This week I made salmon. Spicy salmon with tons of flavor and good-for-you vitamins. Then issued myself an automatic license to eat 50 leftover Cadbury Eggs. I love salmon.
But really, the salmon. Chipotle seems to always be on the brain these days, which lead me to morph my salmon dinner into a Caribbean Burrito Bol, complete with mango and avocado salsa. Ding-Ding-Ding!
Truthfully, making salmon usually stresses me out. It always gets too burnt on the outside but not cooked on the inside. Maybe I should turn the heat down, or maybe I should start buying skinnier salmon filets, or maybe I should make it more than twice a year, or maybe I should stop playing Draw Something on my phone and start watching the skillet.
Speaking of normal things that shouldn’t be stressful, how about that Monday-morning-pre-work-meeting-mocha? Drive through lines are sweat-inducing and bad for the heart when you’re running late and the whole city of St. Paul would also like a drive-through mocha.
But the salmon.
The beauty of this salmon (other than the deliciously spiced flavor and lightly crispy texture) is that there is no need to be stressed out. You’re going to end up pulling the skin off at the end and stir it all up, which makes the cooking process (for a twit like me) wayyy less intimidating. Once you’ve got your salmon all prettied up, you’re going to plop it on a bed of rice and beans and top it with fresh mango and avocado salsa. Why? Because it’s life changingly yummy, and you deserve it. And because Cadbury eggs for dessert are good.
- 1 lb. wild caught salmon filet with skin (in one or several pieces)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon curry
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 12 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
- ½ large red onion, diced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 squeeze lime juice
- 1 avocado (optional)
- Stir the spices together. Rub over salmon filets (on the meat and also the skin if you want). Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon, starting skin side down, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add more oil as necessary to prevent from sticking. Flip the salmon and cook another 3-5 minutes on the meat side. The salmon will start to get a brown crust on the outside from the spices.
- When salmon is mostly cooked, pull off the skin, leaving just the pieces of meat in the skillet. Break up into smallish pieces and leave on heat until completely cooked through (not translucent). Once the pieces are cooked, remove from heat – salmon dries out quickly if you overcook it.
- Combine mangoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and avocado in a small bowl and stir until combined. Season with sea salt.
- Stir together rice and beans and season with several pinches of salt, adding a tablespoon water if necessary.
- Divide between bowls, layering the rice and beans, salmon, and salsa into each bowl.
The reason I take the skin off is because I never have good luck cooking whole salmon filets and it allows me to make sure all of the fish is cooked through. Also, it makes for great texture in the bowl!
I would like to live on a bed of rice and beans. Is that so much to ask?
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Just discovered your blog on accident through a friend of a friend’s Facebook post that included one of your recipes…and I am so thrilled to have found you! As a Minnesotan teacher that loves food and has a heart for caring for orphans, I completely connect with your “pinch of yum!” I am looking forward to following your adventures in cooking/dining!
How cool! Where do you teach?
It’s so funny that you posted this today! Is salmon and mango in the air or something?? I just bought the ingredients to make one of our favorite grilled salmon and mango salsa combo’s this week! It’s turning into mango season here and I’ve been craving that sweet salsa. I usually end up just eating it alone – like salad. . . . So fun to see how you make it too! I may have to try your blackened salmon version. Decisions, decisions!
hahahaha – I was seriously eating the mango salsa straight off the spoon. It is pretty much a salad, right?
We are so on the same page here, I made a salmon fajita “bowl” last week. I love your version and the combo of sweet and spicy, this looks sooooo good!!!
Have you tried broiling your salmon? I have such an easier time with it that way, I usually overlook it in the skillet for some reason.
Ooh, yum! Love the Mexican idea with a fajita bowl. I have not tried broiling my salmon, but I am going to next time!!
I’ve never made “jerk” anything… must do it ASAP!
I haven’t really either… it was just adding a bunch of dry spices. Yum!
Seeing that you posted a new recipe just made my Monday morning a whole lot sunnier!
Glad to hear it Jakky!
See you soon.
I love all those sunshine-packed flavours.
Real Caribbean sunshine would be nice right about now…
I’m on a big salmon kick and this bowl looks perfect with it’s spice and texture mix. Love!!
I just happened to buy a big fillet of salmon. I know what I’m doing, thanks!
this looks delicious!! Love chipotle burrito bowls and instead of regular meat, the salmon makes it look even tastier!!
I’m on a mission to eat Chipotle Burrito Bol variation every day for the rest of my life. I’m almost serious. I LOVE BOLS.
I need this. ASAP.
I love mango salsa and love mango in general. I am always putting it into something..a few days ago it was on personal pan pizzas. Great recipe, Lindsay!
Whoa! Sounds awesome Averie!
I love making salmon. And these flavors are just out of this world. My mouth is watering!
THanks Cassie!
Yum! This recipe contains several of my favorite things in life–salmon, mango, avocado…deliciousness. Will definitely be giving this one a try!
I think I could live on mango and avocado. But I guess the salmon is nice too.
This looks delish. I’ve only tried mango salsa once and it failed miserably… likely because the mango wasn’t ripe. Do you know the best way to tell if a mango is ripe?
It’s soft! Like, you should be able to squeeze it and have it give just a little bit. I am not joking when I say that I squeezed about 100 mangoes at the grocery store to find ONE that was even close to ripe. They were all rock hard!!
They are also one of the only fruits that continue to ripen off the plant. Leave them on your counter for a few days, and they’ll be perfect! Just make sure not to let them get too soft, though, or they end up with an awful, fermented-like taste.
This sounds so good. I don’t cook salmon enough (I think I get tired of making it the same way that I always do)- this is good inspiration to try a new prep method!
I don’t cook it enough either..and I’m pumped to have made it in a way that feels like I’m eating a burrito bol.
I clicked on this not having a clue what it was and it’s so pretty! I would prefer plain salmon and plain white rice because I’m one of those terribly picky eaters, but this look magnificent for normal people.
And so colorful! I love it.
Ha! Normal is all relative Erin.
Helpful hint for skillet cooking fish:
Cook on medium heat about 10 minutes on each side for every inch of thickness the filet is.
Interesting! I’ve never heard that. Thanks Delanor!
The salmon and salsa look awesome! Never thought to do jerk salmon. yum.
That’s way too long. You’ll overcook it!
Can’t wait to make this!!!
lindsay, all of these flavors!! so delicious. i love everything about this dish – the mango, jerk spices, salmon… mm it all sounds so good! let’s bring on the summer!
My phone is the biggest cooking distraction…there’s been more burned than I should even admit. This salmon looks perfect though! And like this bowl would kick a Chipotle bowl’s butt in a taste test.
I’m loving all the flavors in here! Will have to make this soon, but I must also leave my iPhone in the bedroom or something because drawsomething has taken over my life.
And the drive-thru issue? Ugh. Tell me about it. Don’t you wish we could all have our own personal drive-thru with no line?
Awesome caribbean bowl! For me, rice bowls are always lots of fun…you get the grains, the animal protein, the veggies…perfectly balanced meal and lots of great flavors. I don’t know that I’ve tried a salmon bowl, so your post has definitely inspired me to try these different flavors. Love the mango salsa and the way all the flavors come together!
Thanks Julia! I realized how much I’ve been missing by not making everything in a rice-and-beans-bowl. SO good.
oh my dearest!! i got into this blog from pinterest, and i sincerely have to say, that im sitting in front of the computer drooling… your recipies are just breathtaking!!! i want to try it all.. im from Norway, and its so nice to find a lot of new things.. im addicted to your blog from now on:) slurp!!!!
isabelle
Thank you so much Isabelle! Glad you like the site.
Back in Anchorage, my favorite way to prep salmon was in burrito form. This reminds me a lot of that without all the extra tortilla calories. Yum!
Yes! You shouldn’t have reminded me of all the extra tortilla calories… I was really liking that idea! (and still do, if I’m being honest…)
Wow, this looks beautiful! Well done! Lovely photos, as always.
Thanks so much Emily.
I must agree, the mango salsa captivated me…Will try this out! =)
I think this might just be the perfect recipe. So yummy! Thanks for sharing this.
I’m really glad that I found your blog. Your pictures and posts are wonderful. I especially appreciate the content about how to start a food blog. Thanks so much for sharing that information!
I saw this recipe several days ago and only just got around to making it today…It was amazingly delicious and now I’m sad I didn’t make it the second I saw it! I feel as though I have missed out on many meals worth of yummy-ness already. I will definitely be making this several more times throughout mango/avocado season!
Yay! Glad you liked it Sarah!
Hi Lindsay – this looks delicious and your pictures are beautiful. (from a fellow photography classmate
) I’m going to try to make your recipe this week. I agree about the beans and rice – we eat them regularly! Do you ever buy wild caught salmon from Wild Run Salmon? He sells at several farmer’s markets and I think the salmon is fabulous. I bought in bulk last year so have some in my freezer.
No, I haven’t – that’s a great idea, Suzy! Thanks for stopping by!
My family loved this dish!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks Justice! Glad you liked it!!
I had this bookmarked for a while, hoping to surprise my boyfriend sometime (who had never tried jerk before and was dying to do so). I made it tonight and it was great; very fresh and lots of textures and flavours. The salmon turned out beautifully, I opted not to chunk it in the pan and instead kept it in whole fillet portions. I also added corn to the combo because I thought it would go well, and the consensus was that it did. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Great idea to add the corn!
We also added some soya sauce to the mix, it was super tasty!
Soya sauce? What’s that? Or was it supposed to be soy sauce?
This was soooo good! Made it tonight! It was easy, delicious, and went well with our homemade margaritas! It was just the thing I needed to make after a long day of teaching!
And hopefully you had some leftover that you can take to school for lunch?
Glad you liked it!
Made this tonight with shrimp and it was great! Simple, fast and extremely delicious. Thanks, Lindsay!
Yummy! I love shrimp – great idea!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I posted it to my Pinterest account and have been eyeing it for days. I have been a veggie for 20+ years, and have had like 4 pieces of fish over the last 5 years. This meal made me think I could give it one more try. Salmon makes me sick, so I tried Tilapia instead. It was delicious! My husband and best friend loved it too. It was a crowd pleaser! Thanks so much for the yummy recipe. I hope to start infusing fish into my diet more than once/year now. I really like your blog too
YAY! Is it weird that I’m happy to have brought you out of veggie-dom? I love veggies but a girl needs some fish every now and again, right?
So glad you liked it Liz.
This was so good! I’m not a huge fan of salmon (although I wish I was!) but this recipe was exactly what I needed. I had made a mango pico de gallo and was looking for a way to combine it with some salmon. I knew this was the one when I found it and I’m so glad I went with it! Delicious!
FYI: I put it under the broiler and it cooked like a charm! No fuss, no mess, great taste!
Thanks again.
We had this for the second time last night (we almost always have wild Alaskan salmon on hand ) and I really love it. We have company in town from California and she really enjoyed it, too. Thanks for the fab recipe and beautiful pics, too.
AMAZING looking salmon salad – linking back today
Thanks Marla!
This came out pretty good. I felt that the salmon was missing a sort of sweetness to it to match up with the salsa.
Make sure you dice your onion tiny compared to the mango and avocado
Used kidney beans instead of black beans. Was yummy. Thank you for the recipe, easy for a college student to make.
Just made this tonite and the whole family devoured it!!! Hours later we are still talking about it- thank you for the recipe!!