Warm Pear, Feta & Salmon Salad
with Walnut Panko, Pickled Shallot & Blue Cheese Dressing
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Fish
This festive main course salad is destined to become a hit on your table! You’ll toss a bright mix of fresh greens, tender sautéed pear, and quick-pickled shallot with creamy blue cheese dressing and briny crumbled feta. Shower your salad with crunchy walnut-panko topping for a harmonious blend of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
½ cup
Feta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
2 ounce
Arugula
½ ounce
Walnuts
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
1 unit
Pear
1.5 ounce
Blue Cheese Dressing
(Contains: Eggs, Milk)
¼ teaspoon
Dried Thyme
5 teaspoon
Red Wine Vinegar
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
2 ounce
Mixed Greens
1 unit
Shallot
10 ounce
Salmon
(Contains: Fish)
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
¾ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1.5 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Wash and dry produce.
Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot. Halve, core, and thinly slice pear. Roughly chop walnuts.
Pat salmon* dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Cook salmon (skin side down) until skin is crisp, 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook until cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine shallot, vinegar, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, and pepper (1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt for 4 servings). Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until shallot is softened, 30-50 seconds. Set aside until ready to use in next step.
Melt ½ TBSP butter (1 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large pan over medium heat. Add ¼ tsp thyme (½ tsp for 4) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. (Save remaining thyme for another use.)
Add pear, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4), and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 2-3 minutes.
Turn off heat. Let pear cool slightly, then transfer to bowl with pickled shallot. Toss to combine. Wipe out pan.
Use pan used for salmon here.
Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in same pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and walnuts; cook, stirring, until panko is golden brown, 3-5 minutes. TIP: Keep an eye on the panko—it browns quickly!
Transfer to a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss together arugula, mixed greens, blue cheese dressing, half the pear and pickled shallot (draining first), half the walnut panko, and half the feta.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Divide salad between shallow bowls. Top with remaining pear and pickled shallot, remaining walnut panko, and remaining feta. Serve.
Top salad with salmon.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the unique combination of flavors, especially the pickled shallots and pear with feta and blue cheese 🎉.
- Ease of prep: Some found it labor-intensive; consider simplifying by using red onion instead of pickled shallots for a quicker prep.
- Suggestions: Ensure pears are ripe before cooking; add garlic for extra flavor. Try blue cheese crumbles or a chunky dressing for more impact.
- Leftovers: This salad is best enjoyed fresh; it doesn't keep well as leftovers.
- Texture: The walnut panko received mixed reviews; some loved the crunch, while others found it unnecessary.
Reviews from our home cooks
Greens were fresh (we ate it the day after receiving our box) and the pickled shallots were surprisingly good. Neither of us like blue cheese, so we skipped the dressing and it was delicious. Probably could've done without the walnut panko as it didn't seem to add much to the overall taste; if you're after crunch, it would've been better (for us) with pine nuts...more protein, less carbs.
Could eat this every week. Loved the unique elements. Panko, pickled shallots and pears, feta, bleu cheese dressing amazing
Easy and quick really good and just a bit different with pear!
It was a little too labor intensive. Maybe skip the pickled shallots - too many steps. Just red onion next time! :)
I was a little skeptical about the pickled shallot and the mix of blue cheese and feta, but it was delicious!
A really really delicious and unique dinner salad. Very filling. Loved the crunchies.
Blue cheese crumbles or a chunky blue cheese dressing would have made it even better...overall, very good
So good! Perfect for summer. Maybe add another pack of dressing.
It's great fresh but not good as leftovers. Would be nice for those of us cooking for one to have info on whether a meal is good after refrigeration
I wish I left off the panko, which was kind of a pain to toast and gave an unpleasant texture to the salad. The rest of it was tasty, but the portion of greens was too small for a dinner salad. I also didn't like having to pay so much more for the salmon. I understand a little upcharge to upgrade the meat, but this meal should have already had some sort of protein included in the meal price.
