Easy Taco Bowls are a Weeknight Dinner Winner!
This incredibly quick & simple Salmon Taco Bowls recipe is about to be an instant favorite in your weeknight dinner rotation! When I first made it a few weeks back, I felt super giddy knowing I had a new fast, flavorful, & versatile PWWB fave on our hands. 🤩 I’m so excited to finally share it with you!
There are 2 main stars at play in these feel-good bowls: the flaky seared salmon, which is seasoned with a quick homemade taco spice blend for so much good flavor, & a zesty cilantro ginger green sauce. Both components are seriously flavorful & incredibly easy to make (just a quick pan sear & blitz in a food processor).
From there, all you have to do is toss the salmon in a bowl with cilantro lime rice & any other taco night fixings you love, then finish it all off with a generous drizzle of green sauce. It’s a super feel-good dinner that’s so easy to throw together in 30 minutes or less!
Salmon Taco Bowl Recipe Highlights
You’re going to be absolutely obsessed with this salmon taco bowls recipe. It’s…
READY IN 30 MINUTES! With just 2 primary components involved, all you have to do at dinnertime is sear the tender salmon in a skillet, blitz up the green sauce in a food processor, & build your bowls. Weeknight dinner has never been easier!
FLAVORFUL & FUN. Build your salmon taco bowls with cilantro lime rice, taco spiced seared salmon, & fun toppings like creamy ginger green sauce, pico de gallo, avocado, or whatever you love most. The options are truly endless!
A BACK-POCKET DINNER. A quick & simple recipe with lots of room for customization. Worth making again & again!
A must-have for your weeknight dinner rotation! ♡ Read on to learn more about how to make Salmon Taco Bowls with Cilantro Ginger Green Sauce, or jump straight to the recipe & get cooking!
Shop This Post
Buy Now → 
Zwilling Madura Plus Non-Stick Fry Pan
Buy Now →
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Quick Seared Salmon
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
The star of these salmon taco bowls is, of course, beautifully pan-seared salmon. You may even recognize the method from our well-loved Soy-Glazed Salmon Rice Bowls recipe.
We love it since the quickest sear gives the salmon a flavorful, browned exterior, all while keeping it perfectly flaky & tender. Not only is it a beautiful way to cook salmon with perfect results, but it’s also super quick since the fish is sliced into cubes. The whole process takes about 5 minutes total – easy!
How to Sear Salmon. ⇢ First, pat the cubed salmon dry & sprinkle it with a homemade taco spice blend (chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, & onion powder). From there, heat some EVOO or avocado oil in a skillet. Once it’s hot, add in the seasoned salmon. Give it a flip every few minutes until each side is golden brown. Finish it with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice & set it aside for your salmon taco bowls.
The BEST Gingery Green Sauce
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
Every taco bowl needs a killer sauce, & this particular cilantro ginger green sauce is one that you’ll want to keep in your fridge at all times. It’s inspired by the super popular & borderline magical green sauce at Brasa here in the Twin Cities. Mayo & buttermilk make it nice & creamy, while generous amounts of cilantro, fresh ginger, green onions, jalapeño, garlic, & lime juice pack it full of flavor. It’s so good!
Cilantro Ginger Green Sauce. ⇢ Simply combine all the ingredients in a food processor & blitz until they come together in a smooth sauce. I like to prep the sauce right before I sear off the salmon, but it also keeps beautifully – feel free to make it up to 1 week ahead of time & store it in a small bowl or jar in the fridge until dinnertime.
Dairy-free? ⇢ Try our Cilantro Lime Crema instead, which gets its creaminess from cashews instead of dairy.
Serving Suggestions
Once the gingery green sauce is prepped & the spiced salmon is seared to flaky perfection, all that’s left to do is build your salmon taco bowls with whatever toppings you love. A few ideas to get you started…
- Cilantro lime rice, aka cooked rice seasoned with plenty of cilantro, lime zest, & lime juice – feel free to swap in your grains of choice. If you’re feeling extra fancy, try making this creamy green rice with avocado!
- Pico de gallo or your favorite salsa. If you like fruitier flavors, be sure to try our winter citrus pico or our mango salsa.
- Thinly sliced cabbage, a must-have for any fish tacos! Feel free to use red cabbage, green cabbage, or both for extra color!
- Avocado – Feel free to layer in avocado slices, top with simple mashed avocado seasoned with a little lime juice & salt, or go all-out with homemade guacamole.
- And more! Finish your salmon taco bowls with chopped cilantro, extra lime juice, your favorite hot sauce, & whatever else your heart desires – have fun with it!
We can’t wait for you to try these healthy Salmon Taco Bowls! They’re an easy, delicious, good-for-ya dinner for busy weeknights & if you’re anything like us, you’ll look forward to them all day long. You’re going to be obsessed.
If you do give them a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
More Recipes Like This:
BYOB (Build Your Own Bowl!)
- Glow Bowls – Nourishing Grilled Chicken & Quinoa Grain Bowls with Curry Vinaigrette.
- BBQ Chicken Bowls with Grilled Veggies
- Grilled Veggie Burrito Bowls with Green Rice
- Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls
- Easy Hummus Bowls with Chicken Shawarma (or Veggie Shawarma!)
- Hearty Buffalo Chicken Bowls with Herby Ranch Yogurt Drizzle
- Smoky Chipotle Turkey Burger Bowls with Sweet Potato Fries
- Grilled Chimichurri Steak Bowls
- Greek-Inspired Chicken Bowls with Avocado Tzatziki
Salmon Taco Bowls with Green Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Tacos, Burritos & Enchiladas Recipes, Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop, Seared
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These quick & easy Salmon Taco Bowls are such a fun weeknight dinner. They’re fast, flavorful, & super versatile since you can build your bowl using whatever taco night fixings you love most.
The star of these bowls, of course, is the salmon. Look for the highest quality salmon fillets you can find, then cube them up & season them with my go-to taco seasoning. After cooking just a couple minutes per side, the salmon sears up beautifully – the spices create a nice crust around the exterior, while each bite of salmon is still flaky & tender. It’s seriously delicious & comes together in about 5 minutes – so good!
From there, build your salmon bowls using whatever taco night fixings you love most. Every taco bowl needs a killer sauce, so I highly suggest whipping up a quick cilantro ginger sauce for another punch of flavor, but feel free to build your bowls with rice, thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce, salsa or hot sauce, & anything else you happen to be craving.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh salmon fillets, skin removed & diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- for serving, as desired: green sauce (below), cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo or salsa of choice, chopped cabbage, finely chopped cilantro, guacamole or mashed avocado, lime wedges, etc.
for the green sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup buttermilk (or 1 scant teaspoon lemon juice + scant ¼ cup milk)
- 2 large, juicy limes, juiced (approx. ¼ cup juice)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro (approx. 1 cup loosely packed leaves & tender stems)
- 1 medium jalapeno, deseeded as desired & roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 green onions, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Optional: Prepare the green sauce: Combine all listed ingredients in a food processor. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Pulse to combine. Once combined, let the food processor run, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is smooth & creamy. Taste & adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a bowl & set aside for serving, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Season the salmon: Place the cubed salmon in a large bowl. Season with all listed spices (chili powder – onion powder), 1 teaspoon kosher salt, & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to coat well.
- Sear the salmon: Add the olive oil to a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add the salmon to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes, then flip & cook 90 seconds – 2 minutes longer, or until your desired doneness is reached. Work in batches as necessary & resist the temptation to mess with the salmon as it cooks to ensure you achieve a beautiful golden sear. Transfer the seared salmon to a plate & squeeze the lime juice over top.
- Salmon taco bowl assembly: Build your salmon taco bowls as desired. I like to create a base of finely shredded cabbage & cilantro lime rice, then top it with the seared salmon, pico de gallo or salsa, some smashed avocado, & a healthy drizzle of green sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Dairy-free salmon taco bowls: For a completely dairy-free salmon taco bowl, swap the buttermilk in the green sauce for your favorite plant milk or try our Cilantro Lime Cashew Crema instead!
- Easy add-ons: The beauty of a taco bowl is that it’s entirely customizable to your tastes. A couple of my favorite quick & easy add-ons for these salmon taco bowls are cilantro lime rice & a quick, fresh pico de gallo. Feel free to use store-bought options if that’s better suited for your schedule!
- Cilantro lime rice: Combine 2 cups cooked rice with a good handful of finely chopped cilantro & the zest & juice of 1 lime. For a particularly quick & easy version, feel free to heat up a package of 90-second rice in the microwave – easy!
- Go-to quick pico: The best, simple homemade salsa. Quarter 1 pint cherry tomatoes, finely dice ½ small red onion, & roughly chop ½ cup cilantro leaves & tender stems. Add to a medium bowl. Squeeze 1 lime over top & season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine & enjoy.
- Storage & Reheating: Store leftover seared salmon, green sauce, & taco bowl fixings in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator. The salmon is best enjoyed within 2 days of cooking, while the green sauce will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Reheat the salmon in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through & assemble a taco bowl with green sauce for serving.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these salmon taco bowls comes from prepping the green sauce. It stores beautifully, so feel free to prep it ahead of time to cut down on active prep at dinnertime – it takes 10 minutes, tops:
- Prepare the green sauce according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (~10 minutes active prep)
Recipe and Food Styling by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
What an awesome and yummy recipe! I utilized my air fryer for the salmon chunks (6 min) and it made for an even easier dinner! Loved the cilantro green sauce sauce. Thank you!
The air fryer is a great shortcut! So glad you enjoyed the taco bowls and the sauce, Jo! 🙂
A recipe that’s super quick to make and so tasty! I ate it with the green sauce and flour tortillas. Can’t wait to make it again! Could definitely see eating it with rice and extra toppings, but was short on time! Thank you!!
Hi Lauren! We’re thrilled to hear that you loved these Salmon Taco Bowls as much as we do 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a comment & review, it means so much!
Made this for dinner tonight and oh my gosh it was amazing!! I really appreciate that it is truly a quick meal- will be saving to my weeknight rotation. Do you think the salmon could be subbed for a whitefish?
Hi, Caroline!! So happy to hear you loved the taco bowls; we love how quick & easy they are, too! Whitefish could definitely be used instead of salmon, you’d just have to be aware of slight cooking time variations and adjust as-needed 😊
This entire recipe is what my heart needed tonight. The green sauce is amazing! I was eating it by the spoonful as the salmon was cooking and I’m already looking forward to leftovers for my lunch tomorrow.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Doreen! We are so glad you loved it & the picture you posted to IG looked perfect!! 🙂