Air fryer salmon bowl with avocado orange salsa

Salmon with a sweet and spicy topping, served with the most amazing avocado orange salsa. This is one of my favourite lighter dinners for warmer evenings. The salmon is cooked in the air fryer, so it’s nice and quick dinner (I’ve included instructions for the oven too).

A salmon bowl with spiced air fryer salmon, rice, avocado orange salsa, cucumber, and lime wedges - with a fork on the side of the bowl.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

This dinner is like a flavour explosion! Tender, fall-apart salmon topped with a Cajun-spice-sugar combo and cooked until it caramelizes on top.

It goes perfectly with the creamy-tangy-crunchy salsa (we’re talking butter avocado, juicy orange pieces, little pieces of red onion and jalapeno and lots of coriander, all tossed together with a honey-lime dressing.

What makes this so good (if you need any more reasons!):

Ready in less than 25 minutes.
A decent amount of protein (from the salmon) and fibre (mainly from the avocado).
It’s light, but filling enough for dinner, and it’s nutritious without being boring!

Ingredients for these easy salmon bowls

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Ingredients for a salmon bowl recipe with orange-avocado salsa on a wooden surface. Includes: raw salmon fillets, avocado oil, honey, coriander, lime, jalapeño, red onion, avocado orange salsa ingredients and spices. Each ingredient is labelled.

Abbreviated Recipe

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***

Top the salmon fillets with the spice mix and a drizzle/spray of oil. Air fry or oven bake until tender.

Two side-by-side images showing two fillets of seasoned air fryer salmon in a basket, before and after cooking.

Meanwhile mix all of the salsa ingredients together. Serve the salsa with the salmon, plus fluffy rice, cucumber and a wedge of lime.

A white bowl with avocado orange salsa, with a spoon taking some of the salsa.

Recipe Tips

Try to cut the avocado and orange into similar size pieces, for a chunky, uniform looking salsa.
These air fryer liners (<– aff link) help to keep your air fryer basket clean (choose the size suitable for your air fryer).

A salmon bowl with spiced air fryer salmon over white rice, topped with avocado orange salsa, cucumber pieces, coriander, and lime wedges.

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Air Fryer Method:

Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down, into the air fryer basket (I use a liner for easy cleanup).

2 salmon fillets
Sprinkle over the Cajun spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then drizzle or spray on the oil.

2 tsp Cajun spice mix, 2 tsp light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oil
Place in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 200C/400F (air fry setting), until cooked (timing depends on the thickness of you salmon fillet).

Oven Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan)
Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down, onto a baking tray.

2 salmon fillets
Sprinkle over the Cajun spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then drizzle or spray on the oil.

2 tsp Cajun spice mix, 2 tsp light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oil
Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until cooked (timing depends on the thickness of you salmon fillet).

Salsa and Serving:

While the salmon is cooking make the salsa. Place all of the salsa ingredients into a bowl and toss together.

1 ripe avocado, 1 orange, 1/2 of a small red onion, 20 g (1/2 packed cup) coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped , 1 Jalapeno pepper, 2 tbsp lime juice, zest of one lime, 1 tbsp honey, pinch of salt and pepper
Place steamed/boiled rice into bowls (I use around 300g (1+1/2 cups) of cooked rice for two people). Top with a salmon fillet, half of the salsa and some cucumber chunks.

Steamed/boiled rice, Chopped cucumber
Sprinkle on sesame seeds. Add a lime wedge and serve.

Sesame seeds, Lime wedges

Tip – How to segment an orange with a knife:

Slice off the the orange skin, carefully with a sharp knife. Start with the top and bottom ends to create a stable base, then cut away the rest of the peel and pith following the curve of the orange. Slice between the membranes of each segment, so each segment is released. Then slice each segment in half, before adding to your salsa (I squeeze in any leftover juice too!).

How to check your salmon is cooked:

Check doneness by slicing into the thickest part of the salmon fillet, it should slightly flaky, and have turned from dark pink to light link. It should be just about opaque. (63C/145F is the recommended internal temperature if you want to use a temperature probe).

Recipe source:

Inspired by and adapted from Lindsay from Pinch of Yum’s amazing BBQ salmon bowls.

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving of the salmon and also (does not include rice and toppings).
This recipe serves 2.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More fantastic bowl food recipes

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Trending Products