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Salmon with a sweet and spicy topping, served with the most amazing avocado orange salsa. This is one of my favourite lighter dinners for warmer evenings. The salmon is cooked in the air fryer, so it’s nice and quick dinner (I’ve included instructions for the oven too).
Nicky’s Notes
This dinner is like a flavour explosion! Tender, fall-apart salmon topped with a Cajun-spice-sugar combo and cooked until it caramelizes on top.
It goes perfectly with the creamy-tangy-crunchy salsa (we’re talking butter avocado, juicy orange pieces, little pieces of red onion and jalapeno and lots of coriander, all tossed together with a honey-lime dressing.
What makes this so good (if you need any more reasons!):
- Ready in less than 25 minutes.
- A decent amount of protein (from the salmon) and fibre (mainly from the avocado).
- It’s light, but filling enough for dinner, and it’s nutritious without being boring!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for these easy salmon bowls
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Top the salmon fillets with the spice mix and a drizzle/spray of oil. Air fry or oven bake until tender.
Meanwhile mix all of the salsa ingredients together. Serve the salsa with the salmon, plus fluffy rice, cucumber and a wedge of lime.
Recipe Tips
- Try to cut the avocado and orange into similar size pieces, for a chunky, uniform looking salsa.
- These air fryer liners (<– aff link) help to keep your air fryer basket clean (choose the size suitable for your air fryer).
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Air fryer salmon bowls with avocado orange salsa
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 2 tsp Cajun spice mix
- 2 tsp light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp oil
Avocado Orange Salsa:
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 orange skin sliced off and chopped into chunks (see tip below)
- ½ of a small red onion peeled and finely chopped
- 20 g (1/2 packed cup) coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped (stalks discarded)
- 1 Jalapeno pepper , thinly sliced (sub with your favourite mild, fresh, chilli pepper)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- zest of one lime
- 1 tbsp honey
- pinch of salt and pepper
To Serve:
- Steamed/boiled rice
- Chopped cucumber
- Sesame seeds
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Air Fryer Method:
- Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down, into the air fryer basket (I use a liner for easy cleanup).2 salmon fillets
- Sprinkle over the Cajun spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then drizzle or spray on the oil.2 tsp Cajun spice mix, 2 tsp light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oil
- Place in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 200C/400F (air fry setting), until cooked (timing depends on the thickness of you salmon fillet).
Oven Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan)
- Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down, onto a baking tray.2 salmon fillets
- Sprinkle over the Cajun spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then drizzle or spray on the oil.2 tsp Cajun spice mix, 2 tsp light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oil
- Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until cooked (timing depends on the thickness of you salmon fillet).
Salsa and Serving:
- While the salmon is cooking make the salsa. Place all of the salsa ingredients into a bowl and toss together.1 ripe avocado, 1 orange, 1/2 of a small red onion, 20 g (1/2 packed cup) coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped , 1 Jalapeno pepper, 2 tbsp lime juice, zest of one lime, 1 tbsp honey, pinch of salt and pepper
- Place steamed/boiled rice into bowls (I use around 300g (1+1/2 cups) of cooked rice for two people). Top with a salmon fillet, half of the salsa and some cucumber chunks.Steamed/boiled rice, Chopped cucumber
- Sprinkle on sesame seeds. Add a lime wedge and serve.Sesame seeds, Lime wedges
Notes
Tip – How to segment an orange with a knife:
Slice off the the orange skin, carefully with a sharp knife. Start with the top and bottom ends to create a stable base, then cut away the rest of the peel and pith following the curve of the orange. Slice between the membranes of each segment, so each segment is released. Then slice each segment in half, before adding to your salsa (I squeeze in any leftover juice too!).How to check your salmon is cooked:
Check doneness by slicing into the thickest part of the salmon fillet, it should slightly flaky, and have turned from dark pink to light link. It should be just about opaque. (63C/145F is the recommended internal temperature if you want to use a temperature probe).Recipe source:
Inspired by and adapted from Lindsay from Pinch of Yum’s amazing BBQ salmon bowls.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving of the salmon and also (does not include rice and toppings).
This recipe serves 2.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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