This salmon burrito bowl has a base of Mexican rice and is topped with taco seasoned salmon, avocado, pico de gallo, queso fresco and drizzled with an avocado crema. Perfect for meal prep!
I’m back with another delicious bowl meal! I shared this Mediterranean quinoa bowl and mother earth bowl earlier this week and today I’ve got a salmon burrito bowl for you, which might just be my favorite one yet!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to meal prep in advance for quick assembly during the week.
Packed full of flavor from the salmon, rice, pico de gallo and avocado crema.
It’s completely customizable. Feel free to make this recipe your own!
Ingredients Needed
salmon – the star of this recipe and main source of protein! You’ll want 1 1/2 pounds of evenly sized filets of salmon with the skin on. I recommend getting individual filets from your grocer but don’t be afraid of frozen filets, either! Flash-frozen fish can be just as healthy. Just make sure the salmon is thawed if you are using frozen filets.
taco seasoning – a spice blend that usually consists of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. This is what we’re using to season the salmon and Mexican rice. You can easily find taco seasoning in stores, or try making your own at home.
green bell pepper – adds flavor, crunch, and a slight sweetness to the rice.
tomatoes – these will be used to give the rice color and flavor. I used canned fire roasted tomatoes, which I highly recommend, but fresh tomatoes work as well.
black beans – we’re adding beans to the rice for some additional protein and fiber.
garlic & onion – adds all the much needed flavor to the rice, and the rest of the bowl as well.
sweet corn – adds a hint of sweetness to the rice and a pop of color!
avocado crema – a mix of avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime and salt to create a delicious, creamy topping for this burrito bowl.
additional toppings – feel free to use your favorite toppings, but my go-to’s are jalapeño slices, pico de gallo, queso fresco, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
How to Make
Make rice: Make the Mexican rice by adding oil to a large skillet and heating on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and green bell pepper and saute for about 5-6 minutes until onion is translucent and fragrant. Add beans, corn, cilantro and taco seasoning and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes then add fire roasted tomatoes and cooked rice, stir until fully combined. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with additional salt + pepper if desired.
Cook salmon: While rice is cooking, place salmon on a prepared baking sheet, skin side down and drizzle with oil and taco seasoning. Rub seasoning into the salmon to coat evenly then drizzle with fresh lime juice. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400°F until salmon is flaky and cooked throughout. Time will depend on the thickness of your salmon.
Make avocado crema: While salmon is cooking, make avocado crema by combining avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, salt and water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Assemble bowls: To make the bowls, add about 1 cup rice mixture to the bowl and top with salmon, jalapeño slices, pico de gallo, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and a drizzle of avocado crema. Serve immediately.
Customize Your Bowl
The best thing about bowl dinners is that they are completely customizable! Here are some ideas:
Change up the rice: Instead of using basmati or jasmine rice, you could try using a different grain like brown rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice. This cilantro rice would also pair nicely with this burrito bowl.
Swap out the protein: I love using salmon as the protein in this burrito bowl, but it would also be delicious with chicken (try this chicken burrito bowl), ground turkey or ground beef. For a plant-based protein option make these tofu sofritas!
Customize the toppings: You could try adding different toppings to your burrito bowl, such as avocado slices, shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt and/or salsa.
Avocado crema: I love the addition of the avocado crema to these bowls, but feel free to skip it and just add avocado slices instead. You could also swap it with a different sauce or dressing. This tomatillo avocado dressing or cilantro lime dressing would both be delicious!
Make it spicy: If you like spice, you could try adding some additional heat to your burrito bowl by adding diced jalapeño peppers, diced serrano peppers, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Add some fruit: Try adding some fresh fruit to your burrito bowl. Fresh mango or pineapple would be delicious. You could also make this pineapple salsa!
Greens: Add some fresh greens to your burrito bowl with romaine lettuce, spinach or kale.
How to Prep in Advance
If you want the real deal but don’t have time to make everything for these salmon burrito bowls in one night, you can prep all of the components in advance for faster assembly. Here’s what I would prep in advance:
Salmon – prepare the salmon by baking it as instructed above with all the necessary spices. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to reheat.
Mexican rice – make the rice as is with all the ingredients, including the beans and sweet corn. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to reheat.
Avocado crema – this is pretty easy to whip it up when it comes time to make your bowls for dinner. The avocado crema doesn’t store super well if you decide to leave it in the fridge overnight because the avocado will start to brown. But, if you are determined to have everything ready, I would recommend adding a sprinkle of lime or lemon juice to the crema. This will slow down the process of browning and keep that bright green color we all love in avocados.
How to Store Leftovers
These salmon burrito bowls are great because they store so well! I recommend storing each component in separate containers. Everything should last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to enjoy, heat up the rice and salmon over the stovetop or in the microwave and assemble your burrito bowl!
This salmon burrito bowl has a base of Mexican rice and is topped with taco seasoned salmon, avocado, pico de gallo, queso fresco and drizzled with an avocado crema. Perfect for meal prep!
If you haven’t already, cook your rice according to the package.
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make taco seasoning by combining all the spices in a small bowl. Set aside.
Make rice by adding oil to a large skillet and heating on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and green bell pepper and saute for about 5-6 minutes until onion is translucent and fragrant.
Add beans, corn, cilantro and taco seasoning and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes then add fire roasted tomatoes and cooked rice and stir until fully combined. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with additional salt + pepper if desired.
While rice is cooking, place salmon on prepared baking sheet, skin side down and drizzle with oil and taco seasoning. Rub seasoning into the salmon to coat evenly then drizzle with fresh lime juice.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until salmon is flaky and cooked throughout. Time will depend on the thickness of your salmon.
While salmon is cooking, make avocado crema by combining avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, salt and water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and combined. Set aside.
To make the bowls, add about 1 cup rice mixture to bowl and top with salmon, jalapeno slices, pico de gallo, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and a drizzle of avocado crema. Serve immediately.
I’m so glad I made this, even for the Avocado Crema alone it would have been totally worth it. I love healthy bowls and eat them almost everyday. This one is fantastic, with the salmon, the avocado, the Jalapeno slices and black beans. I see that you have quite a few more recipes for bowls with salmon on the blog, so I’ll be sure to check those out as well!
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Very flavorful. The recipe was easy to follow. The avocado crema was the star. Don’t skip it.
I’m so glad I made this, even for the Avocado Crema alone it would have been totally worth it. I love healthy bowls and eat them almost everyday. This one is fantastic, with the salmon, the avocado, the Jalapeno slices and black beans. I see that you have quite a few more recipes for bowls with salmon on the blog, so I’ll be sure to check those out as well!
Oh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear! So pumped you loved this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review!