These are the best chili lime salmon bites! Smoky, savory, buttery salmon chunks served over crispy and refreshing mango salsa – it’s the perfect summer dinner or a hot day!
Who needs dinner for a hot day?!
These chili lime salmon bites are tender and buttery, served over crisp mango slaw that is super flavorful and easy to make. It’s my signature salmon with my signature slaw, made into a new special meal that we are loving lately.
It’s the time of year where dinners MUST be cooling and refreshing and perfect for the hot weather… even if it’s a warm meal. This is the perfect combo of the two. It’s light and refreshing while being incredibly satisfying.
Plus, it tastes amazing!
I made this seared salmon in a skillet almost every single week. I talk about it every time I make it: how we all love it so much, how it only takes minutes to make. Sometimes I sear whole filets and other times I cut it into chunks. It’s amazing how just that little change makes it seem like a whole new meal.
How exciting!!
But really, chopping the salmon before searing creates the perfect buttery bites with a crisp exterior.
For the chili lime flavor, I use tajin. It is probably my favorite seasoning mixture – I can never get it enough. Right now, I adore it sprinkled on watermelon with some fresh lime juice.
The tajin combo is so tangy, citrusy, smoky and just has a little bit of a bite. Not much – I don’t love spicy flavors. So if this isn’t too spicy for me, you know it’s perfect.
My favorite thing about using the tajin is that it is just a one step seasoning! It takes the place of salt, pepper, everything. Trader Joe’s also makes a chili lime seasoning that is really good.
Once the salmon is seasoned, I simply sear it in a skillet with some avocado oil! I also like to add my classic water + honey mixture to the pan to create a bit of a sticky sauce. It’s so simple and such a game changer.
The best part though? The mango slaw. It’s so crunchy and crisp. Amazing for summer, so easy to make and doesn’t require any heat. It’s what I like to call a “slaw salad” in which I use the slaw as the base of a salad. Groundbreaking, I know. It really makes a difference though!
My mango slaw has green cabbage, red onion, fresh mango, cilantro and lots of lime. It even tastes better after it sits for a few minutes and everything softens and marinates. It’s an excellent base and so complimentary to the salmon that is smoky and savory.
A special option you can also add on top: some of my herby summer sauce! This is made with plain green yogurt, scallions, chives, cilantro and some more citrus. It’s delicious!
You can serve the meal with rice or without. It’s up to you! You can even add the salmon and the slaw in a wrap for lunch the next day. Or even stick it in butter lettuce cups for mini wraps.
It’s incredibly flavorful and tastes SO good – you’ll want to make it over and over again!
Chili Lime Salmon Bites with Mango Slaw
Chili Lime Salmon Bites with Mango Slaw
These are the best chili lime salmon bites! Smoky, savory, buttery salmon chunks served over crispy and refreshing mango salsa – it’s the perfect summer dinner or a hot day!
- 2 pounds salmon, cut into chunks
- 1 ½ tablespoons tajin seasoning, or any chili lime seasoning
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- herby summer sauce, optional
- jasmine rice, optional
mango slaw
- 1 small cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 mango, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, plus more for sprinkling
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
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Season the salmon chunks all over with the tajin, using more if desired.
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Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon pieces in a single layer (you may have to do this in a double batch so they all fit). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until deeply golden brown. Flip each piece of salmon and cook on the other side until golden.
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Whisk together the honey and water until combined. Pour it into the skillet and cook until it’s bubbling. Let it simmer and bubble for 1 to 2 more minutes before turning off the heat.
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Serve the salmon bites over the mango slaw, adding rice if you’d like. Sprinkle of more fresh cilantro.
mango slaw
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Place the cabbage, mango, red onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice olive oil with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Season the slaw all over with salt and pepper too. Pour the dressing over the slaw, tossing it together. Let it sit for 5 minutes and toss it again. Use it as the base for your salmon bites.
I could jump through the screen.