Blackened salmon rice bowl with mango and black bean salsa
35 min · 48 g protein · 493 cals / serving
Salmon coated in a smoky Cajun spice crust and seared hard, on rice and crisp lettuce with a juicy salsa of mango, black beans, corn, red onion, jalapeño and lime, plus a cool lime yogurt to calm the heat. Spicy, sweet and fresh, on the table in half an hour.
Ingredients
Rice
- 2/3 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce, finely shredded
Salsa
- 1 medium mango, diced
- 1 can (15 oz), drained black beans
- 1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- a handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice, divided
- a pinch salt
Salmon
- 4 fillets (1 lb 7 oz) sockeye salmon, skinless
- 1 tbsp cajun or creole seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika, smoked
- 1 tsp olive oil
Lime yogurt
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
Steps
- Cook the rice: simmer it covered with 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (200 ml) water for 12 minutes, then leave off the heat with the lid on for 5 minutes.
- Mix the mango, black beans, corn, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 1 1/2 tbsp of the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Pat the salmon dry and press the Cajun seasoning and paprika onto the top and sides. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook the salmon spice side down for 3 minutes until dark and crusty, then turn and cook 2–4 minutes more, until it reaches 145°F. Most Cajun blends are salted; if yours is salt-free, add a pinch of salt with it.
- Stir the remaining lime juice into the yogurt. Fill four bowls with shredded lettuce and rice, then the salmon and salsa, and spoon the lime yogurt on top.
Good to know
Is blackened just burnt?
No: the dark crust is the spices toasting in a hot pan, not the fish burning. Keep the heat at medium-high rather than maximum, and open a window, because it does smoke.
How spicy is it?
Cajun blends vary a lot. Taste a pinch: if it is hot, use half and make up the rest with smoked paprika. The yogurt and mango cool it down.
Can I make it with cauliflower rice?
Yes, it is lighter and still good with the salsa, at about 76 instead of 65.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 101
- Protein
- (40%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (19%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (41%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 177 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1971 kcal goes into the pot and 1841 g of ingredients comes out as about 1950 g of food: 101 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.