Smoky Summer Salad with Lime-Crusted Salmon (30 Minutes!)

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Hands holding a bowl of our smoky summer salad with lime-crusted salmon

Summertime calls for quick, fresh, and satisfying meals that don’t require turning on the oven — and this salad hits all those marks! Flavorful, crispy salmon, fiber-packed black beans, and crunchy, colorful greens pair perfectly with our go-to 5-Minute Smoky Chipotle Dressing and Peach Cucumber Salsa. Prepare your tastebuds for major deliciousness!

This 30-minute meal is rich in protein, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals and is the answer for a nourishing lunch or dinner, especially on warm summer days. Let us show you how it’s done!

Smoky chipotle dressing, peach cucumber salsa, black beans, limes, salmon, corn starch, brown rice flour, salt, romaine, avocado oil, and cabbage

If you’ve got a thing for crispy coated fish like we do, this recipe is going in your rotation. Brown rice flour, cornstarch, lime zest, salt, and optional garlic powder combine for a zesty, flavorful “breading” for the salmon.

Zested limes around a bowl of lime zest, brown rice flour, garlic powder, salt, and corn starch

We dip the salmon into lime juice for extra brightness, then dip in the zesty breading to achieve a light coating.

Salmon filets dipped in lime juice and a lime breading

Next, we cook the salmon filets in a hot skillet until they turn light pink and develop a crispy exterior.

Using tongs to flip salmon filets in a skillet

For the salad base, we went with romaine and red cabbage for crunchiness and added black beans for fiber and satisfaction. Almost any greens would be delicious, so feel free to sub in whatever you have around.

Finish off the dish by topping the salad with salmon, peach (or mango) salsa, and our 5-Minute Smoky Chipotle Dressing. Swoon!

Adding dairy-free chipotle lime dressing to a salad

We hope you LOVE this summer salad with salmon. It’s:

Bright
Fresh
Smoky
Satisfying
Nutrient-packed
& SO delicious!

We love this recipe any time we’re craving something quick, nourishing, and flavorful. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and almost all the vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, B vitamins, potassium, and selenium.

More Salmon Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Flaky salmon filet on a salad

Smoky Summer Salad with Lime-Crusted Salmon (30 Minutes!)

Flavorful lime-crusted salmon atop a fiber-rich salad of greens, cabbage, and black beans, topped with smoky chipotle dressing and fresh peach salsa. Just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes required!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Bite of flaky salmon on a fork next to a smoky salmon salad
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 (Bowls)
Course Entrée, Salad
Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 1-2 Days

Ingredients

SALAD

SALMON

  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 Tbsp lime zest (4 medium limes yield ~4 Tbsp zest)
  • 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • 3 Tbsp lime juice (1 large lime yields ~3 Tbsp juice)
  • 4 (4-6 oz.) salmon filets, skin and bones removed
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil (for cooking fish)

Instructions

  • SALAD: If using homemade dressing and peach salsa (both recommended), prepare them at this time and set aside. In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, cabbage, and black beans (optional) and toss to combine. Set aside.
  • SALMON: In a medium-sized shallow bowl or dish, combine the brown rice flour, cornstarch, lime zest, salt, and garlic powder (optional). Whisk to fully combine and ensure there are no clumps of lime zest. Set nearby.
  • In a separate shallow bowl, add the lime juice and set nearby. Then get a large dinner plate and set it near the stove for the cooked salmon.
  • Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, start the salmon assembly line. Take one salmon filet and place it in the lime juice, flip it once or twice to evenly coat. Lift it up gently and let excess lime juice drip off, then place it in the flour/zest mixture. Press down gently on the top of the salmon, then flip and press once or twice until it is evenly coated in the mixture. Lift it and gently shake off excess flour, then immediately place into the hot skillet.
  • Cook the salmon for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reads 145 F (63 C). When the salmon is cooked, set it aside on a plate to cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining salmon.
  • To assemble the bowls, divide the greens/beans between bowls and top each with chipotle dressing and peach salsa. Add a salmon filet to each bowl, and enjoy!
  • Best when fresh, but leftovers will keep stored separately in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Not freezer friendly.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of salt, with 4-ounce salmon filets, and without optional ingredients (black beans or garlic powder).
*We tested this using our DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend and while it was good, we liked the lightness and crispiness of the brown rice flour and cornstarch much more!

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 bowl Calories: 418 Carbohydrates: 27.7 g Protein: 28.8 g Fat: 22.7 g Saturated Fat: 3.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.4 g Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 63 mg Sodium: 408 mg Potassium: 1063 mg Fiber: 4.8 g Sugar: 7.4 g Vitamin A: 6561 IU Vitamin C: 37 mg Calcium: 79 mg Iron: 3 mg

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  1. Caley says

    so yummy and quite a filling salad at that! love the contrast of sweetness of the salsa with the chipotle dressing 😍 I didn’t have cashew butter on hand so I used tahini for the dressing and it turned out great. Husband agreed it was 10/10

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! We’re so glad you and your husband both enjoyed the salad, Caley. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo

  2. Karen says

    This was delicious! As usual it took me more than 30 minutes. I even used the food processor to chop my red pepper and mango, but I am not very fast. I used frozen mango and adobe sauce as substitutes for fresh mango and jalapeno because that is what I had on hand. I also used all purpose flour. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for the great recipe.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Karen! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and will be making the recipe again! xo

  3. Brooke says

    This was so good! A perfect summer recipe. I made it as written with your mango salsa recipe (next time I’ll double that part because I wish I had leftovers!).

  4. meegan says

    the salad, salsa and dressing were fantastic. 10/10 adding to our rotation, my fiancé was super surprised and happy w this flavor combo. it’s one i don’t usually gravitate towards but wow so summery and delicious. personally love simple grilled or broiled salmon so will prob substitute for that in the future for an even easier/quick meal. also skipped the cucumber and cilantro in the salsa (personal preference) and it was still amazing and flavorful.

  5. Alicia Curtis says

    I loved this recipe! I usually don’t like salmon, but make it sometimes for my kiddos that love it. I liked the flavor of the breading used on the salmon and the salad was delicious.

      • Jacqueline says

        This was the best Salmon dish we have ever tried! The crust was such a wonderful texture. We bought King Salmon, Wild Caught, from our local co-op, and used organic brown rice flour from Bob Red Mills. I pan seared it as instructed, but I finished mine in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. My husband and I are planning a fishing trip to Alaska and this recipe will be used a lot when we arrive home with our fresh catches. We also made the mango salsa, and the sauce was modified a bit too as I did not have Chipotle in adobo made. I did 1/4 cup homemade mayo, 1/8 tsp each of chili powder and smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of lime juice. The sauce tied it together and I would not recommend skipping it. Siete’s new Maiz Corn Tortilla Chips were also served on the side with some extra salsa. This recipe is going in our summer rotation. Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          We’re so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jacqueline! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo

  6. Taylor S says

    Great addition to preparing salmon different ways – adding it to the rotation. The dressing and salsa contributed to a unique summer flavor but the salmon would be good on its own too. Careful flipping the salmon in oil – I usually cook most salmon in oven but stovetop cooking was different and I turned it over too forcefully and splashed oil. Highly recommend another MB recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you both enjoyed it. We love the taco idea! Thanks so much for the lovely review Madison! xo

  7. Shana says

    That dressing is amazing!!!! Served this for a dinner party and everyone was complimenting the flavor combinations.

    The lime flavor in the salmon’s prep really came out in the cooking. I added some additional cajun seasoning to the adult portions to give it a little extra kick.

    We ate the leftovers cold today and it was still fabulous. Thank you!

  8. Mary says

    Loved the combo of the peach salsa and the salad with the chipotle dressing! 😋

    I had all the other ingredients for the salmon on hand but the brown rice flour. A quick Google search suggested tapioca flour and… hmm. The flour mixture immediately got clumpy and when mixed together with the lime zest, and even more so when cooked. I’ll try this again with regular flour!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Cloey, brown rice flour is ideal for the crispiest results, but sorghum flour or a gluten-free blend should work. All purpose flour would also work if you can have it! Let us know how it goes!

  9. Dorie says

    Can’t wait to try this. And I like that it’s not real high in sodium like a lot of salmon recipes are.

  10. AR says

    Hello can you tell me what frying pan you are using for the Smoky Summer Salad with Lime-Crusted Salmon please. It looks like it’s a cast iron ceramic frying pan. Thanks for your help.