You put the lime in the coconut and throw them on the salmon.
Put the rice in the bowl, you nut, and eat it all up.
WHAM, is my sense of humor working today.
Happy Tuesday, kids! I must say, these bright summer recipes are cheering me up significantly of late. We’re experiencing seriously sweaty mornings, in the low 80s with absurd high-70s dew points, and my early romps are certainly suffering. Least my ego is – I actually haven’t felt too bad yet.
I’ve declared this season as the Summer of Sand, Saltwater, and Seafood, and we’re dialing into the lattermost category with these gorgeous Coconut Lime Crusted Salmon Bowls. I must say, coating salmon in crunchy robes of panko and other shit satisfies my creative brain lately, and maybe a need for an alternative to my usual saucy formulas.
Not to say I have any beef with sauce. The peanut sauce in this bowl is outlandishly good, wholesome and simple with just five little components. A perfect crescendo for an already jazzy meal.
Nut Job
First, we bake the salmon.
The crust requires a two-step dredge, first in egg and then in the crunchy blend. For the former, grab an egg, crack it into a bowl, and whisk.
For the coconut lime crust, combine panko breadcrumbs, coconut flakes, lime zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper in your food processor. Blitz until finely chopped. I used sweetened coconut flakes, but you can use unsweetened if you prefer.
Dump the coconut mix into a shallow bowl.
Now, make sure you beautiful filets o’ salmon are very dry by patting with lots of paper towels. I usually lay them on a plate or cutting board and press the towels overtop the fish while I work on other shit, but as usual, I wrote this kind of out of order. Sue me.
Anyway. Brush a salmon filet with the whisked egg, then immediately dunk into the coconut lime coating. Press gently into each crevice, ensuring the fish is well coated on both sides. Set onto a baking sheet either greased lightly with oil, or lined with parchment.
Drizzle the fishes with olive oil and bake at 450 for 8-12 minutes, depending on desired doneness. If you’d like, and if parchment wasn’t used, broil the fish for the final minute or two to get a nice golden finish.
Lastly, whip up your peanut sauce! Combine peanut butter (I prefer creamy, no-stir brands), soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and toasted sesame oil. Add warm water a bit at a time to thin. Sometimes the sauce is finicky and doesn’t want to smooth out properly – if this happens, toss the batch into your food processor and whip until smooth. Works every time.
Set a salmon over a fluffy bed of rice, arrange some cucumber, avocado, and chopped cilantro all around, and spoon lots of peanut sauce over the whole damn thing. What a combo people!
Leftovers? Salmon meal preps great for up to 5 days. The crust will lose some of its crunch in the fridge, but if you have time, reheating the filets at 350 for 8-10 minutes will help maintain the texture.
Freeze? You can freeze the salmon, sealed properly, for up to 3 months. Some texture loss will happen, as per above. Do not freeze the cucumber and avocado with it. To reheat, pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. The frozen nature requires a higher temp and longer cook time.
Peanut sauce shelf life? The sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Eat your nuts out!
Oh wait, that’s not the expression.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
You’ve been salmon’d:
Sheet Pan Panko Crusted Hot Honey Mustard Salmon
Sheet Pan Coffee Rubbed Salmon and Butter Potatoes
Sheet Pan BBQ Caesar Salmon and Potatoes
coconut lime crusted salmon bowls with peanut sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb salmon
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened are both fine)
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- steamed rice, for serving
peanut sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- warm water as needed, to thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with oil, or line with parchment.
- In a food processor, combine the panko, coconut flakes, lime zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until a fine meal forms. Pour into a shallow bowl.
- Pat the salmon very dry with paper towels. Brush the filets with the beaten egg, then, one at a time, dip both sides into the coconut-lime coating. Pat to coat evenly. Place each filet on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Bake 8-12 minutes. If desired, switch the broiler to high for the final 1-2 minutes. Do not do that if you used parchment else you'll have a fire, folks.
- To make the peanut sauce: in a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and sesame oil. Add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach desired thinness. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If the sauce isn't combining properly and separates, throw all the ingredients in your food processor and whip until smooth. Different brands of peanut butter may impact the ability to whisk properly.
- Serve the salmon over steamed rice with cucumbers, avocado, lots of cilantro, and drizzles of peanut sauce.
