It was such a warm day today. With the forecast looking even sunnier for the weekend, I thought I’d share what we had for dinner this evening. It was something fresh, colourful and full of flavour. We had Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad and it was everything I could ask for on a hot day. Light, vibrant and satisfying.
Even better, it’s quick to make – perfect for a busy weekday or a lazy summer weekend. You can spend more time soaking up the sun and less time cooking, while still enjoying something delicious. If you’ve followed my blog for while, you might remember my Grilled Salmon Summer Rolls. This noodle salad bowl is a bit of a twist on that recipe, with a few tweaks to make it even easier and heartier.
This dish was a winner in our household. Everyone – from the little ones to grown-ups – loved it. I even cooked some rice on the side, just in case the kids wanted it instead of noodles. In the end, they had both: the Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad as we did and little salmon and rice rolls wrapped in seaweed.
A classic Vietnamese summer dish
This dish is inspired by one of my favourite Vietnamese formats – bún khô. It refers to rice noodle dishes that are served at room temperature or slightly cool, layered with fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, topped with grilled meat or seaood and brought together with the famous nước chấm dipping sauce.
Vietnamese noodle salads like this are beloved for their balance of flavours: savoury, sweet, tangy, fragrant and spicy all at one. They’re healthy and light but never boring – every bit gives a different combination of texture and taste. In hot weather, nothing beats a cold noodle salad.
Marinating the salmon
I used 500g side of salmon plus two additional slices since there were six of us today. A single side of salmon would normally serve four nicely. I like to keep the skin on for this recipe, it crisps up beautifully when grilled or air-fried.
To prepare the salmon, I first sliced the side into portions using a sharp knife. Then I seasoned it simply but flavourfully: a sprinkle of freshly crushed black pepper, a generous brush of dark soy sauce. You could use light, but I love the rich, deep colour dark soy gives. And a drizzle of honey over the top. I let it marinate for around 15 minutes while I got on with with the rest of the meal.
Noodles and Vegetables
Cooking the noodles
I use dried round noodles for this Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad, but any type of vermicelli or rice noodle would work. To cook, I just poured boiling water over the noodles in a pot, brought it back to the boil then turned off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 3-4 minutes. Once softened, I drained and rinsed them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool.
Prepping the salad
I love mixing up vegetables for both flavour and colour. Tonight’s salad included julienned carrot, sliced cucumber, red pepper, chopped green and purple lettuce, fresh coriander, dill and chunks of juicy pineapple. All were laid out on a large plate, ready for assembling. You could easily swap in whatever you have – bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, pickles would all work beautifully too.
Making the toppings
Spring onion oil
This is a must-have Vietnamese touch. I heated a few tablespoons of olive oil, then tossed in the chopped green part of spring onions and immediately turned off the heat. This lightly cooks the onion while keeping its vibrant green colour and adding a rich, fragrant topping.
The salad dressing (nước chấm)
The magic in this dish comes from the dressing. In a jug, I combined water, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a 5:1:1:1 ratio. Then I finely chopped some dill and red chilli for a kick and stirred them in. This nước chấm perfectly balanced – tangy, savoury, sweet, fragrant and just spicy enough. You can always adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste.
Grilling the salmon
I used my air fryer for speed and ease. The marinated salmon went into the basket with a light brush of sesame oil on top. I air-fried at 200°C for 9-10 minutes, then flipped each piece gently to avoid breaking them. Brushed a bit more sesame oil on the skin side and air-fried for another 2-3 minutes to crisp up that skin beautifully. You could also use an oven grill or pan-fry the salmon – whatever works best for you.
A customisable dinner the kids loved
One of the things I love about this dish is how interactive it can be. The kids got to assemble their own bowls, some chose more noodles, some added extra pineapple and some just wanted the salmon with rice and seaweed wraps. Everyone had fun putting their bowl together and I think that made them enjoy it even more.
It’s a great dish for picky eaters too, everything is separate so you can easily leave out what someone doesn’t like and give them more of what they do.
Prep ahead and leftovers
This Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad is also very prep-friendly. You can marinate the salmon ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. The noodles and vegetables can be prepped earlier in the day too. If you’ve got leftovers, they’re delicious cold the next day. Just store the noodles, veg and salmon separately and assembel when ready to eat.
Assembling the Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad
Now comes the fun part. Start by laying a bed of the cooled noodles in each bowl. Then pile on the colourful salad vegetables. Add couple of pieces of the grilled salmon on top, drizzle with that gorgeous spring onion oil, sprinkle over some crushed roasted peanuts and fried shallots. And finally pour over the salad dressing.
A perfect summer dinner
And just like that, dinner is served. This Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad is one of my favourite meals to enjoy in warm weather. It’s refreshing, light yet packed with flavour and texture. It’s healthy, quick to prepare and makes you feel like you’re having something really special even though it’s so simple.
So that was our dinner tonight. Will you give it a go?
Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad Bowl (Bún Cá Hồi Nướng)
Description
This Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad is a light yet satisfying Vietnamese-inspired dish featuring crispy-skinned salmon, soft rice noodles, fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, all brought together with a zingy nước chấm dressing. Perfect for hot days, it’s a colourful and flavour-packed meal that’s quick to prepare and sure to please both kids and adults.
Ingredients
Nước chấm dressing
Instructions
-
Marinate the salmon
- Slice the salmon side into portions, keeping the skin on.
- Sprinkle with crushed black pepper, brush with soy sauce, then drizzle with honey.
- Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.
-
Cook the noodles
- Boil a kettle and pour the hot water over dried noodles in a pot.
- Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 3-4 minutes.
- Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Set aside.
-
Prepare the vegetables
- Arrange the vegetables on a large plate, ready to serve.
- Feel free to mix and match with what you have on hand.
-
Make spring onion oil
- Heat the olive oil, then toss in the chopped spring onion.
- Immediately turn off the heat so it stays vibrant and softens gently.
-
Mix the dressing
- Combine water, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.
- Stir until sugar dissolves, then ad chilli and dill.
- Adjust to taste.
-
Grill the salmon
- Place salmon in air fryer basket or under a grill.
- Brush with sesame oil.
- Cook at 200°C for 9-10 minutes, then flip carefully and brush the skin side with more sesame oil.
- Cook for 2-3 more minutes until crispy.
-
Assemble
- In a bowl, lay down a bed of noodles, top with salad vegetables then grilled salmon.
- Drizzle with spring onion oil and nước chấm dressing.
- Finish with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts and fried shallots.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 5
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 722.8kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 30.26g47%
- Saturated Fat 5.79g29%
- Trans Fat 0.04g
- Cholesterol 122.2mg41%
- Sodium 775.52mg33%
- Potassium 980.1mg29%
- Total Carbohydrate 79.45g27%
- Dietary Fiber 6.32g26%
- Sugars 17.2g
- Protein 35.2g71%
- Vitamin A 279.32 mcg
- Vitamin C 76.55 mg
- Calcium 98.63 mg
- Iron 5.26 mg
- Vitamin D 11.24 mcg
- Vitamin E 6.01 mg
- Vitamin K 67.38 mcg
- Thiamin 1.23 mg
- Riboflavin 0.6 mg
- Niacin 16.99 mg
- Vitamin B6 1.09 mg
- Folate 119.99 mcg
- Vitamin B12 3.49 mcg
- Phosphorus 501.75 mg
- Magnesium 124.08 mg
- Zinc 2.5 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- The grilled salmon can also be served with steamed rice instead of noodles.
- You can prep most of the ingredients ahead of time and assemble just before serving.
- The nước chấm keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge, make extra to use later.
