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My new go-to salmon bowl, BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Jalapeño Sauce. Spicy chipotle BBQ roasted salmon and sweet mango salsa, served over steamed rice, with a creamy jalapeño sauce. This spicy tropical salmon bowl is made all on one sheet pan and in no time at all. A quick, vibrant, and delicious winter dinner.
A colorful recipe for a Monday in January! Here’s the thing, I’m definitely still loving these cozy winter snow days. I’ve yet to start craving any kind of tropical vacation. But I’m not worried. I know the desire for warmer weather will come in a few weeks once I really get tired of being cold.
I have my eyes set on a Turks and Caicos vacation this year, but maybe closer to March.
Regardless of the weather, recipe-wise I’ve been embracing every ounce of wintery color I can. I’m using a lot of winter citrus, pomegranate, sweet potatoes, greens, mangos, and pineapple. Fresh eats for wintery days!
This fun and colorful rice bowl is inspired by my time spent in the Caribbean. Since my Nonnie passed, my grandpa often spends the winter somewhere tropical. I’ve been lucky enough to get to visit him a few of those times.
I’ll never go as far as saying this is a traditional Caribbean-style recipe, but the inspiration is all there. So many spices, so much flavor, lots of sauce, and of course yummy salmon!
I kept the process pretty simple too! So we have to love that.
Details
Season the fish with my favorite tropical “BBQ” style seasoning blend. It’s a mix of chili powder, smoked paprika, dried thyme, and onion powder. Hopefully all spices you have in your pantry.
Rub the salmon filets with the spice mix, plus a bit of brown sugar.
The next step is to roast the fish until crispy. Then, during the final 1-2 minutes of cooking, rub the garlic over the fish, add chili flakes, and then butter. Let the butter melt over the garlic, it will turn a nice golden color. It’s not a required step, but it makes the salmon really, really delicious. I think it completes the dish and makes every bite melt in your mouth.
While the fish is cooking, I like to make the salsa. The only reason this takes any time/effort is due to chopping everything up. Once you have the mango and avocado diced, toss everything together in a bowl.
Same with the creamy jalapeño sauce. Use cream cheese cheese mixed with a jarred salsa verde and pickled jalapeños.
Both are really simple and add such a great flavor to this bowl. Then, just add rice to finish this up.
This is such a simple, wholesome, and delicious meal. The perfect (non-boring) recipe to really keep things fun during the week and especially during the winter. Chips on the side are especially delicious with this chunky fruity salsa and creamy verde sauce.
Looking for other quick recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce
Lastly, if you make this BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Jalapeño Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Jalapeño Sauce
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 297 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 (4-6 ounce) salmon filets
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- chili flakes
- 3-4 cups rice for, serving
Mango Salsa
- 1 1/2 cups diced mango
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded – if desired, and chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. 2. On a baking sheet, rub the salmon with olive oil, honey, chili powder, paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer. Roast 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking. 3. Remove the pan and then rub the salmon with garlic, add a pat of butter to each filet. Sprinkle with chili flakes. Switch the oven to broil and broil until lightly charred. 4. To make the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.5. Serve the salmon over bowls of rice. Drizzle the butter over the salmon and top with basil or cilantro. Jalapeño sauce recipe in notes.
Notes
Creamy Jalapeño Sauce:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup salsa verde
2-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, chopped To make the sauce, melt together the cream cheese and salsa verde in a small skillet over low-low heat, whisking constantly until creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapeños.
3/4 cup salsa verde
2-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, chopped To make the sauce, melt together the cream cheese and salsa verde in a small skillet over low-low heat, whisking constantly until creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapeños.
If anyone sees this comment, let it be your sign to NOT use microwaved bag rice. I just destroyed this meal. It could not be more flavorless and rubbery. Make real rice!! Other than that I loved it. Giving it 5 stars because it was my failure.
Hi Liz,
Oh no! So sorry to hear about the rice! Thanks for giving this recipe a try! xx
I can’t believe the number of times I have written this in comments here, but once again, this recipe is a total winner. Seriously so good. A few things: I use salmon with skins (frozen pack from whole foods), so I seasoned as instructed and then seared the salmon skin down for a few min and then put the whole pan in a 400˚F oven (I skipped the garlic butter broiling step because I was worried about over cooking the salmon). It still turned out SOO good. I agree with another comment that the creamy jalapeño sauce is not optional. I used greek yogurt instead of cream cheese and it was still delicious. Thank you Tieghan for another total star of a dinner.
Hey Sabrina,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes! xT
Loved this! I cooked the salmon in the airfryer for 12 minutes at 400° and also rubbed Honey Dijon mustard on it. Cooked fresh jalapeño slices the last 2 minutes when adding the butter on the salmon. So flavorful and yummy!
Hey Debby,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I jumped at this tropical inspired dish given the dreary winter. I think the jalapeño sauce is a must given it balances this dish nicely. I might not have had enough salmon, but I thought there was too much spice mixture. Ended up scraping a bit off and it was the perfect amount! Also added a tiny bit of salt to the salsa and made the salsa first to let it marinade in the lime juice. Really nice fresh flavors!
Hey Laura,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Absolutely delicious! One of our all-time favorites! And I’m thinking the mango salsa and sauce could be made with other dishes as well. So good! Looking forward to trying your other bowls! We eat clean so we substitute or leave off as needed but love your rescipes! Thank you!
Hey Cherrie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This was so delicious!! I am not a big mango fan so I used pineapple instead and loved the sweetness mixed with the spice of the jalapeño. I’m already craving and want to make again!
Hey Megan,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
A new family favorite – husband raved about it the entire meal and long after. Flavors are amazing and so easy.
Hey Alicia,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday! xT
Wonderful! My husband could not stop exclaiming how much he loved it. “This is restaurant quality!” Better I say – made with love. <3 Thank you for a great recipe!
Hey Melinda,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I made this for our friends last night with wild BC Chinook salmon filets. Followed the recipe almost exactly. The only changes I made were: for the creama, I charred the jalepenos. To the bowl I added sliced baby cukes and cubed avocado. I was able to make salsa and creama earlier in the day which of course made it so easy at meal time.
My husband and friends LOVED this dish and I plan to make it many, many more times. Will try it with mahi mahi next. Thank you so much for this great, straightforward recipe and all the other mouth watering recipes you post.
Hey Cathy,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I didn’t make the creamy jalepeno sauce because I’m not a cream cheese person, but the rest was 10/10. I made it with coconut rice and it was so so good. Definitely will make multiple more times!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
This was delicious! Will totally add this to our rotation!! Yum yum!!!!!
Hey Kim,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
Do you buy skinless salmon or do you peel it before or after you cook it? TY in advance. <3
Hey Keely,
I typically peel the skin after cooking it:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
My family loved this dish Tieghan so many favours thank you
Hey Fiona,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This was an amazing recipe. I am just learning to move salmon and the flavors in this were just WOW! Thanks for sharing with us.
Hey Abby,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Delicious flavor! Yum! The kids really enjoyed it too.
Hey Valerie,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT