Salmon Rice Bowls

Salmon rice bowls make a delicious and easy dinner that you won’t have enough of. This dish consists of tender baked salmon, flavorful mango avocado salsa, perfectly cooked fluffy rice, and tangy cilantro lime crema. So good and easy!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make easy baked salmon:

• Salmon fillets – you can also use white-flesh fish fillets such as halibut or cod. Make sure to adjust the baking time to the thickness of the fish.
• Olive oil – or avocado oil.
• Honey – or maple syrup.
• Lime juice – or lemon juice.
• Spices – I used chili powder, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, but you can use your favorite spice mix. If you don’t like smoked paprika, use regular sweet paprika. Chili powder is a spice mix, not pure chili pepper powder.

Here’s what you need to cook rice:

This recipe calls for regular, long-grain rice. Water-to-rice ratios will be different when using different types of rice. If you want to cook Jasmine rice, check out this post on how to cook Jasmine rice.

Here’s what you need for the mango avocado salsa:

• Mango – make sure to use ripe sweet mangos. You’ll find the best mangos in Asian supermarkets, such as the Mango Ataulfo or Alphonso variety which are so much better than the regular Tommy Atkins/Kent variety that you will find in a regular grocery store. Instead of mango, a ripe and soft pineapple would also work.
• Avocado – should be ripe and soft.
• Red onion – you can omit it if you don’t like it.
• Lime juice – preferably freshly squeezed.
• Honey – you can use maple syrup or agave syrup instead. You can omit it if you have very ripe good-quality mango varieties.
• Cilantro – a must for me but you could try using some dried coriander instead in a pinch.
• Chili pepper – optional, only if you like a touch of heat in your salsa. You can use chopped deseeded jalapeno or other chili pepper varieties. If you don’t have fresh chili peppers, use red pepper flakes. If you don’t want to use any chili pepper but would like to have that beautiful red pop of color, you can use chopped red bell pepper.
• Olive oil – or other good cold-pressed oil such as avocado oil.

Here’s what you need for the cilantro lime crema:

• Sour cream – makes a creamy base for the sauce. Alternatively, use creme fraiche. You can also use thick yogurt (such as Greek yogurt) and add more lime juice but it really is best with sour cream.
• Limes – we’re using lime juice and zest for the best flavor. Use only freshly squeezed juice for the best flavor!
• Cilantro – adds amazing herby flavor, it’s really worth adding it although you could omit it. If you don’t have any cilantro on hand, you could try adding some dried coriander to the sauce.
• Mayo – makes the sauce more creamy and thick but you can omit it, it’s also good without it.
• Garlic – the best is fresh garlic but you can also add garlic powder.

How to make it step-by-step

Cook rice

Place rice, water, and salt in a small pot.

(2/3 cup (130g) long-grain rice, 1 cup (240g) water, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt)

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Cook for 13 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat, leave the lid on, and set aside for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork or a spatula.

Bake salmon fillets

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

(1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika)

Pat dry the salmon fillets with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste on all sides.

(1 pound (450g) salmon fillets)

Coat the fillets on all sides with the spice mix and place them skin-side down in a baking dish. If your salmon fillets have very thin ends, tuck them under the fillet.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until desired doneness.

Tips for cooking salmon fillets: The baking time may vary depending on the thickness of the fillets. The best way to check if your fish is done is to check its temperature with a thermometer. I like to use a grill thermometer, inserting the probe into the thickest part of the thinnest fillet. A thin wire goes through the oven door to the thermometer that stays on the outside. This type of thermometer measures the temperature inside of the fish for the whole cooking process. I take the fish out when the temperature reaches 140°F (60°C) and it finishes cooking while resting. The fish is safe to eat when the temperature in its thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C). If your fish fillets vary in thickness, take out thinner fillets when they’re done and continue cooking the thicker fillets. It’s really important to not overcook the fish – it will become rubbery and tough.

Make cilantro lime crema (sauce)

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt if needed.

(1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, 1/2 tablespoon mayo, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 small clove garlic, or 1/2 medium/large, zest of 1/2 lime, salt to taste, 1/2 bunch cilantro)

Make mango avocado salsa

Finely chop cilantro. Finely chop the onion and rinse under cold water.

In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, onion, honey, olive oil, and lime juice.

Peel mango and avocado. Cut into cubes. Add to the bowl.

Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Assemble

Place rice, baked salmon, and mango avocado salsa on plates. Drizzle with the sauce.

Enjoy!

Storage

Baked salmon reheats very well, just bake it in a 325°F (160°C) oven for a couple of minutes until warm. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Reheating rice: either pan-fry it with some butter in a non-stick pan or steam it. I don’t recommend reheating in the oven – it will dry out. Microwave is also a good option.

Cilantro lime crema – it stores really well. Store it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days and stir well before serving.

Mango avocado salsa – tastes unfortunately best fresh. Both avocado and mango darken really quickly. I recommend preparing it just before serving. If you have to store leftovers, cover the bowl with plastic foil so that the foil touches the salsa and refrigerate for up to 1-2 days.

More delicious fish recipes

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa	Baked Pesto Salmon	Salmon Stir Fry