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Summery, simple, and big on flavor, this Greek salmon is the weeknight dinner that tastes like summer. We’re talking juicy, well-seasoned salmon, an herby orzo salad packed with roasted peppers and tomatoes, and a salty-lemony feta that ties it all together. Make it on the grill or in a skillet. Either way, you’ll get charry edges, creamy feta, and fresh herbs in every bite.

overhead photo of Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Fast, colorful, and satisfying; works for meal prep or casual summer dinners.
  • Grill or pan options with no special equipment needed.
  • Charred lemon feta adds a wow factor!
  • While the ingredient list is long, there are a lot of herbs, spices, vinegar, and oil being used. My hope is that these are items you already have on hand. And that all you’ll need to pick up from the market is fresh salmon and veggies.

Ingredient Notes

  • Salmon: Skin-on helps protect delicate flesh and gives you crisp edges when seared. Look for bright, firm fillets.
  • Marinade flavors: Balsamic + smoked paprika + oregano + shallot + garlic + olive oil. Note that smoked paprika isn’t traditional Greek, but adds sweet-smoky depth.
  • Orzo Salad add-ins: Roasted red peppers for sweetness, juicy tomatoes, briny olives, creamy avocado, chickpeas for heft.
  • Feta + charred lemons: Briefly grill or pan-sear lemon slices until caramelized; chop and toss with crumbled feta, herbs, and a splash of oil for a bright, salty topping.

Inspiration behind this recipe

Clearly I am very into these summery dinners filled with garden produce and herbs. I just can’t help it. When I have an abundance of fresh produce available to use, I can’t resist using it all…and sometimes all at once.

After yesterday’s oven fried mac and cheese bites, I figured something fresh, and oh so healthy, would be a nice switch up for today.

Enter this simple summery Greek salmon, loaded with produce and lemon feta.  It’s the summertime dish that’s fast, fresh, healthy, so pretty, and obviously…so delicious. I couldn’t be more excited to share this recipe today!

overhead prep photo of Greek Salmon before grilling

Step by Step

Marinate the salmon. I seasoned it up in quite possibly one of my favorite seasoning blends. It’s a combination of balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika (not really Greek…but it’s one of my favorite spices), fresh oregano, shallots (KEY!), garlic (also KEY), and lots of olive oil. Mix, and let it sit while you get everything else for the salad together.

Cook the orzo: Boil until just tender; drain and toss warm with oil, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, olives, avocado, and chickpeas. Note: warm orzo absorbs flavor better. For the summery orzo, you’re really just tossing hot orzo with plenty of fresh herbs, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, and avocado. Add a little olive oil and season this up with salt and pepper.

Char the lemons & make the feta: Sear lemon slices until lightly caramelized; chop and fold into feta with herbs and oil.

Cook the salmon: Grill or pan-sear until the exterior is lightly charred and the center turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork (visual doneness cues, not strict times). Grill the salmon until it’s just charring. At the very same time, grill the slices of lemon until caramelized. chop the lemon slices and toss with lots and lots of fresh herbs. Then toss the whole mix with the crumbled feta cheese and a splash of olive oil.

Assemble: Toss some lemon-feta through the orzo; plate with salmon and extra feta on top. I love to toss some of the lemon feta with the orzo salad. Next, spoon the orzo onto plates, add the salmon, and sprinkle on a generous amount of the lemon feta.

overhead close up photo of Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad | halfbakedharvest.com

Simple and so good! And in my book, simple AND delicious, well that’s the name of the game when it comes to summer recipes.

This dish has become my personal go-to low-key dinner that’s satisfying, healthy, and in season. It’s also a great hearty recipe to incorporate into your weekly meal prep. Enjoy a delicious healthy dinner, or use it for lunches throughout the week. I like to make this when I know I’m having an “off” week, with very little recipe testing and photographing. Basically, my computer days.

overhead close up photo of Greek Salmon

Technique Tips

  • Prevent sticking: Pat salmon dry; oil grates or pan; start skin-side down if using skin-on.
  • Charred lemons: Aim for deep golden spots, not full black—too much char = bitter.
  • Balanced orzo salad: Season the orzo while warm and taste after adding feta; you may need less salt because olives/feta are salty.
  • No grill? Pan-sear or oven-bake—call this out clearly so readers don’t bounce (include both options in one place for scannability) .
side angle photo of Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad

Looking for other summer salmon recipes? Here are some favorites:

Cilantro Lime Salmon with Mango Salsa

Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon

Sesame Crusted Curried Salmon Burgers with Lemony Herbs

Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn Salad

Lastly, if you make this Greek salmon with lemon feta and orzo summer salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 1527 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Orzo Summer Salad

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Place the salmon in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, paprika, oregano, shallot, garlic, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Rub the seasonings and oil evenly into flesh. Toss the lemon slices into the oil.
    2. To make the salad. Add the orzo, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, herbs, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to a large serving bowl. Add the chickpeas, red peppers, tomatoes, olives, and avocado, toss to combine.
    3. Heat your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium high heat. Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Add the lemon slices. Cover and cook until skin is lightly charred, 4-5 minutes, flip the salmon and lemons, grill another 3-4 minutes until opaque. Remove everything from the grill.
    4. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix them with the herbs, crumbled feta, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the feta to the orzo salad.
    5. Divide the salad between plates. Add the salmon and sprinkle with lemon feta. Top with lots of fresh herbs, and an extra squeeze of lemon, if desired. Enjoy!
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overhead horizontal photo of Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad

This post was originally published on June 25, 2020
4.32 from 213 votes (179 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. This looks delicious! Can you recommend a different type of fish that would work with this recipe? My husband can’t eat salmon.
    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hey Lisa,
      A mild white fish like cod would work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 4 stars
    This was my first time ever eating salmon & I loved it! So full of flavor. Will be making this again for sure!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Hi, I am a recent fan of yours, I made this recipe today in Mexico City, it’s warm so it was perfect. I really am loving all your recipes!

    Thank you so much!!!
    Monica

    Reply

  4. 4 stars
    I loved this recipe! I am not one to chose salmon as my first choice, but the picture led me to try this recipe out! What a hit! My only problem was that my lemon pieces seems to add more a bitter taste than a good one..any suggestions as to why this happened?! Big fan of all of your recipes! Keep on cooking ?

    Reply

    1. Hey Meredith,
      Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am glad you enjoyed the salmon. As for the lemon, the caramelizing of them should take away the bitterness but for next time you could always just add a bit of the juice rather than the whole lemon. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    This was the perfect summer recipe! My husband said possibly his favorite HBH recipe, but then I reminded him of all his other favorite recipes (and the ice cream sandwiches we had last night!) 🙂 but seriously the fresh flavors and gorgeous colors are perfect for this time of year!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    I was really skeptical of this recipe for a few reasons. I’ve never cooked with chickpeas, never have made orzo, not the biggest fan of red pepper, and never have grilled salmon. But wow, I’m glad I tried something different because it.was.INCREDIBLE. All of the ingredients blended together so nicely at the end and my husband was pleasantly surprised, as was I. The orzo basically tastes like pasta. It’s delicious. The red pepper was a nice touch too and I’m glad I took the time to grill it a bit before adding.

    I am so excited to include this in our weekly summer rotation and even more excited for family gatherings to start again so I can show it off! OH and I used garbanzo beans instead of chickpeas (I got the wrong can accidentally) and it worked awesome 🙂

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Omg! This is SO DELICIOUS! I had a zucchini to use up, so I sliced it the long way and threw it on the grill as well. It also made a ton of leftovers (just 2 of us) so I am excited to have this for a few lunches this week. You have the total time listed at 30 minutes… are you super human?!? 🙂 It took me almost 2 hours. But so so worth it.

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    The salmon was delicious – perfectly caramelized. The chopped lemon in the orzo salad added just the right acidity to balance the salty feta.

    Reply

  9. We really liked this recipe (even my seven month old liked the salmon). However I saw that you listed cucumber in the ingredients but never put it in the instructions. Just wanted to let you know because some people might leave it out.

    Reply

  10. 2 stars
    I’m sorry, but we did not like this recipe. I thought it might be easier than it looked, but It was a fricking ton of work and had so many ingredients! We did not have pre-cooked orzo or roasted red peppers (which we omitted), but I need easy 30 min meals that are actually 30 mins. Once everything was made, the salmon was really good, and the pasta salad was just ok.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ali! I am really sorry this id not turn out as expected. Is there anything I can help with? I hope you enjoy some other recipes of mine! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hi Jennifer,
      Yes, 1.5 cups uncooked. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. This was AMAZING!! I used all the herbs suggested and the flavors were perfect together! My only change was that we grilled corn and used that in place of the garbanzo beans. Thank you for another FABULOUS recipe!

    Reply

  13. 5 stars
    This is my new favorite way to make salmon in the summer. The bright flavors of the lemon and herbs are so good! I followed the recipe without variation. This is definitely “company worthy”. Thank you Tieghan. BTW, the leftover pasta salad was a terrific lunch the next day.

    Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Yummmmm. Took a bit of effort cause I didn’t prep my ingredients beforehand (get all your chopping & the orzo done first!). Also, highly recommend getting GOOD quality feta. It was SO good in the salad! Husband and I loved every bite and are looking forward to the orzo salad leftovers!

    Reply