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My new go-to weeknight dinner – Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls. Smoky, slightly spicy, chipotle roasted salmon, with cilantro vinaigrette, served over bowls of steamed rice with a salted feta and avocado salad…plus some creamy chipotle mayo too. These colorful and fresh salmon bowls might seem involved, but they’re simple to make and full of so much flavor.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I can often go through phases of loving certain styles of food. Right now, I’m loving any dish served bowl style. Ideally with rice, but greens are great too!
Either way, I have so many fresh spring “bowls” lined up for you that I can’t wait to share! But this spicy salmon is my favorite. It really does have everything good piled into one bowl. Steamed rice, chipotle roasted salmon, a salty and creamy avocado feta salad, plus some chipotle mayo to really round out the bowl.
The details are simple
Which you might not guess by looking at the ingredient list. I promise the recipe just looks long, but it’s really not hard at all.
Start out with the salmon. I love to roast the salmon in the oven with a mix of chipotle in adobo, oil, honey, and a touch of tamari (or soy sauce). The honey really helps balance out the heat and the tamari adds a salty umami flavor. This may seem odd, but trust me, it’s so delish.
Throw everything into the oven to roast. The entire cooking process is honestly less than 10 minutes, it’s so fast! And just like with my salmon tacos, I love to give everything a little crispiness right before I pull the pan out of the oven. So for the last minute of cooking, I switch the oven to broil. I then let everything get a nice crispiness around the edges. Be sure to watch carefully though!
If you’re not a fan of salmon, or just want to switch things up, I think a buttery fillet of cod would be delicious too. Or even just some shrimp!
While the salmon cooks, I make the simplest cilantro vinegaratte and then an avocado salad/salsa situation.
For the vinegaratte, there are just a few simple ingredients. But I do think it’s important to make. It really adds a nice sauciness to the bowl. Just a little oil, vinegar, honey, and cilantro are all you need!
And the salad. This might just be my favorite layer in this bowl. Avocado, cucumber, so much cilantro, so much feta cheese, a serrano pepper (you can use a jalapeño too), cumin, a little oil, and a lemon-lime mix.
I love mixing the lemon and lime for a mix of citrus, it’s subtle but unexpected.
Assemble
Steam the rice. Of course, quinoa, brown rice, or really any other grain would work too. Then layer everything in… salmon, salad, drizzle over the vinegarette, and dollop with lots of chipotle mayo.
So much happening, but really it comes together quickly since we’re just repeating ingredients throughout.
Totally delicious and this will be great for the warmer spring and summer days ahead.
Looking for other salmon recipes? Here are a few…
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Parchment Baked Roasted Red Pepper Salmon
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Lastly, if you make these Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls, 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!
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 1040 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, cut into bite-size chunks
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3-4 cups cooked rice
Avocado Feta Salad
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2 small cucumbers, chopped
- 1 serrano or jalapeño, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Chipotle Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. 2. On a baking sheet, toss the salmon pieces with 3 tablespoons olive oil, chipotle in adobo, 2 tablespoons honey, tamari (or soy sauce), and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Roast 10-15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. During the last minute, switch the oven to broil and broil until lightly charred. Set the salmon aside.3. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons honey, and the apple cider vinegar. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside for serving.4. To make the salad. Combine the avocado, cucumbers, serrano pepper, cilantro, cumin, and feta in a bowl. Toss with the olive oil, lime, lemon juice, and season with salt. 5. For the mayo, combine all ingredients in a bowl. 6. Spoon the salmon over the bowls of rice. Top with the avocado salad and drizzle the cilantro lime sauce over everyting. Add a dollop of spicy mayo. Enjoy!
I love this recipe, easily in my top 3 HBH lineup. But, I am confused by the last line to drizzle cilantro lime sauce over everything. There is no lime in the sauce as written, should there be?
Hey Elaine,
Happy Monday!! 🍋🫐 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was a hit! Yes, you can add a squeeze of lime:) xT
Our family loved this recipe. Thank you!! My 6 year old even enjoyed the avocado salad and salmon. (Major win!) The salmon cooked perfectly in 10 min. I love having a new salmon recipe in the rotation!
Hey Katherine,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:)
Excellent Recipe – I replaced the salmon with chicken breast (couple people that refuse to eat fish in this family), and it was delicious! Will definitely be adding this to the my regular recipe rotation.
Hey Sara,
Fantastic!! 🌴🍌 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you! xT
Tieghan,
Can you please explain how you make the black cook marks on the salmon without overcooking it all the way through? (I have the same quetion for chicken). I don’t seem to be doing it correctly.
Thank you! I’ve been wanting to ask for quite some time now.
Hi Kara,
Usually the broiler helps with that! If not, try cooking your chicken or salmon on a cast iron skillet or grill. I hope this helps! xT
What’s the recipe was really good. A refreshing change from the way. I usually prepare salmon. I thought some of the ingredients would not mesh but I was wrong. It was delicious! A new one for my recipe repertoire.
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
I plan to make this for family on the weekend. Any suggestions on what to use instead of cilantro? Cilantro tastes like soap for one of my kids 🙂
Hey Jacalyn,
Parsley would also work well for you here! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
One of my favorite HBH recipes! So easy and delicious. I packed it for lunch the next day, and it was so good served cold too.
Hey Kellie,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
The salmon was fantastic! Seriously, I will make just that by itself again. The avocado dip is fine, but it would have been just fine with just some avocado chunks sprinkled on the bowl with some lime juice and maybe a sprinkle of cilantro, but the feta? I personally thought it was unnecessary. The chipotle mayo was a fantastic edition. The cilantro vinaigrette? Didn’t think it was necessary at all.
I really did like the salmon with the avocado flavor and the chipotle. I think that part will be in our rotation, but probably not all of the extra fussy stuff.
Hi Missy,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy all of the components, but of course make this how you enjoy:) xT
Another very very delicious recipe! Thank you. Vinaigrette spelling might be off.
Hey Eileen,
Wonderful!!😃 I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad it was a winner! xx
Made this for dinner tonight. It was super easy and my family liked it, even my picky eater son. I didn’t make the spicy Mayo. I topped jasmine rice with the salmon, sauce and cucumber avocado salad. Followed the recipe as is. I liked the addition of a cucumber salad for crunch. The fresh lemon lime dressing also brightened up the dish. I try not to eat too much avocado so next time I’ll just make a cucumber salad. Since this was such a tasty and easy recipe, I think I’ll make it the next time I have some friends over for lunch.
Hey there,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
I have an avocado allergy and suggested substitutes this recipe sounds delicious
Thank you.
Hey Kelly,
I would just skip the avocado, no big deal:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was SO good!!! I’ve been eating a lot of rice lately and swapped the rice for orzo. The chipotle salmon with all the flavors… amazing! Will be making this again.
Hey Britt,
Happy Sunday!!☀️🧁 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
I’m confused. Recipe calls for ACV in vinaigrette but instructions and video show lime juice instead. Please clarify ❤️
Hi Tanya,
You are going to use ACV in step 3 and lime juice in step 4. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This continues to be our fav HBH recipe (& we have made & loved TONS of HBH recipes)! It has everything you could want in it – sweet, savory, spicy, and filling while still light. It is the perfect spring/summer recipe, though we make it year round – happy to report it’s still delicious, even if you’ve made it 30 times! If you haven’t made this recipe yet, what are you waiting for?!
Hey Devin,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks so much for making it so often!
Absolutely loved this dish! Great mix of textures and flavors!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
This has become a regular in the rotation. So easy to make and so much flavor.
Hi Valerie,
Happy Easter!! 🐰🐣🌈 Thank you very much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT
Hello! This is the same person behind the Chipotle peppers question. Tried the recipe last week. It was so tasty. I’m actually going to make Chipotle sauce exactly as your recommendation!
So glad to hear this!!