This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This hearty Lentil Salad with Mackerel is healthy, flavorful, and full of Omega-3s! A fantastic lunch option to add to your rotation.
This post is sponsored by King Oscar | Thank you for supporting the brands I trust.
This Lentil Salad Is a Refreshing Pause for Your Day.
This is the ultimate fill-you-up-without-bogging-you-down lunch. It’s nourishing, crisp, hearty, and it keeps in the fridge for several days—so you can go ahead and chalk this up as a trusty meal prep opportunity. Lentils are tossed in lemon juice with all of our favorite Mediterranean goodies, plus a healthy helping of tender mackerel fillets from King Oscar Seafood. These bring a ton of heart-healthy Omega-3s to your bowl. And hey, since this salad is meant to be enjoyed cold, you don’t have to offend anyone with the smell of reheated fish.
A Refreshing List of Ingredients.
As far as tasty Greek-inspired salads go, this one’s got ALL the good stuff—from crisp cucumbers to briny capers. You can improvise, too! Add red onions for a little extra zip; you could also throw in some feta cheese. When it comes to the lentils, you can cook dried ones yourself or use them from a can. Here’s the list of everything you’ll need to make this wholesome Lentil Salad with Mackerel:
- King Oscar’s Mediterranean Mackerel fillets
- Cooked lentils
- Grape tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Roasted red pepper
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Olives
- Capers
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Why King Oscar? They Do Mackerel Right.
You won’t find another tinned mackerel like King Oscar’s, and their Mediterranean mackerel is topnotch. It’s packed in pure olive oil with herbs of Provence, bell pepper, and olives, and it’s so tender! The flavor profile with this particular mackerel was a perfect fit for this salad, but you could also use King Oscar’s mackerel fillets in olive oil, or lemon!
Making This Lentil Salad With Mackerel Is Easy.
I wanted a healthy lunch option that was quick and approachable, but could also make enough for a few days. It’s great to have a grab-and-go lunch whether you’re working at home or heading into the office. Although this salad has it’s fair share of chopping and slicing, once your veggies are prepped, it’s literally just a matter of tossing everything together and digging in. This salad will keep in the fridge for three days.
- Place the cooked lentils and all of the chopped veggies into a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the mackerel, and with a fork, flake the fillets over the salad.
- Add the lemon zest to the mixing bowl and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the ingredients.
- Add a pinch of sea salt, a few grinds of cracked black pepper, and a glug of extra virgin olive oil, then toss to evenly coat everything.
Equipment You’ll Need:
Recipe Tips + Tricks:
- If you’re using dry lentils, you want to use brown or green lentils since they hold their shape better. Red and yellow lentils get soft and mushy, so they’re best used for soups.
- You can add feta cheese to this salad, as well as red onion, and even some toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds for some crunch!
- I like using Castelvetrano olives in this recipe because they’re sweeter and milder than green or kalamata, but you can use any olives.
- This salad is delicious as is with a fork, or scooped up with crackers.
Other Mackerel Recipes to Try:
- Spicy Baked Quesadillas with Jalapeño Mackerel
- Lemon Mackerel and White Bean Salad on Toast
- Sesame Ginger Rice Bowl with Mackerel
- Lemon Mackerel Caesar Wrap
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
Lentil Salad with Mackerel
Ingredients
- 1 tin of King Oscar Mediterranean Mackerel, drained
- 2 cups cooked lentils, or a 15 oz can of low sodium lentils, drained
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup diced cucumbers
- 1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper (from the jar)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped castelvetrano olives, You can use any olives, but I do prefer Castelvetrano
- 6 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 TBSP drained capers
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Transfer the cooked lentils and all of the chopped veggies into a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the mackerel and flake the fillets over the salad with a fork.
- Add the lemon zest to the mixing bowl, then squeeze fresh lemon juice over the ingredients.
- Add a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle a bit of sea salt and a few grinds of cracked black pepper, to taste, and toss to evenly coat everything.
- Keeps in the refrigerator for three days!
