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This colorful Chili Crisp Salmon Bowl with Avocado Mango Salsa is full of Thai flavors and made so simply. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste and doused in a homemade chili onion crisp butter sauce. The salmon is cooked until caramelized around the edges then added to bowls of rice. A fresh, bright mango-avocado herb salsa is spooned overtop for a balance of spicy, sweet, tangy, and savory flavor. Altogether, it’s so delicious and made in about 30 minutes. The perfect spring and summer dinner bowl!
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It’s no secret that we really do love a rice bowl around here. Whether it’s chicken, salmon, or even beef, no one turns down a rice bowl over here.
One of my favorites to date is my chili crisp chicken and mango rice bowl. I made it around this time last year and it’s one of the few recipes I actually make over and over. I just love the freshness, herbs, spiciness, salty chicken, and then all that sweet mango. All my favorite flavors.
I wanted to take that bowl and share a twist on the recipe using salmon and addin a crunchy onion butter sauce on top.
Salsa Ingredients
- Large mango
- jalapeño pepper
- Fresh cilantro
- Mixed sesame and sunflower seeds
- Lime juice
- Avocado
Salmon
- 2 pounds salmon filets
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Thai red curry paste
- Brown sugar
- Spicy curry powder
- Fish sauce, tamari sauce, or soy sauce
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Minced onion flakes
- Chili flakes
- Cooked rice (quinoa, white rice, brown rice)
Kitchen Supplies
- Medium mixing bowl
- Baking sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Small skillet
The sauce inspiration comes from Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion sauce that so many seem to really adore. We don’t have a Trader Joe’s in my town or the surrounding area, but that sauce sounds so delicious.
I love the idea of a crunchy onion chili sauce. Maybe even more than the classic garlic chili sauce! And that’s when I got the idea for this recipe. Salmon with a spicy curry rub, sweet mango, and then a chili onion crisp butter sauce. It all sounded so yummy and fun to make, so I went for it! And fortunately, the whole dish turned out delish!
Here are details
Start with the mango-avocado salsa. This is possibly my favorite salsa! Lots of ripe fresh mango, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, toasted seeds, a little spice from a jalapeño pepper, and lots of fresh lime juice.
Just toss everything together in a bowl, no fancy steps.
For the salmon
It’s a little crispy, a little spicy, salty, and tangy – yet also simple. Rub the filet of salmon with a red curry paste. It’s a mix of Thai red curry paste, brown sugar – to help the fish caramelize, curry powder, and a splash of fish sauce.
And then the chili onion butter, make sure it’s a high-quality grass-fed butter for the best flavor. I love Straus Organic European Butter. Next, cook the garlic and chili flakes in the butter until golden and crisp, and then, mix in dried onion flakes.
To finish, I serve the salmon over coconut rice. Spoon the butter over every piece of salmon, then top each bowl with the mango salsa.
This takes less than an hour to make, is so delicious, and fun. It’s an immediate mood boost! All those fresh herbs really make a difference.
Optional add-ons to consider include sesame seeds, lime zest, scallions, sea salt, and shallots. To turn up the heat, consider incorporating natural sichuan chili sauce or a chili pepper.
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Crispy Honey Ginger Salmon Bowl
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Chili Crisp Salmon Bowl with Avocado Mango Salsa, 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!
Chili Onion Crisp Salmon Bowl with Avocado Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Salsa
Salmon
- 1 1/2 -2 pounds salmon cut into 2-3 pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon spicy curry powder
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, tamari sauce, or soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup minced onion flakes
- chili flakes
- 3-4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- 1. To make the salsa. Gently toss all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. 2. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Place the salmon on a baking sheet. 3. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, red curry paste, brown sugar, curry powder, and fish sauce. Rub the paste all over the salmon. Roast 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking. Switch the oven to broil and broil until lightly charred (watch closely!). 4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt together the butter, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook until the butter is browning and the garlic is crisp. Mix in the onion flakes. 5. Break the salmon over the bowls of rice. Pour the chili butter over the salmon. Top with the mango salad. Enjoy!
Notes
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
kosher salt and black pepper
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Perfect mix of the warm spice and the fresh mango avocado salad, great tip about broiling at the end for that charred salmon, it was super delicious!
Hi Elise,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit! Happy Tuesday!
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before but I had to for this. OMG….this was absolutely incredible!!! My husband who is like completely over salmon couldn’t stop talking about how good this was. Going to check out some more of your recipes. Thanks! ☺️
Love to hear this, Sarah! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Have a great day!
Just made this for dinner tonight. It was very good. Would make again. I served with sliced cucumber, and micro greens on the side. I added diced purple onion and a small Roma tomato to the salsa as well. The mango is great but hard to find good ripe ones in the winter. I think you could also use canned pineapple in the salsa in place, especially in winter. Otherwise delicious and you feel healthy eating it
Hey Dawn,
Amazing!! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend:) xx
This is our favorite salmon recipe ever — if you can find the perfect mango/avocado, this is worth making, every time. Even not huge salmon fans love this. We don’t always make the topping but the curry paste over the salmon is perfection and the mango/avo cuts the curry beautifully.
Hey Sam,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe so often and your feedback, so glad to hear it is always enjoyed! Have a great week:)
This recipe was delicious, unfortunately I didn’t have any Thai red Curry paste so instead I used some gochujang paste instead, but all in all it was absolutely delicious, I plan on making again with all ingredients mentioned above. The mango & avo salsa works so well with all the flavours.
Hi Annemarie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best week! xxT
My husband and I love this dish! I was so bored with salmon until I starting making this. It’s perfection on a plate!
Hi Linda,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
I love the flavors in this dish! I have to admit, I took some shortcuts. Our grocery store has a fresh, premade mango salsa that I used and added avocado and some Feta (in one of your other recipes). If you have time though, there is nothing better than making mango salsa with a perfectly ripe mango! The curry paste was rubbed over cubes of salmon and cooked in a cast iron pan on the stove – it caramelized great. I heated up some Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion with some honey to cut the spiciness and drizzled a little on top of each bowl. This added the perfect little “zing” along with the sweet mango salsa! Served it over TJ’s brown rice and steamed broccoli. Costco Pumpkin seeds on top! My friend said it was one of the best salmon dishes she has ever had! Cutting out the butter in the Chili Crisp reduced the cholesterol for me. Thank you for your recipes that are so flavorful!
Hey Shari,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out nicely for you! Xx
I have a Trader Joe’s nearby and I’m a big fan of their chili onion crunch condiment! Could I just use that instead of making my own in this recipe? Theirs is pretty spicy.
Hey Amy,
Totally, that would work nicely here! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Loved it! Salmon is a go to and I cook all the time. This was delicious, easy and will become one added to my rotation!
Hey Deborah,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was yummy! xx
Has anyone tried this with shrimp?
Hey Allie,
I bet shrimp would be delicious! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This salmon bowl was so good! Quick, easy & delicious. Thanks.
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a lovely week! xT
In your description of the salsa, you talk about using cilantro and fresh basil but I don’t see basil listed in the ingredients. Can you tell me how much to use?
Hey JP! I just use a few leaves of basil to add to the flavor!
This may be a silly question but I do have that tj’s onion chili crisp in my pantry begging to be used. Could you add this to the sauce in some way or would it be too oily with the butter as well?
Hi! I haven’t ever used that before so I’m not sure! so sorry!
Delicious combinations of flavors! We loved it! I did not put the onion flakes in the butter and I needed a little sugar in the salsa because my mango was ripe but not very sweet. Other than that I followed the recipe and was not one bit disappointed.
Hi Vernita,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for trying it and your comment!🌼🌸 xx
Tasty flavor combination but would avoid the dehydrated onion flakes as it felt like we might break a tooth when crunching into them. Did not use the seeds in the salsa either.
Thanks so much Mary!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! Sorry to hear about your onion flakes, they sound expired!! Happy Friday!
This checked all the boxes! Simple, fresh, bursting with incredible flavor, and on the table in 30 minutes! Thank you so much for always sharing your incredible recipes! My family just loves everything I make of yours SO much ❤️
Hi Brookelyn,
Fantastic!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you!🍒🥭