Smoked Salmon and Feta Salad

Smoked salmon and feta salad is a fresh, Greek-leaning plate with salty full-fat feta, silky cold-smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs and crisp Little Gem lettuce, and it comes together in about 20 minutes. It started when Jen fancied something a little Greek. Being New Year, it also needed to be relatively healthy. My usual Greek go-to is kebabs or griddled lamb with piles of pitta. Tasty, but calorific. So I took a step back and mused it over a glass of ouzo, just to get in the mood. Then Jen smashed a plate, and there I was in the land of Greek inspiration: good, strong feta, softened in a salad, with smoked salmon to keep both our consciences happy. Perfect.Not difficult to make, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, but still enough for some great photos. Let’s make it together.

1. Get the ingredients together

As always, I recommend getting all of the ingredients together before starting. For this salad there are only 7, so it is easy to do. Smoked salmon, feta cheese, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce leaves, roughly chopped bull tomato, sliced red onion, and sliced cucumber. To hard boil the eggs just place into salted boiling water for 12 minutes. Then cool under cold water and remove the shells before use.

The measurements are in the recipe card below, but remember these are for one salad only so just scale up as you need to.

2. Prepare the salad

For the base salad, first, take the lettuce, I use Little Gem, and remove any less than fresh outer layers. Break the remaining lettuce apart and present in the salad bowl.

Now, add the sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes, and olives if using them. I didn’t for this one, simply because I forgot to buy them. Yes, I was in trouble.

Half the eggs and lay those on top.

Now time to add the Feta cheese. When you buy feta cheese it’s worth paying that little extra to get the best full-fat cheese. I know it has a few more calories but it is so much better than cheap alternatives. Just crumble this over the salad.

Note that I don’t add olive oil as a dressing to this salad because the feta cheese is usually protected in olive oil and this tends to be enough.

With the feta now added lay the smoked salmon slices over the top.

And finally the sliced red onion and a touch of sea salt and ground black pepper.

And there you have it. A wonderful touch of Greece in a smoked salmon and feta salad. Yum!

Tips for the best smoked salmon and feta salad

Here are a few things I’ve learned making this one.

• Buy the best full-fat feta you can. It costs a little more, but a good block is creamier and far saltier than the cheap stuff, and it carries the whole salad.
• Bring the feta and salmon to room temperature before serving. Cold from the fridge they taste flat; ten minutes out and the flavour opens right up.
• You don’t need a dressing. The feta is usually packed in olive oil, and that little bit of oil clinging to the crumbles is all the salad wants. Add lemon or extra oil only if you like.
• For the eggs, 12 minutes in salted boiling water gives you firm yolks; drop to about 8 minutes if you prefer them jammy. Cool them under cold water straight away so they peel cleanly.

Substitutions and variations

The base recipe is forgiving, so treat it as a starting point.

• Olives: the recipe lists them as optional and I forgot mine, but a handful of Kalamata olives pushes it further towards Greece.
• The fish: flakes of hot-smoked salmon or smoked trout work in place of the cold-smoked slices for a meatier bite.
• A lift: capers, a little fresh dill, or a squeeze of lemon over the top all cut through the richness of the feta.
• More veg: cucumber, avocado or a few radishes bulk it out cheaply.

If you like this kind of cheese-forward plate, my burrata and bull tomato salad does the same job with creamy burrata instead of feta.

Storage and make-ahead

This salad is at its best assembled just before you eat, when the leaves are crisp and the salmon fresh. If you want to get ahead, prep the parts and keep them separate. Boil the eggs, slice the onion, tomato and cucumber, and crumble the feta, then chill each component and build the bowl at the last minute.

Already-dressed leftovers won’t stay crisp, but if you have some, cover and refrigerate and eat within a day. Smoked salmon and cooked eggs don’t keep long, so keep it chilled and don’t leave it sitting out. The UK Food Standards Agency advises keeping your fridge between 0 and 5C. I wouldn’t freeze it. For another quick smoked-salmon idea, try my poached egg with smoked salmon and smashed avocado.

What to serve with it

On its own this is a light lunch or a smart starter. Warm pitta or some crusty bread turns it into a proper meal, and a chilled glass of ouzo keeps the Greek theme going if you’re in the mood. It also sits happily next to other cold plates on a mezze-style spread.

Recipe card

Smoked salmon and feta salad FAQ

Is smoked salmon and feta salad healthy?

It’s a light, protein-rich plate. Salmon brings omega-3 fats, the eggs add protein, and the leaves and veg keep it fresh. Feta is salty and does carry some fat, so it’s the one thing to keep an eye on, but the rest of the bowl is simple, fresh food.

How many calories are in it?

It depends on how much feta and salmon you use, so treat any figure as a rough guide. Using less feta or leaving out the olives brings the total down.

Can I make it ahead?

Assemble it fresh for the best texture. You can prep the components ahead, though. Boil the eggs, slice the onion, tomato and cucumber, and crumble the feta, then keep them chilled and separate. Build the bowl and add the smoked salmon just before serving.

What can I use instead of feta?

A creamy goat’s cheese or even burrata will give you the same salty, cheesy note if feta isn’t your thing. The salad leans Greek, so a firm, salty cheese suits it best, but it’s flexible enough to take whatever good cheese you have.

Do I need a dressing?

No. Feta is usually stored in olive oil, and the oil clinging to the crumbled cheese is enough to dress the whole salad. If you want more, a squeeze of lemon or a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is all it needs.

That’s your lot for now. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed eating it. If you make it, tell me how it went in the comments below, and do subscribe to the newsletter or follow along on social if you’d like to hear about new recipes. Until next time… Steve.