Lomi Lomi Salmon

Lomi Lomi Salmon is a traditional Hawaiian Salad recipe made with Salmon, Onion, Tomatoes and Green Onion. It’s easy to make, can be customized to your own taste, and makes a great side dish or starter.

American Salad Seafood

Lomi Lomi Salmon is a traditional Hawaiian style salad that is delicious, simple to make and bursting with fresh flavor. Lomilomi is a type of Polynesian Massage which comes from the Hawaiian word “Lomi”, which means to knead. I first came across Lomi Lomi Salmon at a Hawaiian luau and I was completely blown away by how just a few ingredients could combine to form such a delicious and healthy salad.

Although some Lomi Lomi recipes call for hot, spicy peppers to be mixed in, my recipe is kid-friendly and can be enjoyed by the entire family.

The colors of Lomi Lomi Salmon are beautiful – red tomatoes, orange salmon, greens onions and white onion combine to for an aesthetically pleasing dish. But it’s not only beautiful – the taste is surprising complex. I love the way the sweet flavor of fresh tomato complements the saltiness of the smoked salmon to create a unique and savory flavor. And it’s all complimented by sweet onion that loses its bite as it marinades in the salty salad.

Lomi Lomi needs to be served cold – the colder the better- and there are a few ways to cool it down. The traditional Hawaiian method which you might see if you go to a traditional luau, is to mix fresh ice in with the rest of the ingredients. This cools the Lomi Lomi salmon down, but the longer it sits the more the ice melts and the Lomi Lomi can get watery. The method I use it to mix the Lomi Lomi in a large metal bowl and put it in the freezer about 30 minutes before serving. The cold metal cools the bottom and mixture will chill completely. Give It a stir a few times to make sure it chills throughout. Another way to chill your Lomi Lomi is to refrigerate it for 8-12 hours in a covered non-metallic bowl. The salt and vinegar can react with the metal if stored for a long period, so I usually use Tupperware. This allows time for all the flavors to completely blend and makes Lomi Lomi Salmon that is perfectly flavored – especially if you use sushi vinegar.

Hawaiian food is unique and delicious and Lomi Lomi Salmon is no exception. Healthy, low in calories, loaded with fish and fresh vegetables – what’s not to like? Try this one out and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

This Hawaiian Salad is easy to make and it keeps for about a week in the refrigerator. All you need is some ripe red tomatoes, smoked salmon, onion, and scallions. I always mix in some authentic Japanese Sushi vinegar to marinate the veggies and salmon- while not totally necessary, I love the kick it adds to the salad. Chop all of the ingredients finely, knead them all together well, and serve it up chilled.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
4 hours		Serves 8

PREP	4 hours
COOKING
YIELD	Serves 8

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (200g) of Smoked Salmon
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 Sweet Onion
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 TBSP Sushi Vinegar
1 tsp sea salt (optional)

Lomi Lomi Salmon Ingredient board

Instructions:

Dice thetomato, onion and salmon into 1/2 inch cubes.

Lomi Lomi Salmon ingredients all diced and placed next to each other in a metallic mixing bowl

Place the ingredients in a large bowl. Knead them together by hand.

Kneading Lomi Lomi Salmon

Using a large mixing spoon, stir in salt and sushi vinegar (optional) if desired. See the notes, below, for more information.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If serving immediately, stir in about 10 ice cubes and mix until nearly melted.
Serve as a started or as a side dish.

Close up of Lomi Lomi Salmon

Notes:

The longer it sits before serving, the more nicely the ingredients will blend. 4 hours is the minimum, but I recommend making it a day before.
You can use raw sashimi grade salmon in lieu of smoke salmon, but it won’t keep as long in the refrigerator. Don’t store it beyond the expiration date on the fish.
Lomi Lomi is a Polynesian word meaning “to knead”. Don’t be shy- this dish is best when kneaded by hand to mix the ingredients. It helps break down the sweet onion and combine it with the rest of the ingredients.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.