Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls with Fresh Corn and Mango Salsa

These Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls are healthy, delicious, and bursting with South-of-the-Border flavor. They're easy enough for every day but elegant (and amazing) enough for entertaining!

In the mood for a fabulous dinner with a South-of-the-Border flavor profile? These Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls are fresh, easy and so delicious. The recipe can be prepped ahead so there's minimal fuss at the last minute, whether it's after a busy day of work or just before guests arrive. In addition, this meal in a bowl is healthy and loaded with fresh produce in an array of beautiful hues and fabulous textures!

Make life easy

Prepping ahead is probably one of the best-kept secrets to pleasant meals with family as well as relaxed, fun entertaining.

If you can think ahead and spend a relatively small amount of time prepping meals when you have a few minutes here and there, it will make a huge difference to anyone and everyone who gathers around your table. A delicious meal laid out in a peaceful, non-harried atmosphere is a wonderful gift you can give to both family and friends. But it takes forethought and planning. You can't be peaceful and non-harried when you're scurrying frantically, trying to get all your "ducks in a row".

Here's how to prep these Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls:

• Cook the corn as directed in the recipe (also shown in the video below) and cut it from the cobs. Refrigerate until just before serving.
• Chop the remaining veggies for the salsa (everything except the avocado) and store them separately in zip-lock bags or storage containers. This can be done early in the day or even the evening before.
• Make the dressing. This can be done a day or two in advance.
• Cook the rice, cool and refrigerate a day or two ahead. Rewarm it in the microwave at 20-30% power just before dinner.
• Make the tortilla strips. These are optional but add a nice crunch to the rice bowls. These can be made a day or two in advance.
• Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Cut up the salmon and refrigerate it in a storage container until 30 minutes before serving.

You'll feel so smart when all that's left to do before dinner is to combine the salsa veggies, dice an avocado, broil the salmon and then make some pretty Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls that everyone will love!

Corn the easy way!

The Fresh Corn and Mango Salsa pairs perfectly with the crisp, caramelized broiled salmon, is loaded with healthy veggies and gives the rice bowls a beautiful presentation.

Although I love fresh corn on (or off) the cob, I didn't make it that often in the past because it just seemed like a lot of trouble. Shucking the corn, the mess left behind, the big pot of boiling water and often overcooking it. But one day, a number of years ago, a woman at the grocery store (as we both stood in front of a huge display of fresh corn) shared a super easy microwave technique for cooking corn that eliminated all the fuss. It sounded too good to be true but I went home and tried it. It worked SO well that I've never looked back and ever since we enjoy fresh corn frequently!

My daughter-in-law, Lindsay put together a video to demonstrate just how simple this technique is. Check it out:

Broiled Salmon

Broiling salmon is one of my favorite ways to prepare this healthy protein. The super high heat makes it quick and the salmon gets a nice crisp char without getting overcooked.

Put these Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls on your menu plan for this week! Whether you serve it for a weeknight family dinner or a fancy dinner party, there will be lots of happy faces around the table!

Café Tips for making these Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls

• Fresh or frozen salmon will work for this recipe as will wild-caught or farm-raised. Use the best quality salmon that you can find and/or afford.
• I like to look for salmon fillets that are a little thicker for this Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls recipe so the fish doesn't cook too quickly and get overdone before it gets a nice char.
• I like to use bi-color corn for the salsa but any fresh corn will work. If you're in a pinch and don't have fresh corn, good-quality frozen corn or canned corn will work. When using canned corn, I like the tiny, sweet Steam Crisp Corn.
• Don't care for cilantro? The same sauce can be made using fresh basil.
• When making the Honey Lime Cilantro Sauce, be sure to just pulse a few times after adding olive oil as olive oil can get bitter if blended too long.

Thought for the  day:

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God,
the faithful God who keeps His covenant and steadfast love
with those who love Him
and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations."
Deuteronomy 7:9

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Steadfast Love

If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.

5 from 1 vote

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Mexican Broiled Salmon Bowls with Fresh Corn Mango Salsa

These Mexican Salmon Rice Bowls are healthy, delicious, and bursting with South-of-the-Border flavor. They're easy enough for every day but elegant (and amazing) enough for entertaining!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, South West

Keyword: Mexican Broiled Salmon, Mexican Broiled Salmon Bowls, Mexican Salmon

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 490 kcal

Ingredients

For the Honey Lime Cilantro Sauce:

• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 medium clove garlic
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 ½ tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Fresh Corn Mango Salsa:

• 4 ears fresh corn unhusked
• 1 large mango diced small
• ¼ medium red onion diced small
• 1 medium bell pepper diced small
• 1 jalapeño veins and seeds removed finely chopped
• 1 medium avocado diced small

For the salmon:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 6-ounce salmon filets cut into 1-inch pieces (you could also use an 18-24 ounce (510-680g) large fillet of salmon)
• For the rub/ spice mixture:
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For serving:

• 2-3 cups cooked black or white rice
• lime wedges optional
• crispy tortilla strips optional (see recipe instructions below for how to prepare)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Honey Lime Cilantro Sauce:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse on and off until smoothly pureed. Add the olive oil and pulse a few times more times, just until combined. Transfer to a storage container or cruet for serving.

For the Fresh Corn Mango Salsa:

1. Place two ears of corn in the microwave and cook on high power for 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave with a pot holder or clean kitchen towel.

2. Cut off the stem end and using the pot holder or kitchen towel, pull off the husk and silk as demonstrated in the video in the post.

3. Repeat for the remaining two ears of corn. (Refer to the video above in the post.)

4. Place the corn on a cutting board and, using a long sharp knife, cut the kernels from one side of the cob. Rotate the cob and continue to cut until all of the kernels have been removed. Transfer the corn to a medium size bowl as you cut it from the cobs.

5. Add all salsa remaining salsa ingredients, except the avocado, to the bowl with the corn and set aside.

6. Right before serving, add the diced avocado and 2 tablespoons of the Honey Lime Cilantro Sauce. Stir gently to combine.

For the Salmon:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray or rub it with a bit of oil. Set aside. Position one of your oven’s baking racks so it’s about 4 inches from the broiler element of your oven. Preheat the broiler to high (if you have that option).
2. Place the salmon chunks in a medium size shallow bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir to coat the salmon with oil. Sprinkle with the rub/ spice mixture and toss to coat all of the surfaces.
3. Transfer the salmon to the prepared sheet pan, spreading out the chunks so they are separated on the pan. Drizzle any remaining oil/spice mixture over the salmon.
4. Broil the salmon chunks for 1-2 minutes or until just started to brown lightly then flip each piece over and broil another 2-3 minutes until nicely charred. The exact broil time will depend on the intensity of your broiler plus the thickness of your salmon. Remove the salmon from the oven and allow them to sit on the pan for 2-3 minutes before serving.

For serving:

1. Divide the rice between 4 serving bowls. Top with the salmon and the salsa. Drizzle with more of the Honey Lime Cilantro Sauce. Serve with lime wedges and crispy tortilla strips, if desired. Pass extra sauce at the table.

For the optional crispy tortillas strips:

1. To make the crispy tortilla strips, preheat the oven to 350F. Stack 6 6-inch corn tortillas on top of each other. Stack the halves on top of each other. Cut the tortillas into thin strips and place on a sheet pan. Drizzle lightly with oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Toss with your hands to coat the strips with the oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until nicely golden, tossing to redistribute, every 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate until cool. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn't have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Calories 490kcal

Fat 26g

Saturated fat 4g

Trans fat 0.01g

Polyunsaturated fat 3g

Monounsaturated fat 18g

Cholesterol 0.4mg

Sodium 1186mg

Potassium 737mg

Carbohydrates 63g

Fiber 8g

Sugar 22g

Protein 7g

Vitamin A 2121%

Vitamin C 74%

Calcium 40%

Iron 2%