Southwest Salmon Rice Bowls
on Apr 05, 2021, Updated Jul 08, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Southwest Salmon and Rice Bowls are great for a weeknight dinner and meal prep! Brown rice topped with Southwest seasoned grilled salmon, mango black bean salsa and guacamole. Tons of flavor in these balanced and healthy bowls!
It’s starting to feel like spring around here! After several big snows in March I am ready for the cold weather to be over. Around here, warmer weather means we’re spending more time outside and doing more grilling.
One of my favorite things to grill is salmon. I absolutely love the smoky flavor it adds to the fish. I often make this chipotle maple grilled salmon when I need a quick and easy dinner. When I want an all in one dinner that we can eat for a couple days I like to make these Southwest Salmon Rice Bowls.
Bowls are one of my favorite dinners to make. There’s endless options, they’re filling, they make great leftovers and if you meal prep they’re an excellent option. For these salmon bowls I included brown rice, a mango black bean salsa, guacamole and grilled salmon seasoned with Mexican spices.
Ingredients for Southwest salmon rice bowls
- salmon fillets
- chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder
- avocados
- limes
- cilantro
- red onion
- jalapeño
- mango
- black beans
- brown rice
How to make Southwest salmon rice bowls
There are several steps to making these rice bowls, but none of them are difficult. If you are cooking brown rice I suggest starting with that since it will take the longest. If I have the time I will cook it, otherwise I like to use par-cooked brown rice that you heat up in the microwave for a couple minutes. Huge time saver!
While the rice cooks season the salmon with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Preheat your grill and then grill the salmon until the internal temperature is 130° F. Let it rest for 5 minutes before removing the skin and flaking it.
For the mango black bean salsa, all you need to do is combine diced mango, rinsed and drained canned black beans, diced red onion, deseeded and diced jalapeño, cilantro, chili powder and salt in a bowl. Squeeze fresh lime juice into the salsa and stir it together.
I like to make the guacamole last so that it’s less likely to turn brown. If you have your own favorite way to make guacamole then by all means use your own recipe. My version is basic, but delicious. You’ll just need avocados, red onion, cilantro, garlic powder, salt and lime juice. Mash everything together in a bowl until it’s the consistency that you like.
Sockeye salmon vs. Atlantic salmon
For this recipe I used wild caught sockeye salmon fillets with the skin on. There are several things to consider when choosing salmon. Sockeye salmon has a stronger salmon flavor than Atlantic salmon, which is the pale orange salmon and has a milder flavor.
Sockeye salmon is wild caught while Atlantic salmon is farm raised. It is usually only available fresh late spring through the end of summer. However, I generally buy fish frozen, so in that case, you can get it year-round. Atlantic is available year-round fresh or frozen.
Sockeye salmon cooks faster because it’s lower in fat than Atlantic salmon. It also only comes in fillets so it’s much thinner. The fillets I had only took a few minutes per side on the grill before it was cooked through.
A couple other things to consider are, Sockeye salmon is more expensive than Atlantic salmon. It’s higher in heart healthy omega-3’s. Atlantic salmon is not recommended by environmental groups because they’re farmed in crowded pens, may be treated with antibiotics to prevent the spread of disease, and has the highest levels of toxins.
Other varieties of salmon worth trying out are Chinook or Coho. Any of the salmon varieties I’ve listed will work for this recipe, just choose one that works best for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of brown rice?
Quinoa, white rice, cauliflower rice, farro or couscous would all be great alternatives for brown rice.
Should I use salmon with the skin on?
If I’m grilling salmon I prefer to use skin-on salmon. It keeps the fish from falling apart on the grill. You can simply peel it off once it’s cooked.
How long will it keep in the refrigerator?
These bowls will keep for several days. The guacamole will likely start to brown after the first day. If that bothers you, you may want to make it fresh the following day.
Other ways to cook salmon
If you don’t have a grill you can bake the salmon or cook it on the stovetop. I recommend baking it at 400° F. or cooking it over medium heat. The time it takes to cook depends on the variety you use and the thickness. I cook mine until the internal temperature is 130° F. and then let it rest for 5 minutes.
More Rice Bowl Recipes
- Jerk chicken bowls with pineapple black bean salsa
- Greek chicken bowls
- Cauliflower rice fish taco bowls
- Asian turkey meatball bowls
- Flank steak burrito bowls
- Spicy mango and avocado rice bowl
Southwest Salmon Rice Bowls
Ingredients
Salmon
- 12 ounces Sockeye salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Guacamole
- 1 1/2 avocados peeled and seed removed.
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Mango Black Bean Salsa
- 1 cup diced mango
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 jalapeño deseeded and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 of a lime juiced
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
- Rice
- Cook the brown rice or to save time use par-cooked brown rice and microwave per package instructions. Season with salt. Feel free to add chopped cilantro and lime juice to the rice as well for extra flavor.
- Salmon
- Preheat grill to 400° F. Season the salmon fillets with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Oil the grill grates and grill the salmon for about 3 minutes per side depending on their thickness. The internal temperature should be 130° F. Let them rest for 5 minutes and then remove the skin and flake them into bite sized pieces with a fork.
- Mango Black Bean Salsa
- Add the diced mango, black beans, red onion, cilantro, chili powder, salt and lime juice to a bowl. Stir together and taste for seasoning. Adjust as needed.
- Guacamole
- Add the avocados to a bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher until they are the consistency you like. Add the red onion, cilantro, garlic powder, salt and lime juice to the avocados and stir together until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Assembling the Bowls
- Divide the rice into 4 bowls. Top with the flaked salmon, mango black bean salsa, a dollop of guacamole and extra cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Simple, quick and delicious summer meal.