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FANTASTIC. So easy, so fast, so delicious. Everyone ate it! No easy feat with 3 kids. It will be on regular rotation in our house. Can’t wait to make it again!
Purnima Mandal
This Bang Bang Sauce Lives Rent-Free In My Head.
It’s delicious and it’s a memorizer.
- Mayo
- Sweet chili sauce
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
That, right there, is Bang Bang Sauce. Popularized by none other than the Bonefish Grill. It’s creamy, sweet, savory and punchy from the garlic and soy sauce, and just leaves you wanting to smother everything in it.
I am mostly making this sauce with salmon right now, because I’m always looking for ways to love salmon. But bang bang sauce can shine anywhere: with chicken. shrimp. tofu. roasted potatoes. roasted mushrooms. roasted cauliflower.
I will tell you that in an extra-rushed SOS moment this week, I brushed the bang bang sauce on a frozen breaded chicken breast, after baking, and let it kinda melt in. Threw it on a salad. And it was incredibly short-cut-y and just so finger-licking good.
In terms of veggies in the bowl with this salmon, I typically go for one of the following:
- steamed broccoli
- a little avocado cucumber salsa, which is listed out in the notes!
The sauce is not spicy at all – just hold on the chili crisp for anyone who is sensitive. My 3 year old will eat the salmon (or not) depending on her mood, and the rest of us clean our plates every time!
It’s right up there with the other salmon greats in my life: air fryer salmon, and BBQ salmon with mango salsa!
Honestly, I should have had this recipe on POY years ago. It’s so easy and something I always look forward to eating.
How To Make This Recipe
1
Make the Bang Bang Sauce.
Mayo, sweet chili sauce, garlic, and soy sauce.
2
Sauce the Salmon.
Coat the salmon with spices; then cover with a spoonful of sauce.
3
Bake the Salmon.
400 degrees for 10 minutes, and I like to finish with a quick broil to get it nice and caramelizey.
4
Make a Little Avocado Salsa, If You Want.
And I do want.
5
Yum! You’re Done!
Add some sauce on top, some chili crisp for heat, and get into it.
Watch Me Make This Recipe
Bang Bang Salmon with Avocado Cucumber Salsa
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Bang Bang Salmon! Creamy, sweet, savory, and punchy. Served with some steamy rice and an avocado cucumber salsa. Weeknight perfection!
Ingredients
Bang Bang Salmon
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet
- 1–2 tablespoons all-purpose seasoning mix (this is the one I use – see notes for homemade)
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- chili crisp for topping
For Serving:
- Cooked rice
- Some kind of vegetable – I like a little avocado cucumber salsa which you can find in the notes below!
Instructions
- Prep the Salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the salmon into individual portions if you want. Pat the salmon dry. Coat the salmon with the spice mix. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Make the Bang Bang Sauce: Mix mayo, sweet chili sauce, garlic, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set half of it aside for after baking.
- Bake the Salmon: Spread a small spoonful of sauce over the seasoned salmon pieces. Bake for 10 minutes towards the top of the oven. Then turn the broiler on for another 2-3 minutes, until your salmon looks golden brown and a bit caramelized on top.
- Serve: Serve the salmon over rice, with a vegetable of choice, and the reserved bang bang sauce + chili crisp drizzled over top! So easy and so good.
Notes
Seasoning Mix: If you don’t have a good seasoning mix, or if you’re not sure if the one you have will be good here, just sprinkle your salmon with about a teaspoon of coarse kosher salt, and then some onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Just get it nice and seasoned so it looks like it does in the video. This helps give flavor to the salmon and it also helps the sauce stick to the salmon.
Avocado Cucumber Salsa: I love this salmon with a little sweet and crunchy avocado salsa! Mix 1 avocado (diced), half of a cucumber (diced), a handful of chopped cilantro, a bit of lime juice, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of honey in a small bowl. Done! Perfect pretty little green veg for the bowl.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: bang bang, bang bang sauce, bang bang salmon, salmon recipe, salmon and rice, rice bowl
I know this recipe has been around for awhile but somehow I have never seen/made it before, and I am always on pinchofyum seeing what kind of magic you create. This is by far, probably my most favorite recipe. I have never made a bad dish from any of your recipes. But this one is so incredibly simple and quick, it’s at the top for me. Personally, I think you should revisit it with shrimp instead of salmon ( I used shrimp) because it was so incredible. Might try it with salmon sometime but with how good the shrimp was, I’m not sure I want to. I treated the shrimp the same way you treat the salmon, just tossed it in the bang bang sauce and threw them in the over to bake. 10 stars.
I have trout i need to use up. Do you think that would work here ?
Can I use frozen salmon fillets?
Yes, thawed!
Turned out excellent. Prepped, cooked and served 30 mins on the dot. The pepino/avo/honey salsa was a must. Steamed broccoli as a side. So impressed, I signed up. C from the Rio Grand Valley
I just have to say I’ve made a lot of POY bowls and recipes and I LOVED this. Simple but delicious. We added pickled red onions and YUM. Thank you Lindsay for all of your winning recipes. They literally never miss. 🤩
Absolutely delicious! 5 stars. And so easy!
This is 10/10 AMAZING!! We’ve added it to our roster for quick, healthy meals during the week. I absolutely love the homemade spice that goes on the salmon and it’s so simple – paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt! Wow!!!
Will this turn out ok if you use vegan mayo? I have a kid with an egg allergy and we can’t use traditional mayo.
Yep!
This looks so good. I’m so excited to try it.
Any suggestions for a sub for mayo?
Can I air fry this salmon?
Yes, Kara. I always airfry the salmon. 9 minutes at 180 degs: does it for me.
This is one of our favs (along with your chipotle sweet potato stacks)! My husband wants it 2x a week at a minimum! It’s so easy and SO delicious..literally takes 25 min from start to us finishing eating! Thank you thank you!!
This was incredible
A great recipe. I used quinoa instead of rice, which was heavier, but the avocado cucumber salsa was so fresh that it paired well. Most of my family loved the chili crisp topping. I love finding a salmon recipe that isn’t just lemon, garlic, and herbs. Thanks!
This knocked our socks off!! We are huge fans of salmon so decided to give this a try. My husband and son couldn’t stop raving about how incredible this was! So much flavor!!! Might just be our new favorite salmon recipe ever! And very easy to make. Thank you for sharing this!
can u please tell me what kind of salmon to get
We like the fresh salmon from Trader Joe’s!
Made this tonight and it’s so yummy! Didn’t have cilantro but we added some slaw mix in with the cucumber and avocado and it was also delish. Thinking of all the ways this chili sauce can be used, it’s sooo good!
Hi Lindsay.
Have made this a couple of times and it is firmly on my list of favourite dishes! Just a couple of questions
1. I use my airfryer for about 8 minutes (pre-warmed) and coat on the skin side so it’s cooked skin side up. Seems to work well but am I correct in this?
2. Is it okay to make the sauce earlier in the day?
Thanks.
Yes, that’s great in the air fryer! And yes, you can make sauce ahead. If you want to make the salsa ahead, wait to add the avocado until serving.
This was super yummy! And so so easy. I added feta to my cucumber avocado salsa which was so good. Perfect easy weeknight meal.
Made this for my boyfriend and me – we are not salmon fans generally but are trying to incorporate into our diet more. We both thought this was delicious and would make it again.
I’m making this tonight – for the second time in a week!
Absolutely love it and so does my hubby, which is a great bonus. I haven’t (yet) got the chili crisp so am using dried crispy onions to sprinkle on the sauce-covered salmon at the end.
Also, the cucumber and avocado salsa is AMAZING. Thank you so much for such an easy and delicious recipe.
Sauce was so good. I forgot to put some on the salmon before baking, but it was super tasty on top. I’ll do it correctly next time. We eat a lot of salmon so I’m always looking for different recipes. I used Paul Prudhomme’s seafood seasoning blend that I had on hand as ingredient list is similar to your blend.
This is fabulous! What a great recipe.
I have made this recipe about 4 times now, and the family, including me, is absolutely obsessed! It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Definetly one of my new favorite recipies.
This is truly one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. 10/10!
I added shredded carrots as another topping.
I seasoned the salmon with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and lemon and left the sauce on the side to drizzle on.
I love this sauce! I added a little lemon juice and sriracha. I’m wondering what chili crisp is. I see it in the recipe but no details.