This easy baked cajun salmon is perfectly spiced and served alongside a 4 ingredient mango salsa. It’s fresh, healthy and ready to eat in under 30 minutes.
Salmon is my go to protein these days. It’s so easy to make and I pretty much always have some on hand. I love a simple orange salmon or my teriyaki salmon if I’m feeling something Asian inspired, but this cajun salmon with mango salsa is my favorite for summer.
It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and is chock full of fresh flavor. You have a little spice from the cajun seasoning, tang from the lemon, sweet from the mango and fresh jasmine rice to balance it all out.
I like to bake this recipe in a regular ceramic baking dish, but you can easily bake it in a skillet (as long as it is oven safe or cast iron) or simple pan fry it if you prefer.
You can also make a blackened cajun salmon, you can either let it broil for a few minutes before removing from the oven, or transfer to a skillet and let the top side simmer until blackened.
How to bake salmon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a ceramic baking dish. Add the salmon filets, skin side down, then drizzle the second teaspoon of olive oil on top.
Combine the sugar and cajun seasoning in a bowl and sprinkle evenly on top of the salmon. It might seem like a lot, but use all of it!
Add to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick your filets are and how well done you like it.
Meanwhile, dice the mangoes and add to a bowl with the onion, cilantro and lime juice. When the salmon is done, slide a knife underneath to remove the skin.
Serve with jasmine rice, mango salsa and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
Can you eat salmon skin?
You can, and some people love it! I’m personally not a big fan, but it will get fairly crispy when it bakes, so you can certainly try it if you like.
Whether or not you eat the skin, I do recommend keeping the skin on while it bakes as this helps it cook more evenly. You also want to bake it uncovered to ensure the top gets nice and crispy.
How long does cooked salmon keep?
Once prepared, this cajun salmon will keep for about 2 days in the fridge. You can serve it cold in a salad or warm it up on the stove and serve with any leftover rice and mango salsa.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this cajun salmon with my homemade 4 ingredient mango salsa, jasmine rice and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
If you’re looking for some greens, some sauteed asparagus or a simple green salad on the side would be delicious.
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Baked Cajun Salmon
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 2, 4-6 ounce salmon filets
- 1 tbsp cajun or creole seasoning
- 2 tsp brown or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp olive oil divided
Mango Salsa
- 2 yellow mangoes
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 3-4 tbsp cilantro
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a ceramic baking dish.
- Add the salmon filets, skin side down, then drizzle the second teaspoon of olive oil on top.
- Combine the sugar and cajun seasoning in a bowl and sprinkle evenly on top of the salmon. It might seem like a lot, but use all of it!
- Add to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick your filets are and how well done you like it.
- Meanwhile, dice the mangoes and add to a bowl with the onion, cilantro and lime juice.
- When the salmon is done, slide a knife underneath to remove the skin.
- Serve with jasmine rice, mango salsa and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
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