonious, this will go into the rotation.

Rafa

Just cooked this recipe. It didn’t live up to my expectations. I think it’s too heavy on the fish sauce. If you’re not familiar with Asian fish sauce, I suggest you cut it to 1/4 teaspoon to start with.

Heidi

Made as written, it is excellent. I prepared the Salmon several hours ahead of time, kept it in the refrigerator and then broiled it 10 minutes before dinner. Easy !!

Carol

Question: Is the “reserved” dressing the one with or without the Parmesan. My instinct is without since you add cheese pre-broil.

Rosita

The dressing is great. My salmon’s delicious crust was burnt and the flesh undercooked at 6 minutes. Probably it’s best to bake and then put under the broiler for a golden crunch. If you broil, keep an eye on it because it burns to a char pretty fast.

Moses

I think that the best written recipes will specify "divided" when a listed ingredient (garlic powder) is used in two different points in a recipe. I know that reading completely through the recipe is a best practice, but I find that every little bit of instruction helps.

ACH

Red Boat fish sauce is now on the shelf at that gourmet grocery store -Walmart. It is not cheap but, it is a quality product.

Michael

Use anchovies instead of fish sauce. Some fish sauce is anchovies but why not just use the real thing rather than a more processed version?

NEF

Didn’t love the salmon, but the salad was excellent! Would be really good with grilled chicken.

julie

Made as written except no fish sauce (I had none) and baked at 400 for about 15-20 minutes. Delicious!!

Marilyn

Totally don’t understand which dressing I should cost the fish with. Electing to use the without Parmesan since cheese is sprinkled on top and using the remaining already with the mixed in cheese as the dressing. Is this correct, NYT cooking?

Jessica

My husband loved this recipe. Based on others' notes about longer cooking time, and the fact that my filets were bigger, I broiled for 7 minutes then left in the hot oven for about 3 minutes, checking with a knife test every so often, and they were perfectly cooked. Left the skin on the filets and broiled with the skin down, and that worked out perfectly as well. My small remote grocery store carries Thai Kitchen fish sauce, so I would think it would be easy for others to find.

John

Awful combination of flavors and textures. This is like a nightmarish lunch at a bad chain restaurant.

Ted Gundy

I used the marinade/sauce/Parmesan before during and after broiling the salmon. The salmon was so good that we slathered the broiled fish with more sauce and didn’t bother with the salad. It is the best salmon recipe I’ve had to date!

Diana

I followed others comments and halved the mayonnaise and baked the salmon at 400. It was perfect. We will make this salad often!

Margaret

This was SO good, and easy to prepare. We eat a fair amount of salmon, and this was a good alternative to our standard one-tray preparation, but just as easy. The dressing was especially tasty and we had leftovers for other salads that week.

Colleen

I also skipped the broiling and cooked for 12 mins at 400. I only used 1/2 cup of mayo , anchovy instead of fish sauce and two cloves of garlic in the dressing instead of garlic powder. It was delicious!

lisa

I don’t care for mayo. Any ideas on a sub? Would Greek yogurt work?

Jack

I substituted steelhead trout for the salmon, since it was less than half the price, and it was a great substitution. The dressing is so easy and good that I'll use it for any Caesar salad in the future. My 16-year-old daughter said "we're never buying Caesar dressing again!"

Linda W

Select thinner end of filet for this recipe. Great way to make croutons.

bagelsandmoxie

I'll never make caesar dressing another way again.

CQ

This was excellent! Used anchovy paste as I didn't have fish sauce. Broiled for 5 minutes, but then ended up baking because fish was raw inside. Still SO good!

Grace

Excellent and easy for a weeknight meal. Teen boys devoured and had seconds even when those who said they didn’t like fish. Served with some braised white beans I had on hand for added protein and satiating carbs.

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