Mojo Salmon Bowls featuring perfectly cooked salmon bites with an amazing sweet and savory citrusy Mojo Sauce. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and swaddled with so much flavor, even salmon naysayers are bound to love this meal!
If you’ve made and loved my Crispy Bang Bang Salmon Bites Bowls, you’re going to lose it over this Mojo version!
Marinated chunks of salmon get pan fried (or air fried) to crispy perfection, then doused in homemade mojo sauce.
Hailing from Cuban influence, mojo sauce (or mojo marinade) is a citrusy sweet and savory concoction that really tickles the tastebuds. So for those of you who love a sweet and savory sauce, mojo may just be your new favorite addition to any meal!
For me, it’s the combination of the perfectly cooked crispy salmon with the bangin’ sauce that makes this meal so special!
You can style it up however you like using any kind of base, fresh or cooked veggies and any other fun goodies you enjoy like nuts, seeds, or additional sauces.
Spruce up your weeknight dinners with this incredible meal! It has restaurant-quality flavor with the homemade deliciousness.
The simple ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store! Each serves an important role, so here’s detailed information about why I choose each ingredient.
Ingredients for Mojo Salmon Bowls:
For the Salmon:
Large Salmon Fillet: Pick up one pound of your favorite kind of salmon. I use wild-caught King salmon because it is the highest in omega-3 fatty acids, but coho salmon and Atlantic salmon work too.
Note that sockeye salmon doesn’t turn out as rich and tender, but you can use it if you’re a big fan of sockeye.
Coconut Aminos: Adds sweet and umami flavor, taking the place of soy sauce and sugar.
Avocado Oil: Every great marinade starts with a quality fat. I like using avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and is great for cooking at high temperatures.
Fresh Garlic: Garlic goes a long way in adding robust flavor!
Rice Vinegar: A little tanginess to offset the sweet and savory flavor.
Mojo Sauce Ingredients:
Avocado Oil: Bringing silky smooth texture and richness to the sauce, we need avocado oil or olive oil.
Fresh Lime Zest and Juice: Bringing a big zing of citrus flavor, lime juice and lime zest impart that unmistakable lime flavor, which is so delicious in sauces.
Fresh Orange Zest and Juice: Similar to the lime zest and juice, we need orange zest and juice, which bring sweetness and a softer citrus flavor. This is the majority of the flavor that shines through in the sauce.
Pure Maple Syrup: A little sweetness counterbalances the sour citrus.
Fresh Ginger: A little kick of subtle spice and unmistakable ginger flavor comes from fresh ginger.
Garlic: A small clove of garlic goes a long way here in bringing robust flavor.
Ground Cumin: A slight earthy undertone adds a little nuance.
Sea Salt: Salt it to your personal taste! Add a pinch of pepper too.
For the Bowls:
Brown Rice: The base of the bowls, cooked brown rice adds complex carbohydrates to the meal. You can also use white rice or cauliflower rice.
Head of Broccoli: Steamed or roasted veggies bring fiber and micronutrients.
Red Onion: A zing of fresh onion flavor enhances it all!
Shelled Edamame: Fun texture and plant-based protein is brought to us by edamame. Feel free to swap it out for black beans, garbanzo beans, or lentils.
Optional Additions:
Ways to Customize:
- If you don’t typically cook with coconut aminos, swap it out for 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Add anything you’d like to the bowls. Mix up the vegetables or the brown rice base.
- Save time by marinating the salmon in store-bought teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Mojo Salmon Bowls:
Marinate the Salmon:
Remove the salmon from its packaging and place it on a large cutting board. Pat salmon dry using paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut the salmon into strips, cutting all the way through the skin.
Then, cut the strips into cubes and transfer salmon to a large sealable container or a zip lock bag.
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into the container (or zip lock) with the chunks of salmon.
Move it around with a spoon to ensure all of the pieces are coated. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours.
Make the Mojo Sauce:
While the salmon is marinating, make the sauce and prepare any of the ingredients you intend to use in the bowls (rice, veggies, etc.).
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small blender and blend until combined.
Refrigerate in a sealed jar until ready to use. Note: if you don’t own a small blender, you can mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl.
Cook the Salmon:
When you’re ready, cook the salmon using your preferred method. Below are skillet instructions and air fryer instructions.
Stove Top Instructions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet (I use a 12-inch nonstick skillet) over medium-high heat.
Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes to become sizzling hot. Transfer the marinated pieces of salmon to the hot skillet, including the marinade, and spread them into an even layer.
Allow the salmon to sit undisturbed for 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chunks of salmon to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes.
Repeat this process until the salmon is cooked through and golden brown around all sides. Insert an instant-read thermometer into one of the largest pieces. Salmon is cooked through once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Air Fryer Instructions:
Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 3 minutes.
Spread the marinated salmon pieces in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
Air fry for 8 to 11 minutes, or until the salmon reaches your desired level of crisp and are cooked all the way through.
Assemble the Bowls:
Load up big bowls with cooked brown rice, steamed or roasted broccoli, edamame, chopped red onion, and salmon bites. Drizzle everything with the Cuban mojo sauce and serve! Enjoy it with chopped green onions on top and lime wedges if you’d like.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I find salmon is best when served immediately after cooking, so I recommend only making what you think you will get through during the meal.
Recipe Tips:
- Make the sauce and any side dishes (rice, veggies, etc) up to 4 days ahead of time to break the recipe into parts.
- Marinate the salmon for 3 hours, or up to overnight for the most flavorful result.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes. Just be sure to thaw the salmon completely before beginning the recipe. When possible, I do recommend using fresh salmon from the seafood section of the grocery store instead of using frozen salmon. This ensures the best texture and flavor.
The answer to both is yes. If you don’t enjoy the crispy texture of the salmon skin, you can certainly remove it (see below for instructions).
Similarly, you can buy skinless salmon if you prefer it, and if your salmon happens to come skinless, you can still use it.
Lay the salmon flat on a cutting board. Place one palm (from your nondominant hand) on top of the flesh to stabilize it, while using your dominant hand to slice as closely to the skin as you can, leaving as much meat as possible.
In order to perform this step effectively, you must use a very sharp chef’s knife, as dull knives struggle to cut raw meat.
If you aren’t concerned about each bite being a crispy adventure, you can certainly skip the chopping process and marinate and cook the piece of salmon whole.
To cook whole salmon filets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the marinated salmon filet on a large rimmed baking sheet skin side down and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.
For grilling, grill salmon skin-side down on a medium-high grill for 6 minutes per side, then continuing to flip every 2 minutes.
Yes! Follow all of the same steps to marinate and cook the chicken as you would the salmon. I recommend sticking with chicken thighs over chicken breasts for the best results.
The next time you’re craving an all-new spin on salmon, whip up this unique flavor-blasted meal!
If you love quick and easy healthy dinner recipes like this, also try some of my other reader favorites.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes:
- Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Ground Beef Stroganoff
- My Go-To Crispy Salmon
- American Beef Goulash
- Oven-Baked Pot Roast
Mojo Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salmon:
- 1 pound salmon chopped into cubes*
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos**
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
For the Mojo Sauce:
- ½ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 fresh lime zested
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp sea salt
For the Bowls:
- 3 to 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 head broccoli steamed or roasted
- 2 cups shelled edamame
- 1 cup chopped red onion.
Instructions
Marinate the Salmon:
- Remove the salmon from its packaging and place it on a large cutting board. Pat salmon dry using paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut the salmon into strips, cutting all the way through the skin.
- Then, cut the strips into cubes and transfer salmon to a large sealable container or a zip lock bag.
- Mix together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into the container (or zip lock) with the chunks of salmon. Move it around with a spoon to ensure all of the pieces are coated. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours.
Make the Mojo Sauce:
- While the salmon is marinating, make the sauce and prepare any of the ingredients you intend to use in the bowls (rice, veggies, etc.).
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small blender and blend until combined. Refrigerate in a sealed jar until ready to use. Note: if you don’t own a small blender, you can mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl.
Cook the Salmon:
- When you’re ready, cook the salmon using your preferred method. Below are skillet instructions and air fryer instructions.
Stove Top Instructions:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet (I use a 12-inch nonstick skillet) over medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes to become sizzling hot. Transfer the marinated pieces of salmon to the hot skillet, including the marinade, and spread them into an even layer. Allow the salmon to sit undisturbed for 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chunks of salmon to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes. Repeat this process until the salmon is cooked through and golden brown around all sides. Insert an instant-read thermometer into one of the largest pieces. Salmon is cooked through once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 3 minutes.
- Spread the marinated salmon pieces in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Air fry for 8 to 11 minutes, or until the salmon reaches your desired level of crisp and are cooked all the way through.
Assemble the Bowls:
- Load up big bowls with cooked brown rice, steamed or roasted broccoli, edamame, chopped red onion, and salmon bites. Drizzle everything with the Cuban mojo sauce and serve! Enjoy it with chopped green onions on top and lime wedges if you’d like.
