Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon

Mar 26, 2025 | Recipes

A full platter of Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is seen from above, featuring fresh and pickled vegetables, eggs, Irish cheddar and chunks of hot smoked salmon.
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In this updated twist on a hearty Irish Pub Salad, the traditional ingredients of fresh and pickled vegetables, Irish cheddar and eggs are combined with smoked salmon and a vibrant new dressing for a salad that is fit for spring!  This Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon features homemade pickled golden beets and red onions, and the most delicious Creamy Cucumber and Dill Dressing  – making it a healthy way to celebrate St Patrick’s day or the early days of spring!

A platter of Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon fills most of the image, surrounded by crisp white table linens

An Irish Pub Salad is a classic example of a composed salad, which is a type of salad in which the ingredients are artfully arranged on a platter, instead of tossed together in a bowl.  Composed salads are both visually appealing, and are great for feeding a crowd, as they allow diners to pick and chose their favourite ingredients to create a custom salad.  I call these types of meals “DIY Dinners” as they allow diners to make up their own plates, just as they like them, without creating additional work for the cook.  DIY dinners are a convenient way to feed a large crowds and an argument-proof way to make a family dinner.  There’s no need for the cook to accommodate requests such as “can I have mine without tomatoes?” or “can I have extra salmon on mine?” .  The beautiful platter of Irish Pub Salad is placed on the table and everyone serves themselves according to their own tastes.  They’re happy, the cook is happy, and everyone gets a delicious dinner!  Voila!

An Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is seen close up, from above.

What goes in an Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon?

  • Pickled Beets and Pickled Onions:  Irish pub salads contain a combination of fresh and pickled veggies.  This recipe includes instructions for quick pickling your own golden beets and red onion.  The pickled beets and onions are delicious, so you might consider doubling that part of the recipe to have extra to store in the fridge for eating with everything from salads, to sandwiches to tacos.
  • Butter Lettuce:  Also known as “Bibb Lettuce”, “Boston Lettuce” or “Boston Bibb”, butter lettuce is mild, tender and sweet…kind of like butter.  Its bright green colour and delightful texture make it the perfect base for this salad.
  • Orange Cherry Tomatoes:  This version of an Irish Pub Salad leans on the bright and cheery colours of spring – fresh and vibrant green, sunny orange and soft pink.  Feel free to riff on this salad with other colours of tomatoes, or even red beets and the addition of other colours of veggies.
  • Persian Cucumbers:  Persian cucumbers are crisp and sweet.  When sliced, they become perfectly bite-size, making them a great addition to a salad.  If you were making this salad for St Patrick’s Day, you could arrange the slices of cucumber in a 3-leaf or 4-leaf clover pattern, adding a little whimsy to the meal.
  • Celery:  To contrast the soft, tender texture of the lettuce, egg and salmon, a little crunch is needed for balance.  Slices of crisp and crunchy celery speared on a fork along with lettuce, egg and dressing makes the perfect mouthful.
  • Hot Smoked Salmon:  Despite its name, this type of smoked salmon is still typically served chilled.  The term “hot smoked” refers to how it is prepared, using a smoking process that involves a higher temperature.  The result is a firm, flaky texture, similar to cooked salmon.  Whereas cold smoked salmon is often sold thinly sliced, hot smoked salmon is usually sold as a salmon filet or whole side of salmon.  Slices of cold smoked salmon are also delicious in this salad, if you have difficulty finding hot smoked salmon.
  • Hard Boiled Eggs:  Hard boiled eggs are a traditional ingredient in an Irish pub salad.  See the recipe notes below for tips on making perfect hard boiled eggs.
  • Irish Cheddar:  Bite-size cubes of good quality Irish cheddar adds delicious savoury flavour and creamy texture to the salad.
  • Fresh Dill:   A few fresh dill fronds, left from the brunch of dill used in the Creamy Cucumber and Dill dressing, makes an attractive garnish for the finished salad.
  • Creamy Cucumber and Dill Dressing:  The bright and fresh flavours of this light and Creamy Cucumber and Dill Dressing perfectly complement the textures and flavours of this Irish Pub Salad.  Make a batch to serve on the side, allowing diners to further customize their salads.  

Creamy Cucumber Dill Dressing

A white dish filled with Creamy Cucumber Dill Dressing is seen from above surrounded by a fresh green salad, cucumber slices and fresh dill.

Serving suggestion iconSERVING SUGGESTIONS

This Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is a complete light meal, featuring healthy vegetables and protein-rich salmon and eggs.  It pairs wonderfully with Irish soda bread slathered with Orange and Honey Butter.  For a heartier meal, serve this salad alongside a bowl of soup or stew.  It also makes a beautiful addition to a St Patrick’s Day buffet, alongside traditional Irish fare such as bangers and mash.  

Drink pairings iconDRINK PAIRINGS

This Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is light and fresh, so it needs a wine that matches its delicate flavours and textures.  My favourite wines with this salad are light, crisp and zippy.  Chablis and Sauvignon Blanc are great matches for leafy salads and will bring out the best in the richer smoked salmon.  If you’re feeling like you want something more “Irish” to drink with this pub salad, I recommend a fresh and bright Irish Maid Cocktail.  Made with Irish whiskey, elderflower liqueur, cucumbers and lemon, this cocktail tastes like spring in a glass, making it the perfect light-tasting match for this salad.   

A platter of Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is seen from above, surrounded by a dish of creamy cucumber dill dressing, fresh sliced cucumber, orange cherry tomatoes and fresh dill fronds.
A platter of Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon fills most of the image, surrounded by crisp white table linens

Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon

Style and Grace
Sarah Gallienne
This delicious twist on a traditional Irish Pub Salad features the familiar mix of fresh and pickled vegetables, lush greens, eggs and cheese. To turn it into a bright and fresh main course for spring, we've added rich hot smoked salmon and the most delicious creamy cucumber and dill dressing!
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Irish

Ingredients
  

Pickled Beets and Pickled Onions

  • 3 medium golden beets, roasted and sliced in thin rounds (see recipe notes below for roasting instructions if needed)
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp kosher salt

Salad

  • 1 head of butter lettuce, large leaves torn into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup orange cherry tomatoes, halved if large
  • 3 Persian or mini cucumbers, sliced
  • 1 rib celery, finely sliced
  • 227gr/8oz hot smoked salmon
  • 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced (see recipe notes below for tips)
  • 1 cup cubed Irish cheddar
  • fresh dill for garnish
  • Creamy Cucumber Dill Dressing (see linked recipe above)

Instructions
 

For the pickled beets and onions

  • Take out two large clean jars with lids. To the first jar, add the roasted and sliced golden beets. To the second jar, add the sliced red onion. Set aside.
  • In a saucepan, heat 2 cups of water, the apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the beets and the red onion, dividing the mixture evenly between the two jars. If necessary, use a fork to submerge the beets and onion in the liquid. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. The pickled beets and onions can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, and the flavour improves with time, so make these a day or more in advance if you can.

For the salad

  • On a large platter, arrange the butter lettuce leaves. Add the cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and sliced celery in and amongst the lettuce leaves.
  • Remove pickled beets from the brine, and drain. Arrange pickled beets in and amongst the vegetables on the platter. Remove pickled onions from the brine and drain. Curl small bunches of the pickled onions and add them to the salad.
  • Use a fork to gently break the smoked salmon into bite size pieces. Add the smoked salmon to the salad, tucking it into the vegetables. Add the egg slices, then sprinkle the salad with the cubes of Irish cheddar.
  • Garnish the salad with fresh dill fronds and serve with the Creamy Cucumber Dill Dressing on the side.

Notes

To roast beets:  Preheat oven to 400F.  Scrub the beets clean and pat dry with a paper towel.   Slice off the stem and root ends.  Tear off a piece of foil large enough to enclose the beets.  Top the foil with a piece of parchment paper.  Place the beets in the centre of the parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.  Bring up the corners of the parchment paper to wrap the beets.  Wrap the foil around the parchment packet of beets, folding the edges over to seal so no steam can escape.   Place the foil wrapped packet on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.  Roast until beets are tender and can be easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.  The exact timing will depend on the size and freshness of your beets, but medium size beets typically cook through in 45-55 minutes.  Unwrap the beets and set them aside to cool.  When they are cool enough to handle, use your fingers or a pairing knife to remove the skins.  Roasted beets can be made in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.  
To make hard boiled eggs:  Place the eggs in a small pot and cover with water by 1 inch.  Place the lid on the pot and bring it to a boil.  Once the water boils, immediately remove the pot from the heat.  Keeping the pot covered, allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes.  Drain the eggs, and run them under cold water to stop the cooking.  Allow eggs to cool completely.  Eggs can be cooked up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge, in the shell, until needed.
To peel hard boiled eggs:  To remove the shell from the cooked eggs, gently tap the egg all over on a work surface until cracks appear all over the shell.  Under cold running water, peel off the shells.  There's an air bubble in most eggs, usually at the bottom of the egg.  Try removing the shell from the bottom first as the space created by the air bubble will make it easier to start the shell removal process.
*Note:  Hard boiled eggs can be difficult to peel sometimes.  While there are many tips and tricks out there for the smooth removal of shells, there's really only one thing that works:  Buy your eggs a week before you plan to use them, and store them in the fridge.  The freshest eggs have tight membranes that cause the cooked egg to stick to the shell.  Eggs that are a little older have relaxed a little and shrunk away from the membrane, making the shells easier to remove.  
Keyword Main course salad, Pickled Beets, Pub Salad, Smoked Salmon
An individual serving of Irish Pub Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon is seen from above in a green and white patterned bowl. The salad features tender green lettuce, crisp veggies, pickled golden beets, sliced eggs, hot smoked salmon and pickled red onions.

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