My husband, Erik, and I did our first Whole 30 almost three years ago. Around that same time, his dad decided to sail his boat from Marina del Rey, CA to Catalina Island. There was just one problem, he couldn’t sail the boat by himself. He needed Erik to do it with him.
I had never been to Catalina before so we decided to turn it into an adventure. He and his dad would sail to Catalina on Thursday and spend the night, and I would take the ferry on Friday morning and join them. Then, we would have the whole weekend to go exploring.
I knew Erik and I would need lots of snacks to make it through an entire weekend away on the Whole 30. So I packed two snack bags, one for the sailboat and one for me to take with me on the ferry. I thought I had done such an awesome job preparing for the trip and our dietary restrictions…
But then, about thirty minutes before Erik was supposed to leave to meet his dad, he said, “Oh yeah! I forgot; I told my dad that you were going to make lunch for everyone today.”
Can you say, “Yikes?!?!”
There were a couple of major problems with this news flash! The first was that they were going to be sailing while they ate lunch and everything on the boat has to be strapped down when you are moving.That meant that they needed to eat something super quick and easy. Something that you could literally just dive in and ate. No heating, no mixing, nothing.
The second problem was that I had thought we were going to spend the entire weekend at Catalina so I had no extra food or produce at the house.
So there I was, just staring into an empty fridge, trying to rack my brain over what I could prepare. It was probably as close to a Chopped contestant as I have ever come. I had just a stack of canned salmon in the pantry and not much else.
And then, it came to me: Salmon Salad! So I whipped up this recipe in under five minutes, packed it in Glasslock containers, and handed it to my husband. I don’t think I even bothered to taste it; I was just glad to be sending something along with him. Imagine my surprise then, when I saw my husband and father-in-law the next day on Catalina, and the first words out of their mouth were, “That was one of the best lunches we had ever eaten!” Not, “Hello!” or “How was your trip?” I knew then I had stumbled upon something great.
So Salmon Salad was born, and it has been a staple at our house ever sense. It’s a super fast and inexpensive lunch idea, so we eat it at least once a week. In fact, my two year old daughter thinks that the word “lunch” refers to salmon salad, not the mealtime. That’s how often we eat it, and it never gets old.
First, I take diced celery, red almond, and sliced almonds and put them in a bowl.
Then, I add a can of wild caught salmon. Next, comes the magical ingredient. New Bae Seasoning by Primal Palate. (As a brief aside, how hysterical is that name? Lol!)
Then, I mix in Primal Kitchen Mayo, and voila!
How easy was that? I told you it was quick!
And it’s crazy delicious! Tons of flavor from the New Bae Seasoning and the perfect amount of crunch from the celery, almonds, and red onion. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Plus, it is super versatile. You can eat it with raw veggies, Simple Mill Crackers, or just straight up eat with a fork. Not that I’ve ever done that or anything…
Brief note: My family loves Simple Mills Crackers. They are paleo, meaning that they are grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy free. I stock up on them whenever they are on sale because we go through so many boxes, but Thrive Market has one of the best everyday prices I have ever seen.
And there you go, salmon salad. And no matter how you eat it, it’s delicious! So what are you waiting for? Go make some lunch!
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Canned Salmon Salad
Description
This paleo canned salmon salad is perfect for a quick and easy lunch. Just six ingredients and ready in under 5 minutes. What could be better? Oh yeah, and it’s Whole 30 friendly too!
Ingredients
6 oz. can wild sock-eye salmon, drained
2 Tbsp. red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. celery, diced
1/4 c. sliced almonds
2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo
1/2 tsp. Primal Palate New Bae Seasoning
Instructions
Combine celery, red onion, and almonds in a bowl. Open and drain the can of salmon. Add to the bowl along with the mayonnaise and New Bae seasoning. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a couple of hours to have the flavors meld together more.
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I made this last night and it was DELISH and TASTY!
Yay! That is so awesome to hear. It’s super easy too, right?