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Grilled Salmon & Orzo Corn Salad ~ A light and refreshing orzo salad with fresh, sweet summer corn, tomatoes, basil, parsley, onion and a lemon vinaigrette served with a tender grilled wild caught salmon fillet.
Sweet summer corn is everywhere and I find myself wanting to put it in everything!  This Grilled Salmon & Orzo Corn Salad is a wonderful summer dish made with fresh herbs, orzo pasta, tomatoes and onion.  Dressed with a light vinaigrette and topped with a juicy piece of wild caught grilled salmon, this dinner is completely satisfying!
Orzo pasta doesn’t feel as heavy as some pastas and the size and shape are wonderful in a salad.
I could eat salmon at least once a week and love it grilled, baked, pan fried or smoked.  For this recipe we seasoned the salmon with salt and pepper and a little dry Sriracha seasoning then grilled the fillets for 4 minutes on each side.  Quick and easy and absolutely flaky-delicious!
The orzo salad can be made hours ahead and served cold, warm or room temperature. Â To be honest I’ve eaten it warm, cold and room temperature and loved it each time. Â That makes this a wonderful meal for company taking only a few minutes on the grill to bring a flavorful dish to the table. Â I think asparagus would also be great with the corn and tomatoes.
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Grilled Salmon & Orzo Corn Salad
Ingredients
For the salmon:
- 4 wild caught salmon filets, about 6 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- dry Sriracha seasoning or your favorite seasoning for salmon
For the salad:
- 4 ears of fresh corn, cut from the cob
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 cups mixed grape and cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
- 4 pepperoncini, sliced
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- zest of 1 large lemon
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
Instructions
To prepare the salad:
- Cook the orzo according to package directions, rinse in cold water and set aside to drain.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the corn kernels and the garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Set the corn and garlic mixture aside to cool.
- In a large measuring cup combine the 1/2 cup of olive oil, pepperoncini juice, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper, and chopped red onion. Mix well.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cooled corn and orzo. Add the tomatoes, sliced pepperoncini, parsley and basil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
To cook the salmon:
- Preheat grill to medium high. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the salmon and season with salt, pepper and dry Sriracha if using. Carefully oil the grates of the grill to prevent sticking. Grill the salmon over the hot part of your grill and cook about 3-4 minutes for each side.
- Divide the orzo salad on large plates or bowls and top with the grilled salmon. Garnish with fresh basil and ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed your July 4th holiday. Â We love a good long weekend and enjoyed spending time with our family. Â Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Holly
This was deeeelish! I blistered the tomatoes like someone else suggested and then added some crumbled blue cheese! The creamy saltiness of the cheese was a nice addition to an already yummy dish.
Tricia Buice
I love your add-ins Holly! It sounds incredible. Thank you for commenting and for the great suggestions.
Cat
I made this tonight–substituted the corn for kale and blistered the tomatoes. The vinaigrette recipe was so flavorful. Easy and delicious!
Tricia Buice
I love your substitution using kale, Cat – and blistering the tomatoes is absolutely brilliant! I’m going to try that next time. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and thank you very much for the feedback.
KRISTIN
Made this today to for a camping trip. Will grill the salmon when there The salad is delicious, I added fresh broccoli for some crunch.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kristin! I love the addition of broccoli – it sounds terrific. We appreciate you trying the recipe and for coming back and commenting.
Christena Davis
This looks delicious and healthy. Do you have the nutritional information. Thank you.
Tricia Buice
Hi Christena – I added the nutritional information for you!
Diane
the beautiful colors of this Orzo corn salad are what got me to want to try it. I do not like salmon so subbed grilled shrimp. This salad was so good and easy to make, went great with our shrimp.
Tricia Buice
I love that you used shrimp Diane – sounds great to me! This is a lovely light salad and I’m so glad you gave it a try. I also appreciate that you took the time to let us know. Thanks again!
cheri
Hi Tricia, just getting caught up a little behind. Salmon is my favorite I can eat it every night of the week, love the orzo salad, too…..perfect for this time of year.
Tricia Buice
Hey Cheri! I am behind too – hope to catch up tomorrow. If you love salmon and orzo salad – I hope you will give this a try – yummy!
Susan
I would love this, Tricia! Copper River salmon is in season now and would be perfect for this lovely salad.
Tricia Buice
That salmon sounds wonderful! I just picked up some corn that was no more than 20 minutes off the stalk – I want to make this again! Have a great weekend
tanna
Wowza! Does that ever look like the perfect dish!! I LOVE every single ingredient in this one, Tricia… and, I might could even go for more than once a week. 😉 Thank you so much for your sweet note checking in on me. We had WILD times with kids running everywhere! Very, very quiet around here now. But, I’m happy to be back visiting my blog friends! I miss y’all when I’m over-run with the crazies! ha! blessings and hugs ~ tanna
Tricia Buice
Welcome back Tanna! So happy to hear from you. I am thrilled you have had wild times with kids everywhere – I am sure that made you very happy. Such fun! Hope you get a chance to make this recipe – its yummy 🙂 Have a wonderful week!