Sizzling salmon, kissed with smoky spices, nestled on a bed of cilantro-lime rice and crowned with a vibrant explosion of sweet mango, tangy red onion, and a hint of jalapeño heat. This salmon with mango salsa recipe is a flavor-packed, all- in-one meal!
Salmon is on regular rotation at our house. Along with fideo and caldo de pollo, it is one of the meals we all love and I feel good about making.
Louisa hates chicken (except in soup), Hiro is never happy with a veggie-only meal (except if its pasta) and so when I’m trying to whip up a healthy meal, well….salmon it is!
If I’m in a rush I will just do olive oil, salt, pepper, hot pan and done. But week-in-and week-out that gets kind of boring.
A couple weeks ago, to switch things up, I made Marrekus and Krysten’s Baked Blackened Salmon with Grits (which was delicious, you should try it) and it inspired me to play around with my salmon dinners incorporating the Mexican flavors I love.
After a few tries, these sunny salmon bowls were born! The sweet and spicy fresh mango salsa is the perfect texture and flavor contrast with the chile and garlic rubbed salmon filets and the pan-seared bell peppers and green beans drizzled with lemon-garlic butter sauce all on a bed of fragrant cilantro-lime rice.
Sounds complicated, but almost everything gets made in one skillet (the rice cooks at the same time in a rice cooker or Instant Pot).
Whether you’re a seasoned Mexican food enthusiast (like me) or simply curious about exploring new flavors (also me), this dish is an invitation to try cooking salmon a new way. So, gather the ingredients, give it a go and leave me a comment below with how it turned out. Who knows, maybe this recipe will become a new favorite in your own kitchen. Fingers crossed!
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets
- Chili powder. I use mild chili powder here but you could use a spicier chili powder like chipotle chili powder or chile de árbol powder.
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- Bell peppers
- Green beans
- Unsalted butter
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Mangoes. Choose a mango that is ripe and fragrant but not too soft.
- Red onion
- Limes. You will use the zest and the juice.
- Jalapeño. Or serrano chiles if you’d like a spicier salsa.
- Cilantro
- Cilantro-Lime Rice
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Start the rice. Rinse the rice in a few changes of water until it runs clear. Combine rice and water in the rice cooker and steam. Zest a lime and mince the cilantro for the rice and the salsa.
step two
Season salmon. Combine chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Lay salmon on a small baking sheet. Rub all over with a little olive oil and sprinkle the top of the salmon with the spice mix. Let it marinate for a bit while you make the salsa.
step three
Make the sweet mango salsa. Combine the mango salsa ingredients: mango, red onion, jalapeño, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
step four
Cook the veggies. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and green beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender-crisp and lightly charred. Remove from the skillet.
step five
Cook the salmon. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same skillet. Once shimmering, add the salmon skin side up. Let cook, undisturbed, until it is nicely browned and the salmon has become opaque about half way up the sides of the salmon. Flip and continue to cook another 2 minutes, the salmon will keep cooking in the butter sauce so it doesn’t need to be cooked completely. Remove from the skillet.
step six
Make the lemon garlic butter. Lower to medium heat then add the butter, lemon juice, and garlic to the same skillet and simmer. Add the salmon back into the sauce and cook until it is done how you like it. I think an internal temperature of 125 degrees F is perfect. (A meat thermometer is handy here).
step seven
Serve. Mix in the remaining lime zest and cilantro into the rice. Then spoon rice into bowls and top with a piece of salmon and veggies. Spoon sauce over the fish then top each bowl with tangy mango salsa and serve.
Salmon with Mango Salsa Recipe FAQ’s
How do I make this ahead? You can make the mango salsa up to 3 days in advance and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftover salmon is actually pretty good cold.
Is this spicy? You can make it as spicy as you like. As written it is about a 4 out of 10 on the spiciness scale. You can make a spicy mango salsa by increasing the jalapeños in the recipe.
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Are You Ready To Try The Best Salmon Recipe?
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Salmon rice bowls with mango salsa
This salmon with mango salsa recipe is a flavor-packed, all- in-one meal!
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (about 2 pounds)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 red, orange, and/or yellow peppers, sliced
- 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Mango Salsa
- 1 large ripe mango, diced
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1/4 medium red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving
Instructions
- Start the rice: Make the rice first and keep warm in the rice cooker while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Make the salsa: Combine the 1 diced mango, the minced jalapeño, the minced 1/4 red onion, the 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, the 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Season salmon: Combine the 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle the salmon all over with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil the sprinkle the spice mix over the top of the salmon. Rub it in well.
- Cook the veggies: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 sliced peppers and 1/2 pound trimmed green beans and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring ocassionally, until crisp tender and lightly charred in spot, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate. If skillet is really charred on the bottom, remove from stove and wash it out before cooking the salmon.
- Cook the salmon: Heat the last tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and add the salmon fillets, skin-side up. Cook, undisturbed until golden brown and the flesh has become opaque about halfway up the side of the salmon, about 2 minutes. Flip and crisp the skin on the other side, another 2 minutes. The fish doesn't have to be completely cooked, it will continue cooking in the garlic butter sauce. Remove to a plate, peel off the skin and discard if you'd like.
- Make garlic sauce: Return the skillet to medium heat and add the 3 tablespoons butter and 2 cloves of sliced garlic. Let cook until butter has melted and garlic is fragrant. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Slide salmon fillets back in the sauce and cook until the salmon is done to your likeness. I like mine cooked to about 125°F, about 1-2 minutes more.
- Serve: Stir lime zest and chopped cilantro into the rice. Spoon the rice into bowls and place a salmon fillet in each bowl. Add the veggies to each bowl and spoon the butter sauce over the salmon. Top each bowl with mango salsa and serve.
Notes
- Salmon: I like skin-on salmon fillets but skinless will work too. Look for fillets that are around the same size for even cooking. Rinse and pat dry before beginning the recipe.
- Turn the vent on: Charring the vegetables will get smoky. If you have an oven vent, make sure you turn it on before you begin cooking or at least open a window.
- Make-ahead/storage: The mango salsa can be made up to 3 days in advance. Any leftover salmon, rice, and vegetables can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Internal cooked temperature for salmon:
Medium rare – pull out at 50°C/122°F which will rise to 53°C/127.4°F after resting which is medium rare. This is the optimum point of juiciness and level of doneness chefs/restaurants will cook to by default.
Medium – pull at 60°C/140°F, will rise to 63°C/145.4°F after resting. A little more done and slightly less juicy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 68Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
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