These crispy Orange Salmon bowls are an easy to make dinner recipe that will be ready to eat in just about 30 minutes! Full of flavor, paleo friendly and naturally gluten free.
I have literally made these orange salmon bowls three times this week and I’m not even a little bit sick of it. It’s saucy and flavorful and takes all of 30 or so minutes to make. What’s not to love?!
Orange anything is always delicious (especially orange tofu and chicken), and this simple sauce is made from a base of fresh orange juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, vinegar and some red pepper flakes for spice.
You can make it as sweet or not sweet as you like. If you’re a sauce person like me, you can make a double batch and reserve the extra for your rice/veggies or to use for recipes like my orange cauliflower later in the week!
We’ll pan try the salmon with garlic, ginger and oil until crispy, then combine with the sticky orange sauce. I opted to cut my salmon into cubes, but you can follow the recipe exactly as written with the salmon in regular filets. Try my honey glazed salmon bowls or sesame cauliflower next!
Key ingredients
Salmon. These salmon bowls feature cubes salmon which make the marinade time really quick and I just think it’s more fun to eat!
I just asked the butcher at the market to cut the skin off since I’m not a big fan, but you can also leave the skin on or just cut it off yourself! It’s totally edible and gets really crispy, so totally up to you.
Marinade/sauce. We’ll make the sauce, marinate the salmon in it, then thicken it up and pour it back onto the salmon. It has orange juice and zest for a very strong orange flavor, soy sauce/tamari, rice vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes for a bit of spice.
Veggies. I opted to just use steamed broccoli but you can roast up your broccoli or pan fry some veggies like carrots, cabbage, peppers etc!
How to make orange salmon bowls
Whisk together all sauce ingredients aside from the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add the salmon cubes and marinate for 15 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, grated ginger and oil to a pan and saute over medium/low heat for about 2 minutes.
Use tongs to add in the salmon cubes (save the sauce but don’t add to the pan) and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Meanwhile, add the remaining sauce to a small sauce pan and bring to a very low boil.
Whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce. Simmer until thick, whisking occasionally.
Once the salmon has cooked and the sauce is thick, add about 3/4 of the sauce to the salmon and let simmer for a few minutes to combine.
You can serve exactly as is, or quickly broil the salmon for 2-3 minutes to crisp it up further.
Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, then add your veggies, salmon and drizzle with the remaining sauce. enjoy!
Fresh vs. frozen salmon
For this particular recipe, I don’t recommend using frozen salmon. It doesn’t cook up as well and also takes much longer to cook.
Try to remember to defrost your salmon in the fridge overnight, then let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Can I prep it ahead?
Yes! This recipe will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days. I like to reheat either in the air fryer to get a bit of crisp back, or in a pan on the stove.
Salmon can dry out a bit as it sits, but I personally prefer salmon pretty well done, so a bit of dryness doesn’t bother me, it’s just something to keep in mind.
Serving Suggestions
I love these orange salmon bowls with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. It’s also delicious with my edamame crunch salad for an Asian inspired lunch.
Feel free to get creative and add any other veggies like cucumber, cabbage, bell pepper etc!
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Pan Fried Orange Salmon
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4, 6 ounce salmon fillets cut into cubes (with or without skin)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Sauce
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1-2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For serving
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- 2 cups cooked broccoli
Instructions
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients aside from the cornstarch in a medium bowl.
- Add the salmon cubes and marinate for 15 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, grated ginger and oil to a pan and saute over medium/low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Use tongs to add in the salmon cubes (save the sauce but don't add to the pan) and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining sauce to a small sauce pan and bring to a very low boil.
- Whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce.
- Simmer until thick, whisking occasionally.
- Once the salmon has cooked and the sauce is thick, add about 3/4 of the sauce to the salmon and let simmer for a few minutes to combine.
- You can serve exactly as is, or quickly broil the salmon for 2-3 minutes to crisp it up further.
- Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, then add your veggies, salmon and drizzle with the remaining sauce. enjoy!
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