These baked chili lime salmon bowls are a quick & easy weeknight dinner recipe. They’re naturally gluten free and can be made paleo. This baked salmon is full of flavor and ready in just 30 minutes!
It’s no secret I love all types of burrito and buddha bowl style meals. They’re quick, easy, healthy and you get a variety of flavors and textures all in one bowl.
These spicy chili lime baked salmon bowls are up there on my list of favorites! The flavors were inspired by my popular sweet potato burrito bowls, but of course made with salmon instead!
The rest of the bowl has my homamade cilantro lime rice, sauteed veggies, avocado and finished with a spicy tahini dressing. Easy, delicious and perfect for meal prep!
How to make this recipe
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the salmon in a small bowl.
Add the salmon fillets to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and pour the marinade on top. use a brush to ensure it is even on all pieces.
Preheat the oven to 375 and let the salmon marinate while the oven heats up.
Once it’s ready, cover with foil and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on preference. Once it’s almost done, remove the foil from the top and turn the oven to broil and broil for about 2-3 minutes to let the tops crisp up. This is optional, but it gives the salmon a crispy top which I love!
While the salmon is baking, add the sliced peppers and onion to a skillet with the oil. Saute for about 5-10 minutes or until they start to brown slightly.
When the salmon is done, slice a knife under each piece to remove the skin, it should slide right off.
Assemble the bowls with a base of cilantro lime rice, then add on top the sauteed veggies, salmon, avocado and drizzle with tahini dressing.
Can you eat the skin?
When you certainly can eat salmon skin, I’m not a huge fan! You definitely want to bake the salmon with the skin on as it prevents it from drying out, but then I suggest removing the skin after they bake.
Make it paleo
You can easily make these salmon bowls paleo by swapping the cilantro lime rice for cauliflower rice. I usually buy frozen riced cauliflower and heat it up with some olive oil on the stove, then add in the cilantro, lime, salt and pepper. You can also do half rice half cauliflower for a lighter but still hearty option!
Can you cook it from frozen?
You can, and to be honest I do sometimes if I forget to take it out of the freezer or I’m just feeling impatient, but I highly recommend cooking the salmon from fresh or letting it defrost in the fridge overnight (or throughout the day).
Cooking it from frozen will prevent the marinade from actually getting into the salmon, so it kind of just rests on top and won’t be quite as flavorful.
Does it keep?
Once prepared, cooked salmon is generally good in the fridge for about 2 days, but definitely best when served fresh. I don’t recommend making too much more than you can eat in a day or two, so if you’re cooking for yourself, I would halve the recipe and you have dinner (or lunch) for two nights!
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Chili Lime Salmon Bowls
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 4, 6 ounce salmon fillets
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- ½ tsp salt
Bowls:
- 1 batch cilantro lime rice
- 2 red bell peppers
- ½ large red onion
- 1 avocado
- 1 batch spicy tahini dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the salmon in a small bowl.
- Add the salmon fillets to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and pour the marinade on top. use a brush to ensure it is even on all pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let the salmon marinate while the oven heats up.
- Once it's ready, cover with foil and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on preference. Once it's almost done, remove the foil from the top and turn the oven to broil and broil for about 2-3 minutes to let the tops crisp up. This is optional, but it gives the salmon a crispy top which I love!
- While the salmon is baking, add the sliced peppers and onion to a skillet with the oil. Saute for about 5-10 minutes or until they start to brown slightly.
- When the salmon is done, slice a knife under each piece to remove the skin, it should slide right off.
- Assemble the bowls with a base of cilantro lime rice, then add on top the sauteed veggies, salmon, avocado and drizzle with tahini dressing.
Shannon D says
This recipe is amazing! The marinade for the salmon is delicious. It’s also so easy to customize to your tastes/preference- we love to add cucumbers and lettuce when corn is out of season. Harissa is also a great add. Definitely try it out!
Claire Cary says
Love those additions!