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. To be honest I’ve eaten it warm, cold and room temperature and loved it each time. That makes this a wonderful meal for company taking only a few minutes on the grill to bring a flavorful dish to the table. I think asparagus would also be great with the corn and tomatoes.
Don’t forget to PIN to your favorite Dinner Board!
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
The orzo salad can be made up to 6 hours in advance and may be served cold or room temperature.
Recipe for the salad adapted from Country Living
I hope you enjoyed your July 4th holiday. We love a good long weekend and enjoyed spending time with our family. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
I made this tonight–substituted the corn for kale and blistered the tomatoes. The vinaigrette recipe was so flavorful. Easy and delicious!
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.
This looks delicious and healthy. Do you have the nutritional information. Thank you.
Hi Christena – I’m sorry but I don’t have that option on my recipes yet. Thank you.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I would love this, Tricia! Copper River salmon is in season now and would be perfect for this lovely salad.
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
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
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!
Love salmon, particularly wild Alaskan salmon. Been feasting on it! And I totally see how great this salad would be with it. Loads of flavor, and so pretty! Really good — thanks.
I could feast on it and corn everyday 🙂 Thanks for stopping by John! Love your corn recipe today.
This looks so yummy! And finally something that I can eat that doesn’t have gluten! Your other recipes look amaaaaazing and I oh so wish I could eat them
xo
Thank you so much Kate! Hope you’ll come back again soon. This is a totally tasty dish. Have you looked at “Boulder Locavore” and “Barefeet in the Kitchen” for some wonderful, fantastic gluten free recipes! Let me know if I can help you get there 🙂
This sounds so so good, perfect weeknight dinner. I have some orzo in the cupboard at the moment too!
Orzo is so versatile! It soaks up this fresh dressing and takes on a wonderful bright flavor. Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia, I love everything about this dish ! Love this fresh dressing on the summer salad along with that beautiful grilled salmon. Beautiful food photography! Pinned for later…
Thanks – I just love your blog name! My grandson cannot say Gram and calls me Bam or Mam – so cute!
This dish looks too pretty to eat! Everything here looks amazing! Corn is everywhere here as well, adding this to my list! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Aww thanks Cali! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
What a lovely summer meal! And healthy as well.
Amalia
xo
We like to change it up from time to time Amalia – and serve something fresh and healthy! A little bit of everything around here 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
This lovely bowl embraces all of the colors and fresh tastes of summer! ( I am in love with the smell of freshly picked basil.) I am going to try this with grilled chicken as well as the salmon! Have a great week!
Isn’t basil amazing! I was letting my grandson smell it the other day and he loved it too 🙂 I bet this would be great with grilled chicken. Love that it can be served cold and it’s still delicious. Have a great week!
wow! your photography is simply amazing. I love everything about the dish especially the salad. So refreshing and full of flavor. the perfect summer meal
Thanks so much Jessica – we sure have missed you! Can’t wait to see what you post next 🙂 Happy summer!
What a delicious and perfect meal Tricia!! We love salmon, grill and eat 2 – 3 times a week! I hope you guys had a wonderful 4th of July!
Michael
Thanks Michael – we did have a very nice low-key July 4th! Hope you and your family are doing great!
I too could eat salmon once a week especially with such a fresh, seasonal recipe Tricia! Love all the colors, textures and flavors this offers.
Thanks Toni! I really loved it and will definitely make it again and may try it with shrimp sometime. Love summer and all the fresh vegetables – hope you had a great July 4th holiday 🙂
Oh Tricia! This looks SO GOOD!!! ;)BEAUTIFUL photos too!!!
Thanks Becky – hope you and your family had a lovely 4th of July!
Oh, this looks so good – I’m definitely going to make this. I love tasty summer side dishes. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Susan – so happy you stopped by!
What an amazing dinner this would be! I just think this is “happy” food because it looks so vibrant, it tastes incredible (clearly) and makes you feel nourished and good about yourself at the same time. We love salmon here too and the orzo salad is such a lovely pairing; I love how you can enjoy the salad at all temps so it’s a great make-ahead to go with so many things.
Thank you so much Monica! I want to try this orzo salad with grilled shrimp too 🙂 Have a great week!
This looks like a perfect picture of summer to me! I could definitely enjoy this several times a week!
Thanks Chris! A great combination of flavors for sure 🙂
Good looking meal Tricia. You sound like Bev – I’ve had corn in most meals for the past week.
Thanks Larry – We (cooks) get excited about fresh in-season produce 🙂 Hope you enjoy your corn!
I made a salad with CANNED sweet corn…shame on me :-(( This is so fresh, delicious and GOOD for you, Tricia.
Canned sweet corn works for me when you can’t get fresh. I really loved this salad Angie – glad you liked it too!
I could eat this way every night for the rest of my life, this is stunning Tricia!
Thanks Sue – I was craving salmon after seeing your gorgeous grilled lettuce version – yummy and beautiful! Hope you had a nice weekend.
What a fabulously fresh and tasty meal Tricia. You always have the best recipes.
Have a beautiful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
You are too sweet Mandy – thank you so much for stopping by!
It’s not here yet..the corn..soon..as I see the stalks reaching for the sky..I have been making Inas roasted veggie orzo salad adding kalamatas..I love it..I am sure I will like this one..
Ohhh – I have to look this one up! Thanks Monique. Corn and orzo are terrific together!
What a beautiful dish. Love everything from the grilled salmon to the orzo salad! Pinned!
Thanks Jennifer – I can’t wait to make this again – a personal favorite 🙂