Asian Pear Salad with Soba and Hot Smoked Salmon

Why We Love Asian Pear Salad with Soba and Hot Smoked Salmon

Simple to make and delicious fresh flavours makes this gluten free salad a no brainer. A few easy steps to follow and you have a delicious savoury salad that is complete as a meal on its own.

For work lunches, it is perfect for eating on the go. Toss salad with the lemon soy dressing when ready to eat.

What I love the most is adding Asian pear to elevate the flavours and textures. The delicate, juicy sweetness lifts the soba noodles and acts as a delicious counterpoint to the hot smoked salmon.

Lunch Recipes for Work

I’ve worked in some places where lunch options are very limited. Either the same ol’ canteen meals or overpriced cafe-style sandwiches.

I eventually learnt that good leftovers from dinner and easy lunch recipes for work was the way to go.

Soba noodles are a great gluten free substitute for wheat noodles and pasta. I love the earthy buckwheat flavour, and I find they hold their shape better in gluten free salads, especially when eating on the go.

For this easy salad recipe, I’ve combined soba noodles with crisp Asian pear and savoury hot smoked salmon to give a balanced texture and tossed it together with a dairy free salad dressing with delicious lemon soy flavours. Excellent lunch recipe for work.

What is Asian Pear?

When people first encounter Asian pear, they do tend to get confused. Is it an apple? Is it a pear? Is it a real pear? How does Asian pear ripe? Do I eat the skin? So many questions for this delicious fruit.

Native to East Asia, the Asian pear is a distant relative of the European pears we are more familiar with like William Bartlett, Beurre Bosc and Packhams but are quite different in texture and flavour.

How to Eat Asian Pear?

Also known as Nashi in Australia, Asian pear is a round fruit very similar to a large apple in shape but has a unique juicy, crisp bite. The flavours are delicately sweet and is a delicious fruit to eat as is.

Unlike their European counterparts, Asian pear is ripe on the tree and then harvested. So they are ready to eat when you buy them.

My kids love Asian pears. Slightly a bit big for lunch boxes, we generally have Asian pears cut as after school snacks or as our dessert after dinner. They are so juicy that sometimes you need to have a napkin with you!

My mother in law has a large Asian pear tree and we do get asked how to eat Asian pear in other recipes. I love substituting apples or the usual William Bartlett pears for Asian pear in salads. They add a crisp texture with a whole lot of sweetness.

Asian pear also doesn’t turn brown which is a great bonus for salads. And why don’t try pairing it with cheese next time as well?

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make Asian pear salad:

How to Cook Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat so it is fantastic for gluten free salads.

However, there may be brands that might mix regular wheat flour so please check the packaging to confirm. Also, check the packaging of your soba noodles to cook as each brand may vary on cooking time.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add dried soba noodles. Stir occasionally so the noodles don’t stick. Cook until al dente, it should not take more than 2-3 minutes.

Drain soba noodles. Give them a good rinse under cold water. This removes any excess starch. Place in a large mixing bowl and add a few drops of sesame oil so the noodles don’t stick.

For some other soba noodle salad inspiration, try our Shimeji Mushrooms, Cucumber, Seaweed and Soba Noodle Salad or Soba Noodle Salad with Pearl Oyster Mushrooms.

How To Make The Asian Pear Salad

Asian pears do not turn brown quickly like other pears and apples. Therefore, they are great in salads and there is no need to use salted water to stop oxidation.

Cut Asian pear in half and remove the core. Slice Asian pear in thin matchsticks. Set aside for assembly.

Remove hot smoked salmon from packaging. Discard skin and pull apart the salmon flesh into a bowl. Set aside for assembly.

I have included a good amount of spring onion in this recipe as I love the added crunch and peppery flavours.

If you are not a big fan of spring onions, you can substitute half the amount with chopped coriander. And if you detest coriander, then throw in some spinach leaves for a fresh green element.

Thinly cut spring onions (scallions) into slices. Use both the green and white part of the onion. Set aside.

How to Make Lemon Soy Dressing

This is a gluten free salad dressing if you use tamari. If you don’t have tamari, light soy sauce would work as well but no longer a gluten free salad dressing.

This is a delicious dairy free salad dressing that will keep in the fridge and work well with brown rice salad, light cucumber salad or even over steamed fish.

Add lemon juice, water, tamari and sesame oil together in a mason jar. Shake well together.

How To Assemble The Salad

In a large mixing bowl, add soba noodles, flaked hot smoked salmon, Asian pear and half the chopped spring onions together. Dress with lemon soy dressing and toss well.

Transfer to a large serving platter or 4 individual bowls and scatter remaining chopped spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve cold.

If you were taking this gluten free salad to work, then I would mix everything together but omit the lemon soy dressing. Dress the salad when you are ready to eat.

Under 20 minutes, you have a tasty meal. Basically, slice Asian pear and tear apart hot smoked salmon as the soba noodle cooks in the background. Lemon soy dressing literally takes two seconds.

So if you are looking for easy peasy gluten free salads, our recipe is a winner!